Pattaya Beach

North Pattaya, from the Dusit Thani headland to about Soi 6, is the calmest stretch: wider sand, fewer vendors, families from the nearby hotels. Central Pattaya between Soi 6 and Central Festival mall is the busiest, with dense lounger rows, massage mats, the parasail and jet-ski operators and the most foot traffic on the promenade. South of Central Festival towards Walking Street the sand narrows and becomes a working waterfront, with speedboats nosing in to load Koh Larn passengers from the pier and the beach; swimming here is not sensible. Bali Hai Pier closes the bay in the south and is where every ferry and tour boat leaves.

Lounger and umbrella operators work the whole central beach at a set rate of about 50–100 THB per item for the day, usually waived if you order food and drinks from them. Every Wednesday the city clears Pattaya Beach of chairs and umbrellas for cleaning, so on a Wednesday bring your own towel or go to Jomtien, where the clearing day is only the third Wednesday of the month. Vendors sell grilled corn, fruit, som tam and cold drinks along the sand; expect 20–60 THB for snacks and 40–80 THB for a beer.

The water is cleaner than its reputation after years of wastewater investment, and plenty of people swim in the north and centre of the bay in the dry season. But it is still a working harbour with boats, jet skis and runoff after heavy rain, and the sand is coarser than Jomtien’s. If a beach day is the point, take the 15 THB songthaew over the hill to Jomtien, the 40 THB ferry to Koh Larn, or walk to Wong Amat; if you just want a dip between errands, the northern stretch is fine.

Beach Road is one-way southbound and the baht buses loop down it and back up Second Road for 15 THB a hop; flag one, ring the buzzer and pay at the window. The promenade is the best walk in the city at sunset, when the whole bay turns orange and the boats come back from Koh Larn. After dark the beach itself becomes a seating area for drinks from the carts, and the strip between Soi 7 and Walking Street turns into the nightlife front door; families generally head north or to Jomtien at that point.