Pattaya Destination Guide

Updated 6th Sep 2026

Pattaya is a coastal city in Chon Buri province, on the Gulf of Thailand about 150 kilometres southeast of Bangkok. This page covers the airports that serve it, the overland routes from Bangkok, and what is worth planning a day around once you arrive.

Which airports serve Pattaya

Pattaya has no airport of its own. The airport that serves it is U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport (UTP), and that airport's own page here covers the airlines that use it and how to get from it into town.

Most visitors arrive through one of Bangkok's two airports instead, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK), and finish the journey overland. Whichever airport you land at, getting into Pattaya is a separate leg afterwards.

For onward domestic flights, this site files the area's routes under Pattaya rather than U-Tapao: Pattaya to Phuket, Pattaya to Koh Samui and Pattaya to Chiang Mai.

Getting there overland from Bangkok

Buses to Pattaya run from Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai.

There is a rail option as well: the State Railway of Thailand's Eastern Line runs from Bangkok through Chon Buri to Pattaya railway station, and on to Ban Phlu Ta Luang in Sattahip district. A weekend leisure service to Ban Phlu Ta Luang is recorded as running on that line since 2018. Check the current timetable with the railway before you plan around the train.

Pattaya's beach areas, north to south

The coast is usually described in four stretches. Naklua and Wong Amat are at the northern end, and the main curve of Pattaya Beach is the central one. Pratumnak is the headland below it, and the hill there, Khao Phra Tamnak, separates Pattaya Beach from Jomtien.

South of the headland come Jomtien and then Na Jomtien. These zone names are approximate.

The boat to Koh Larn

Koh Larn, which also goes by the name Coral Island, lies roughly 7 kilometres off the coast, and boats to it leave from Bali Hai Pier at the southern end of Pattaya. Its named beaches include Tawaen, Samae and Nual. Check the last sailing back before you commit to a full day out there.

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

Nong Nooch opened to the public in 1980, and the garden gives its own size as over 1,700 rai, roughly 680 acres. It is at Na Jomtien in Sattahip district, which is a separate district from Pattaya city. Cultural shows run several times a day, and the times are worth confirming with the garden's own site before you build an afternoon around one.

The Sanctuary of Truth

The Sanctuary of Truth describes itself as an all-wood structure raised with traditional Thai joinery and no nails, carved with figures drawn from Buddhist, Hindu, Brahmin and Chinese traditions. Work started in 1981 and the operator still describes the building as unfinished.

It stands at Laem Ratchawet in Naklua, at the northern edge of town, and opens in two sessions: 8am to 6pm, then 6.20pm to 8.30pm, according to the sanctuary's own site. Nong Nooch is south of the city in Sattahip district, so an afternoon planned around both means crossing Pattaya and coming back.

Wat Phra Yai on Khao Phra Tamnak

Khao Phra Tamnak is the hill between central Pattaya and Jomtien, and the temple on it is Wat Phra Yai. Its golden Buddha image is recorded as 18 metres tall and built in 1977, at a temple dating from the 1940s.

Frequently asked questions

Which airport should I use to reach Pattaya?

A U-Tapao arrival removes the Bangkok leg, because that airport serves the city directly. Most visitors still land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and cover the last stretch overland. Pattaya has no airport of its own, so the end of the trip is a separate leg whichever of the three you land at.