150 kilometers south of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is Pattaya - the largest major seaside resort closest to the capital. At first glance at the map of the city and its chess-nest layout, one gets the impression that in this new settlement there is absolutely nothing to look at. However, it is not. A simple sightseeing tour of the city is enough to make sure: the sights of Pattaya are quite numerous and varied. Tour agencies working at almost every hotel will offer tourists a visit to a crocodile farm, butterfly park, coral islands, Silver Lake and Big Buddha Mountain.
If you are an inquisitive person and love new impressions, then, naturally, you will be interested in what you can see in Pattaya on your own. The Sanctuary of Truth is located on the seafront, on the northern outskirts of the city. Literally every square centimeter of a high (over one hundred meters) wooden temple is filled with carvings of the highest skill. The sides of the sanctuary are oriented to the cardinal points and decorated with bas-reliefs of four elements. Since this is a temple of wisdom, and not just a Thai shrine, there are Chinese, Indian and other halls.
If you are a nature lover or traveling with children, you should definitely visit Pattaya's attractions such as the Khao Keu Zoo, a butterfly nursery and a crocodile farm. The zoo encourages animal feeding. Feed boxes are sold at the entrance. Surely your baby will like it in Sri Racha - the tiger zoo, where he can feed the little tiger cubs from the nipples and take pictures with them. You yourself will enjoy contemplating pig runs or entering a cave with thousands of scorpions.
But since both the zoo and the farms for breeding elephants, tigers, etc. located outside the city, you can find children's entertainment in Pattaya just by visiting the Royal Garden Plaza shopping mall on Walken Street. On the third floor of this shopping center is the Ripley Museum, which contains all sorts of oddities and wonders, a mirror labyrinth and dinosaur shows. In addition, in Pattaya there are two oceanariums and a water park with slides. For both children and adults, it will certainly be interesting to visit the Mini-Siam park. There, on a small territory, mock-ups are exhibited at a scale of 1:25 of all the famous buildings of Thailand, as well as architectural monuments of other countries.
Pattaya's attractions such as coral islands are approximately an hour away by boat . It is worth a trip to compare the purity of water and sand on the city beach and on the snow-white island of Koh Lan. It should be chosen for the whole day, and not with a guided tour: there are many opportunities on Koh Lana to refresh yourself with lunch and have a good rest. Along the coast of the coral islands, there is great diving and snorkeling. If for some reason you do not like diving, you can hire a boat with a glass bottom.
In Thailand they say: “Good guys go to heaven, and bad guys go to Pattaya.” With the onset of dusk, completely different sights of Pattaya come to the fore. Walking Street becomes a pedestrian zone, everywhere open "go-go-show", nightclubs and strip bars. The most favorite sight is the Alcazar Show. This is a cabaret in which transvestites perform. The theatrical performance includes parody operettas and cartoons on world pop and film stars.