Pattaya City Viewpoint (Pratumnak Hill)

Every photo you have ever seen of Pattaya Bay curving in a perfect crescent, with the white PATTAYA CITY letters on the hillside below, was taken here: the viewpoint on the northern slope of Pratumnak Hill, officially part of the Khao Phra Tamnak area between the city and Jomtien. It is free, open around the clock in practice, and along with the Big Buddha temple five minutes up the road it makes the best quick antidote to the idea that Pattaya is all bars and beach chairs.

The view genuinely is excellent. The whole three-kilometre sweep of Pattaya Bay lies below, from Bali Hai Pier and Walking Street at the southern end to Naklua in the north, with Koh Larn and the near islands floating offshore. Sunset is the popular slot, when the sun drops toward Koh Larn and the city lights come up — expect company, especially coach groups in high season, because every city tour stops here. Early morning is the connoisseur’s choice: soft light on the bay, joggers instead of crowds, and the haze at its thinnest for photography.

A few honest practicalities. This is a viewpoint terrace, not an attraction with facilities — a couple of drink vendors, a shrine to Krom Luang Chumphon (the "Father of the Thai Navy", much revered locally) and the platform itself are what is here, and fifteen to twenty minutes covers it unless you are waiting on the light. Macaques appear along the hill road at times; keep food out of sight and do not feed them. Getting up here without transport is the one nuisance: it is a steep 20–25 minute walk from the beach road, so most people come by motorbike taxi, Bolt (about 80–120 THB from central Pattaya) or as part of a city tour that strings the viewpoint, the Big Buddha and the Sanctuary of Truth into one unhurried half-day.