If only all of life’s problems were of this nature! You are due some vacation time and have to decide which of these two beautiful locations to spend your time at – Bangkok or Pattaya? Well, this decision might just come down to the proverbial coin-toss, as you’ll see when we discuss the cities in detail below.

Stay in Bangkok if:

• This is your first visit to Thailand
• You prefer culture to beaches
• You have limited time
• You wish to immerse in typical Thai daily life

Stay in Pattaya if:

• You have young children
• You prefer a beach holiday
• You’ve already been to Bangkok
• You’re interested in the Sex Trade.

This suggestion does not imply that each city does not have some of the attributes of the other because they certainly do. (Except that Bangkok has no beaches!) In general, people visit Bangkok for culture, but there is also a ‘naughty’ side.

Pattaya is often visited by tourists wanting to party with abandon after checking their scruples at the door. However, culture, cuisine, and family fun are still available if you know where to look.

Krung Thep (or Bangkok) is the capital city of the kingdom of Thailand, into which almost all visitors fly. It is enormous, swarming with vehicles and people in every direction you look. It appears hard, and many tourists never see past this, but it also has a wonderfully soft side.

Thai people adore their children and take care of the elderly, creating a warm and comforting presence of nurturing and protection. As such, they are less prone to violent outbursts and behavior than many western nations, even in the throbbing capital.

With 11 million people living in Bangkok, the city is home to almost 16% of the country’s population, with another 14 million living in the Greater Bangkok Metropolitan area. Moreover, with almost 35% of the economy, the capital carries a considerable portion of the Kingdom’s wealth and power.

Yet, life in Bangkok is not overly frenetic (despite the erratic and sometimes terrifying tuk-tuk rides). People usually have time for a smile, a chat, or an entire conversation in the middle of a workday.

Bangkok

In Bangkok, you can seek and find just about anything you can imagine (and several you can’t!). From ornate and tranquil temples to suburbs that look ready to fall, gravel-floor markets to top-quality shopping in thoroughly modern malls, and exquisite dining spots to street carts offering local delicacies.

Nightlife offers strip clubs with hourly shows, wine bars, trendy nightclubs, and various brothels, all generally centered in and around the famous Patpong Rd, located in the Silom district between Silom and Surawong Roads. Bangkok has it all – in abundance.

Is Bangkok a Safe City to Visit?

Taking crimes per capita, Bangkok has far less than one might expect from a capital city. Most are petty crimes, like money-changing scams, mobile phone grabs, etc. Hold-ups and kidnappings are rare, and murders seldom include tourists, but avoid dangerous situations rather than seeking them out, and be cautious as you would back home.

What is There to See and Do in Bangkok?

• Wat Pho – This Reclining Buddha, at 15 meters high and 46 meters long, is a must for any visit to Bangkok. Covered in gold leaf, this Buddha is spectacular and requires a wide-angle lens if you choose to photograph it. The Buddha’s feet are five meters long and exquisitely decorated with illustrations of the Buddha’s auspicious laksanas (characteristics) created in mother-of-pearl.

There are just under 110 bronze bowls in the wat, into which you can toss a few coins as a donation if you wish. These go to the temple’s upkeep, and legend shows that the Buddha performed an auspicious act reflected in each bowl on his path to enlightenment.

• Chatuchak Weekend Market – With 15 000-plus stalls, Chatuchak, or JJ Market, as it’s known to locals, is enormous. I have been lost in the rabbit-warren of lanes countless times and found something serendipitous each time. A coffee shop or juice store always appears when I am getting peckish, and then it’s off to get lost again.

If you choose to read them, there are maps at each entrance, but I am perfectly content to wander up and down the narrow aisles until I eventually tire, at which point I leave by the nearest door. Once you’re out, it’s easier to decide on a direction and get your bearings.

Located in mid-town, the market is best reached by tuk-tuk, local bus, or taxi, and can even be walked from Banglamphu if you are staying there, but it’s a long trek. Although it started as a weekend market, many traders also open on Fridays with items of every possible description, size, and price.

• The Grand Palace is in central Bangkok, within easy walking distance of Banglamphu, and quickly reached by taxi or tuk-tuk from Sukhumvit. The enclave consists of several buildings, beautifully maintained, which offer excellent photo opportunities and house priceless treasures and historical items.

Ø  Wat Phra Kaew – or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is considered by Buddhists to be the most sacred of all Buddhist temples in the Kingdom. It is located within the Grand Palace grounds and, unlike most temples in Thailand, is not used only as living quarters for monks.

 

Wat Phra Kaew’s unique layout houses several sacred buildings and objects d’art. The temple is decorated throughout with elaborate carvings, pagodas, and paintings and is serenely elegant.

There are over 40 000 Buddhist temples in Thailand, around 34 000 of which are still in use, chief of which is Wat Phra Kaew, highly revered by the Thai people (as are the Royal Family on whose grounds it is situated.)

• Boat Trips on Chao Phraya River – In the region of 40 000 people each day, use the river system to get to work and back again.  As a result, riding the waterway is enlightening and a good way to see the unpolished version of the great city. There are many places to ‘jump ship,’ and with inexpensive ticket prices, the boat is a pleasant way to bypass the frantic traffic situation.

• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market – Located about 100 kilometers to the southwest of Bangkok in Ratchaburi Province, this is the cinematic floating market seen on every Thailand poster in every travel agency. More touristed now, the market still trades daily and deserves a morning visit if you can slip it into your visit.

Female traders, often wearing traditional mo hom apparel (blue farmers’ shirts) with (ngobs) wide-brimmed straw hats, paddle sampans (small wooden boats) laden with fresh fruit and veg, bread, flowers, and many other items. They have either just bought these wares or hope to sell them to one of the area’s residents (or perhaps a generous tourist.)

Take your time in Bangkok: The more you see, the more you will realize that you have seen very little…

Pattaya

Pattaya – pronounced ‘putt a ya,’ not pa tay a – is a city of around one million inhabitants on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand and was a sleepy fishing village until the 1960s when G.I.s were sent there for R&R during the Vietnam war.

Word of Pattaya’s beauty and attractions went viral, and within 30 years, it was transformed into Thailand’s best-known Red-Light district. Only Amsterdam’s red-light district has more sex tourists annually than Pattaya.

The natural beauty of Pattaya and the bay it encircles is beyond question, and it is easy to see why many people with families still flood to the resort city. If you are committed to visiting Pattaya with your loved ones, your family will have plenty to keep them busy – just avoid Walking Street at night.

Is Pattaya a Safe City to Visit?

The sordid side of life in Pattaya has brought out the worst in a portion of the population, many of whom have arrived there from other parts of Thailand and neighboring countries to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. Fortunately, these people are almost exclusively involved in the sex and drug trade and can be easily avoided.

Pattaya’s crime statistics run much like those of Bangkok, with petty crime prevalent and often linked to alcohol, drugs, and the sex trade.

What to See and Do in Pattaya

Ø  Have a traditional Thai massage – A professionally executed Thai massage is divine and will leave your entire body tingling and fully relaxed. Check with your hotel staff for the best places to try, or arrange for a masseuse to come to your room.

 

I can never determine whether they are all trained or just gifted naturally, but a Thai massage is sublime either way.

• Nightlife – The main street for bars, sex workers, and ladyboys is the aptly named Walking Street, close to the town center. The street is closed to vehicles after 6 pm and gets packed with pedestrians of all sizes and descriptions.

Walking Street is around a half-kilometer in length and consists of a cacophony of street sounds and music, with lights, tantalizing food stalls, and people looking to have fun.

Ø  Cartoon Network Amazone – This waterpark near Pattaya is very extensive, and with 30 state-of-the-art water rides and slides, it is the world’s first Cartoon Network-themed waterpark.

Split into sections catering to smaller children and teens and fully-grown ‘children’ with their own families. It features Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, and others from Cartoon Network. The entire family can try the Surf Arena – a simulated wave pipe for surfing – and the Mega Wave area, like ocean-bathing without wildlife.

• Mini Siam – A brilliant way for children to see the wonders of the world in miniature. Sydney’s Opera House and London’s Tower Bridge are there, as is Paris’ Arc de Triomphe and New York’s Statue of Liberty. Bangkok’s Victory Monument and Wat Arun are there in perfect detail.

• Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden – Nong Nooch (pronounced ‘Nung nut’) is an oasis of tranquility and a fine place to sit and reflect for a few hours. It’s a wonderful refuge, with several themed gardens, including an incredible orchid garden, a 17th Century French ‘Jardin,’ and several species-specific areas.

Ø  Jomtien Beach – Four or five kilometers from the city is a lovely six-kilometer-long stretch of beach perfect for families. The vast expanse of white sand offers plenty of space to everyone, and jet-skiing, kitesurfing, parasailing, and windsurfing are all available for older children and adults.

Watch out for jet-ski scams, however: Previous damage is painted over or covered in tape, and you are expected to pay for this damage if not noted when you hire the jet-ski.

 

Which is better: Bangkok or Pattaya?

This question depends on the criteria emboldened in my second paragraph, but there are naturally some variables. If you visit Thailand for the art, culture, music, and dance, then Bangkok is best. If you want a beach holiday with fun in the sun and drinks on the beach as you slow-roast your body to a golden brown, then Pattaya wins hands down.

Family groups can genuinely visit either location with the same degree of enjoyment. Still, small children are, on average, not as interested in sculptures, temples, and energy-sapping visits to local markets as their parents might like to believe. In this case, perhaps a beach holiday is best.

Since Pattaya is well known for its vibrant sex trade, it might seem illogical to take very young children there, but the trade can easily be avoided with just a little planning and some local knowledge. Many activities aimed at children and families will captivate your loved ones and keep them busy for a week or more.

Parents with older children may prefer to avoid Pattaya and stay in Bangkok instead, as teenagers are very alert to anything sexual. It will be far more difficult to hide the seedy side of Pattaya from them, particularly at night. Contrarily,  Bangkok’s sex scene is very easily avoided and has to be actively sought out when desired.

Getting There

Bangkok

Most visitors tend to fly into one of the city’s two international airports; the original Don Mueang (IATA code DMK) and Suvarnabhumi Airport, which opened in 2006 and now carries the code BKK. The new one is ranked 17th-busiest globally with over 63 million passengers annually, though Covid-19 slashed that number to a tiny percentage.

Most of the larger international carriers fly to and from BKK, so this is probably where you will arrive from abroad. However, if you fly in from another Thai location or use a budget airline in Southeast Asia, DMK is the airport at which you will land.

Pattaya

Naturally, you will enter Thailand in the same way as for Bangkok, but If you plan to fly onward to Pattaya, be aware that the two airports are separated by a one or two-hour bus, car, or shuttle ride. (Your method of travel is unimportant thanks to Bangkok’s famous traffic volume)

The easiest way to reach Pattaya is to fly into U-Tapao Airport, around 35 kilometers to the city’s southeast. Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, and others offer these flights from Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.

However, with Pattaya only 150km / 93mi from Bangkok, you might not want the hassle of taking a shuttle between airports, and there are several ways to reach the resort city:

Bus – From the Suvarnabhumi Airport Public Transportation Center, the bus costs around U$ 5, and the trip will take around 4.5 hours.

Taxi – You will still have to take the shuttle to Don Mueang, but the trip from there is only 90 minutes to two hours, costing U$ 40.

Train – Takes two changes (total of three trains) from Don Mueang and costs U$ 5-70, depending on the class, season, etc., and takes 4.5 hours.

Conclusion

Bangkok may seem overwhelming at first and perhaps ‘just another busy city’, but if you’re prepared to look without pre-judging, I can almost guarantee you will be impressed. Pattaya has a beautiful location and is two different cities by day and then by night and will certainly be memorable long after you return home.