Attractions
Pattaya has a fairly large number of attractions to keep you occupied when you've had enough of the beach. This is probably due to the popularity of the city among Thais, who like to escape Bangkok on the weekends. That means many of these are perhaps more oriented to Thais than foreigners, but they can be interesting nonetheless, or in some cases, because of that.
- The Sanctuary of Truth
- About 20 years ago, one of Thailand's most eccentric businessmen began a monumental building project on a rocky point just north of Pattaya. Meant to remind Asians of their traditional values and constructed entirely of wood, the gigantic structure is not yet complete. However, it is open to visitors and a fascinating place to see some almost lost talents.
- Mini Siam
- It's cheesy, it's tacky and it's cliche, but busloads of tourists still make their way to this attraction on the main highway in Pattaya.
- Floating Market
- One of the newest attractions around Pattaya, the Floating Market features Thai handicraft shops and local foods, all in traditionally styled wooden buildings set on an artificial lake.
- Nong Nooch Gardens
- This huge formal garden is one of the oldest sights in Pattaya. In addition to the plants, which includes the largest collection of orchids in the country, there are cultural shows, restaurants and a shop.
In addition to the above, you may wish to check out Underwater World and Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.
In this section
The Pattaya Floating Market is the latest addition to the long list of tourist attractions around Pattaya. Opened in late 2008, the market will take some time to mature, but it seems to be off to a good start. The market consists of a set of meandering wooden buildings built on stilts over a large lake. The buildings are designed to represent the traditional styles of the different regions of Thailand.
Overview of the sights of Thailand at Mini Siam. < The "mini" Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It's cheesy, it's tacky and it's cliche, but busloads of tourists still make their way to this attraction on the main highway in Pattaya. Mini Siam is a re-creation in miniature of many of Thailand's major tourist attractions, as well as reconstructions of a few structures from the past. Here you'll find copies of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha from Bangkok, the ancient Khmer temple of Phimai in Nakorn Ratchisima province, and even Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport.
Some of the formal gardens. The Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is among the oldest of the sights in Pattaya, and perhaps one of the most incongruous. The formal gardens were first opened to the public in 1980. Although the gardens are very much in a European plan, there are Thai touches everywhere, including pavilions, statues and Thai cultural performances. Of special interest, to some at least, is the largest collection of orchids in Thailand, with something like 670 varieties on display.
The Sriracha Tiger Zoo is an old private attraction on the highway from Bangkok, about 30 minutes outside of Pattaya. This is a real pile-them-in, put-on-a-show, pack-them-out kind of place. Aside from locals, almost all visitors arrive in large tour buses. There's a circus-like tiger show, of course, as well as a crocodile show and elephant rides. The zoo does in fact have a sizeable crocodile farm on display. The zoo uses pigs to feed and raise the tigers in order to make them more docile, and the pigs themselves put on quite a show.
