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Pattaya Walking Street: Nightlife and Bars
Head to the street located at the south end of Pattaya Beach Road and you'll find one of the most visited streets in all of Thailand.
Walking Street in Pattaya is one of the most famous areas in the city. It is a 'must' for all tourists with plenty of photos and other opportunities.
Walking Street: "Must-Do" Visit for Tourists
If you are visiting Pattaya on a package tour, then Walking Street will most certainly be included in the list of places that you will be taken.
Its entertainment includes ; go-go bars, pubs, night clubs, discos, show girls, cabaret shows, beer bars, restaurants and souvenir shops.
Walking Street in Pattaya is about 1 km long, with the main pedestrian entrance being from Beach Road.
Bus tours will drop you at the other end of Walking street - at the Bali Hai Pier end. Getting to Walking Street from anywhere in Pattaya is simple.
The 'Fun' starts immediately after you take your first steps into Walking Street. In the night, it is ablaze with colourful neon signs - enticing you to all manner of 'delights'.
There will be 'ladies' aplenty, together with the famed ladyboys - displaying and dancing on the footpaths to attract tourists. Street entertainers complete the picture along the street.
There is much more to be seen and had in Walking Street in Pattaya! Many tourists will put Walking Street at the top of their 'must go' places in Pattaya. It is a fun place to go - whatever your tastes.
Motorbike taxis will weave you in and out of the traffic to get you there the quickest - and cost just a few Baht - depending on where you are picked up. Otherwise, Baht Busses run all over the city. They go everywhere and anywhere in the Pattaya area.
They cost you just 10 Baht - from wherever. You may feel that a tip is appropriate if you travel on one for a long journey.
Walking Street is the largest entertainment strip in Southeast Asia and a world famous location. It is noted for its exhilarating entertainment and nightlife but there is much more to Walking Street than some reports and media might suggest, so arrange a trip to see this famous Street and judge for yourself.
Pattaya Walking Street by Day
Take a stroll through Walking Street by day and you will see many different restaurants, shops, travel agents, hairdressers, massage parlours, boutiques, bars, and clinics and of course the seven/Eleven and Family Mart convenience stores.
You can eat a wide range of foods from fresh seafood to fresh pizza; European or Thai and Indian food; ice cream to iced coffee or go 'normal shopping to find iPods or eye care.
Walking Street is open to traffic from approx 3.am to 6.pm. However, the street tends to get a bit bogged down with delivery vehicles during daytime at Walking Street. Mush nicer - and easier - to walk and take in the daytime atmosphere.
Walking Street Hotels and Accommodation Nearby
There is a wide variety of places to stay in Walking Street from smaller guest houses to larger medium sized hotels.
Some are situated at the Bali Hai end of the street, some in the many Soi that branch off Walking Street, and of course hotels and Guest House near Walking Street on Beach Road, Second Road and the Pratumnak area.
Walking street is so easy to get to, that any hotel or Guest House in Pattaya can be classed as near to walking Street. The further away from Walking Street, the less expensive generally.
Walking Street by Night
Walking Street at night undergoes something of a transformation. Many of the restaurants and shops remain open as the whole street becomes a glitz of neon lights with bar complexes, disco’s and gogo clubs on every side.
Night time in Walking Street starts as the traffic stops - 6.00pm. This is the time when you can walk without having to worry about cars or motorbikes.
It gradually pulses from 6.00pm through to 8.00pm when it positively starts to throb.
So will your head if you do not like the loud music of the groups in bars and beer gardens.
The volume is turned up so much that it makes meaningful conversation more or less impossible.
Live bands play older classics from rock music to lighter pop music. At the Beach Road end of Walking Street, there is generally a regular live Elvis impersonator.
In the centre you will find a bar complex, where you can have a drink and watch a bit of Thai Boxing matches (Muay Thai). If you are feeling brave enough you can even have a go at Thai Boxing yourself.
Thousands of visitors are attracted from all corners of the world as it becomes a circus of scantily clad girls trying to lure you into bars and clubs.
Walking vendors try to sell you flowers to give to your partner or wanting to take a picture of you and your partner - for money.
Many of the bars have 'sales reps' outside trying to entice you to ping pong and sex shows. Street vendors will try to sell you all manner of things on makeshift stalls outside the shops that have closed for the night or any other space they can find to set up their small stalls.
Walking Street Performers
Guy’s and girls perform entertaining circus tricks at the side of the road. The better ones usually draw a large circle of admirers.
But, be patient if you are at the back, because the show soon changes - as does the crow, And of course - as the tip box starts to find its way around the crowd, the crowd tends to dissolve.
Mingling with the street performers - and sometimes jostling for available space - you will be able to sample a range of freshly - or otherwise - cooked snacks.
Delicacies such as grasshoppers - deep-fried of course - and a wide range of other insects are there to tempt you - but so are a wide range of pies and other more conventional snacks.
This is also the time that the local Thai police and tourist police set up a temporary night time site with a long table and chairs.
If you have a dispute with anyone they are there to help and this of course means that just their presence is good reassurance for the tourist.
The tourist police are made up of Thai local police and foreign volunteers that speak English and there are also regular patrols in Walking Street for an added bit of security.
Progressing through Walking Street, the sound of the music gets louder and louder and the competition from the clubs and bars for your custom increases.
When you see a crowd looking up, it will invariably be to see the scantily-clad Russian girls dancing behind big glass windows on the second floor of a club.
Ladyboys in Walking Street
Walking Street may be world famous for its lady-based activities, but Thailand’s world famous "LadyBoys" (Thailand’s third gender) are to be found on nearly every corner. This aspect is just sheer glamour.
The lady boys nearly always out-do the girls with their fashion sense, and boy, do they like to show what they have by way of good looks and bodies.
You may or may not instinctively know he or she is a Ladyboy just by looking, but sometimes you just cannot tell. They are normally very tall and very attractive and will always be craving attention above all else. They are great fun! Open your mind.
Go-Go Bars and Clubs Various
The more conservative travellers may find the activity inside some of the gogo bars not to their liking and strictly for adults only.
There are still plenty of bars and clubs if you just want to enjoy a drink or a dance. Or you can eat at the many restaurants offering local food and food from all over the world.
There are also scores of bars, clubs, shops, and restaurants in the dozen or so Sois (small roads) that lead off of Walking Street. These can be as equally busy and bustling as the main Walking Street thoroughfare.
When you have finished your evening, getting back to your hotel or place of stay is as easy as getting to Walking Street. Baht buses and Motorbike taxis work through day and night - however long the night is.
In the Pattaya area, Motor Bike Taxis are approx 30-80 baht for one person depending on how far you want to go but always remember to barter - politely and fix the price before you get on.
Basically - if you don't visit Pattaya Walking Street, then you have not visited Pattaya!
How to get to Walking Street
There are two entrances to Walking Street. You can use the main entrance from the south end of Beach Road or from the Bali Hai Pier
Best time: 7:00pm.-2:00am.
Walking Street is a no-go area for traffic after 6:00pm. Therefore most people start walking around after 6:00pm. Some of the bars/restaurants open early from 11:00am. Until late at night 2:00/3:00 am.