Pattaya is internationally famous for its nightlife, and has a reputation as Thailand’s naughtiest city. Many flock to Pattaya for the party atmosphere where the nightlife characterises the city and self gratification is on the menu wherever you go.

Whatever you are looking for, Pattaya nightlife has it all, from pub restaurants with sedate music to go-go bars and from trendy packed discos to world famous transsexual cabaret shows. Pattaya is also a great place for a pub crawl with very little distance between them, and many different bar types located closely.

Probably the most famous nightlife area of Pattaya is Walking Street in South Pattaya. From the evening until the next morning this road is closed to vehicles. The street itself and its adjoining lanes, known as sois, are all packed with go-go bars, massage parlours, beer bars and restaurants. It is crowded daily and the noisy bustle attracts those from all over. A walk down the street gives a visitor an eye opening experience of what Pattaya nightlife is all about. Apart from ubiquitous girly bars, Walking Street also has an Irish style pub and several discos which are usually packed and loud. Most of the action continues until two in the morning in this area.

Central Pattaya around sois 7 and 8 down to the beach is not as raucous as South Pattaya, but there are still a mass of beer bars, restaurants and other bars to contribute to the nightlife in Pattaya. This is an area frequented by many of the foreign residents of the city, and is more suited to a combination of drinking and chatting. As with all bars in the town, girls will happily sit with men if provided with a drink.

Nightlife in North Pattaya is quieter still, but even here there are probably a hundred bars. There are also restaurants and pub-restaurants with a variety of music from Thai folk to covers of modern western rock and pop performed by local bands and singers. North Pattaya is also home to the famous Alcazar Cabaret and the even larger Tiffany Cabaret, both of which feature beautiful transexuals who mime to both old and modern music while dressed in glitzy costumes. These remain extremely popular with tourists.

For the gay nightlife scene Pattaya has Boyz Town centered round Soi Pattayaland 1 and 3. This noisy and popular area has many gay go-go bars and beer bars. The adjacent Sunee Plaza is similar but both quieter and more private. Gay bars can also be found in other parts of Pattaya that cater for a more mixed crowd in usually quieter settings. Jomtien Beach is another gay meeting area.

Apart from the raucous side, Pattaya also has a number of other night time venues. Thai kick boxing known as Muay Thai can be seen at a number of bars scattered around Pattaya. These do not host events every night, so it’s best to ask at your hotel for information on where to go on a particular night. Pattaya also has two cinemas featuring English soundtrack movies. These can be found at Big C in North Pattaya and Royal Garden Plaza in Central Pattaya. The three bowling alleys can be found at Jomtien, on Second Road and in South Pattaya. Ripley’s Believe It or Not also opens fairly late with a number of entertaining attractions in addition to its bizare exhibitions.

Sometimes, a walk down the Pattaya bay promenade, simply people watching can be an entertaining and more low-key way to enjoy the nightlife, although you are likely to be accosted constantly by ‘freelancing bar girls’ who can be quite annoying with their persistance. It’s all part of Pattaya’s atmosphere. There are however, plenty of decent, quiet restaurants and pubs to hide in if the whole scene becomes a bit too appalling to your sensibilities.