Pattaya

Pattaya Beach is the city's four-kilometre curving centrepiece, a palm-lined crescent backed by the busy promenade of Beach Road. Daytime is the family-friendly window: the sand fills with loungers and umbrellas, and the calm Gulf water is the launch point for parasailing, jet skis, banana-boat rides and short speedboat hops to the islands from Bali Hai Pier at the southern end. A shaded walking path runs the length of the beachfront, and the vast Central Festival mall sits right behind it for air-conditioned shopping and dining. Families generally prefer the northern stretch and neighbouring Wong Amat Beach, which are more relaxed than the centre. It is worth knowing that the parallel Walking Street, one block back near the southern end, is Pattaya's famous after-dark entertainment strip and is adult-oriented at night, so most families keep to the beach and promenade by day and to the malls and restaurants in the evening. The seafront is at its liveliest and prettiest around sunset.

Just seven kilometres offshore, Koh Larn, universally called Coral Island, offers the clear turquoise water the mainland beaches lack, and it is one of Pattaya's most popular day trips. Ferries make the crossing from Bali Hai Pier in about forty-five minutes, or speedboats in roughly fifteen, dropping visitors at a scatter of small beaches around the island. Tawaen is the busiest and best equipped, with sunbeds, restaurants and every water sport going; Samae and Nual are prettier and more laid-back; and several coves are good for snorkelling over shallow reefs. You can rent a scooter, hop a songthaew truck or take a taxi between beaches, and there are simple seafood restaurants for lunch. The island genuinely feels like a tropical escape despite its closeness to the city, and staying a night lets you enjoy it after the day-trippers leave. Boats depend on the weather, so travel with a licensed operator and check conditions before setting out.

Nong Nooch is a vast and beautifully kept botanical garden spread over some five hundred acres about eighteen kilometres south of central Pattaya, and it is one of the most family-friendly attractions in the region. Its reputation rests on its formal landscaped gardens: a French-inspired parterre, a Stonehenge-style arrangement, sculpted topiary, a celebrated cactus and succulent house, and one of the world's most important collections of cycads and tropical palms, alongside dazzling orchids. An elevated skywalk gives an overview of the geometric flowerbeds, and a tram or buggy helps cover the large grounds. The park also stages regular cultural shows featuring Thai classical dance, folk performances and Muay Thai demonstrations. There are cafes, restaurants and gardens designed purely for photographs, so it easily fills half a day. It is stroller- and family-friendly, shaded in parts, and best enjoyed in the cooler morning hours before the midday heat builds.

The Sanctuary of Truth is one of Thailand's most astonishing pieces of architecture, a soaring, entirely hand-built wooden hall rising more than one hundred metres above the shore at Rachvate Cape, just north of the centre. Begun in 1981 as the vision of Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphant, it is constructed almost wholly from teak and other hardwoods, joined with wooden pegs rather than nails, and every surface, inside and out, is covered in intricate hand carvings drawn from Hindu and Buddhist cosmology and Thai, Khmer, Chinese and Indian tradition. Because the exposed wood is constantly weathering by the sea, carvers work on it continuously, so it has remained a living, evolving construction site for decades, which is part of its fascination. Visitors are given hard hats and can watch the artisans at work. The seafront setting, with the towering spires against the sky, is genuinely memorable. It is a cultural and craftsmanship landmark rather than an active temple.

The Pattaya Floating Market, also called the Four Regions Floating Market, is a large purpose-built attraction that gathers the crafts, architecture and food of Thailand's four regions, north, north-east, central and south, around a network of canals and wooden walkways. Vendors sell from traditional boats and stilted shophouses, and you can either wander the boardwalks on foot or hire a paddled boat to glide between the stalls. The draw is the mix of regional street food and snacks, handmade crafts, textiles and souvenirs, along with occasional cultural performances and photo-friendly settings in traditional dress. While it is a modern, tourist-oriented market rather than a historic working one, it is well made and gives an easy, shaded and family-friendly taste of old-Thailand atmosphere in one place. It sits on the southern side of the city near Jomtien, making it a natural pairing with a Jomtien beach afternoon. Prices are aimed at visitors, so gentle bargaining is expected.

Jomtien lies just south of central Pattaya, over the green rise of Pratamnak Hill, and offers a longer, wider and noticeably more relaxed beach than the city centre. Its six-kilometre sweep of sand is backed by a palm-lined road of low-key seafood restaurants, cafes and condominiums rather than the bustle of Beach Road, which makes it a favourite of families and longer-stay visitors. The water is calm and good for swimming, sunbeds and umbrellas line the shore, and the northern end is a hub for water sports including windsurfing, kite-surfing and jet skis. The pace is gentle, the sunsets are open and wide, and the seafront restaurants are an easy place for a long lunch or an evening meal by the sea. Jomtien pairs naturally with the nearby floating market and the beaches of Pratamnak Hill, and it makes a calmer, more family-oriented base than staying in the centre of Pattaya itself.