Excursions in Pattaya: prices, descriptions and reviews

Excursions in Pattaya: what to know before you go

Pattaya isn't just about beaches and nightlife. For thousands of tourists, it's a base from which it's convenient to explore nearly all of Thailand and even neighboring countries. Pattaya itself can't boast an abundance of historical landmarks — all the most interesting stuff is outside the city. But it's here that one of Southeast Asia's largest excursion markets has formed. Huge competition among hundreds of agencies and organizers means that excursion prices in Pattaya are among the lowest in Thailand.

From Pattaya, you can easily get to Bangkok's main temples, the ruins of the ancient capital Ayutthaya, the waterfalls and floating hotels on the River Kwai, as well as the famous Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. They also offer short trips to nearby islands like Koh Lan, and city excursions to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden or the Sanctuary of Truth.

Even if you're used to traveling completely independently, organized excursions here are worth considering. Very often, a ready-made tour with transfer, entry tickets, and a guide costs the same, or even less, than an independent trip by taxi and buying tickets at the box office. Plus, you won't have to figure out public transport routes, which simply don't go to most attractions. In short, excursions in Pattaya aren't just a checkbox on your itinerary — they're a genuinely convenient and cost-effective way to see the maximum during a short vacation.

Where and how to buy excursions in Pattaya

Pattaya's golden rule: street agencies and online services almost always offer better prices than hotel tour guides from tour operators. But each option has its own nuances worth knowing before making a deposit.

Hotel tour guides (from tour operators)

If you're on a package tour, you'll likely meet your guide on the first day. You can buy excursions from them — guaranteed in Russian with familiar service. This option has two drawbacks: the price is often 1.5–2 times higher than on the street, and the program may include extra visits to jewelry factories. But for a first introduction to the country, this is a decent and relatively safe path, especially if you don't want to dive into the intricacies of street offers.

Street travel agencies

In Pattaya, there are hundreds of kiosks and offices with signs in Russian. Buying here is no riskier than at the hotel: insurance remains valid, and your tour operator won't impose any sanctions (a common myth). The advantages are significantly lower prices and a much wider selection of excursions.

What to look for when buying from a street agency:

• Language of the excursion. Russian writing in the window doesn't guarantee a Russian-speaking guide. Always confirm what language the excursion will be in.
• Hidden extra charges. Sometimes entry tickets or lunch are not included. Ask for the final "all-inclusive" price and keep the receipt with the list of services.
• Excursion organizer. Most street outlets are intermediaries adding a markup. It's better to go directly to the organizers, but finding them isn't easy. So just compare prices and descriptions at 2–3 neighboring agencies.

Buying excursions online

The most convenient and modern way. Essentially, you're buying the same excursions from the same organizers (and sometimes directly from tour operators) as on the street. Prices are similar, sometimes even lower. The main advantages are calmly reading descriptions and reviews in Russian without any sales pressure, the ability to pay with Russian cards, and convenient booking from your phone or laptop.

Trusted services we use to check excursions:

• Trip.com – the largest excursion database, accepts Russian cards
• Sputnik8 – excursions in Russian, vetted guides
• Tripster – private and group tours in Russian
• GetYourGuide – international platform, lots of reviews

The most popular excursions in Pattaya

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and Orchid Park Recommended

This is one of the most popular and interesting excursions in Pattaya. It includes a visit to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and Orchid Park – the largest garden in Southeast Asia. What's great about this excursion is that for 1000 baht you get both transfer and entry tickets to the park, which on their own cost from 600 baht. For that kind of money, you couldn't get to the park, which is far outside the city, by taxi, so the excursion is the most economical way to visit this wonderful park. Plus, you'll be accompanied by a guide (of course not on all excursion options, but in most cases) who will tell you where to go and what to pay attention to.

Mini Siam Park

Price with hotel transfer starts from 600 baht. This park consists of many models of the world's most famous architectural structures at a 1:25 scale. Moreover, it features not only modern buildings but also ancient structures, such as the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia.

You can visit Mini Siam Park without an excursion, as it's not very far from the city center. But to do so, you'd first have to figure out the ins and outs of local transport in Pattaya.

Underwater World

This excursion involves visiting the Pattaya Aquarium. It's a great place for an excursion with children — they'll definitely love it. Getting to "Underwater World" from Pattaya's tourist areas isn't easy, so it's better to use an excursion to visit this place, especially considering that the excursion with transfer costs 600 baht, while entry tickets if you get to the aquarium on your own cost 500 baht. More about the aquarium "Underwater World".

Sanctuary of Truth Recommended

During this excursion, you'll visit a unique structure — the Sanctuary of Truth, built entirely of wood without using a single nail. At least, that's what its creators claim. It's a very interesting and truly unique place, though it does have a small drawback: the visit is quite expensive. Construction at the temple is still ongoing, but that doesn't stop you from visiting it.

Pattaya city tour Recommended

If your tour operator hasn't included a free city tour in your Pattaya program, you can buy one yourself for a relatively small fee. Excursion programs vary across agencies, but what they have in common is that they include visits to interesting places in Pattaya with free access. This might include, for example, a package including Buddha Hill, a viewpoint, the Pattaya Floating Market, the giant Buddha image on the mountain, as well as visits to a jewelry factory, souvenir wholesale shop, etc.

Excursion to Bangkok (Bangkok Temples) Recommended

If you haven't visited Bangkok during your trip (and you really shouldn't miss it), you can make up for it with an excursion from Pattaya to Bangkok. The excursion program is very packed, and you'll see the most significant Bangkok attractions in one day: the Grand Palace; the Temple of the Reclining Buddha; a boat ride through the canals of the "Venice of the East"; shopping at a mall in the Baiyoke Sky Tower, visit its observation deck, and have dinner there.

We highly recommend this excursion, because you simply can't leave Thailand without visiting Bangkok. Of course, there are other Bangkok excursion options, but all of them invariably include the main attractions mentioned.

Ayutthaya and Bang Pa In Royal Palace Recommended

Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand, which was the center of the Kingdom of Siam until the capital was moved to its current location – Bangkok. Today, Ayutthaya consists of architectural monuments that remind many tourists of the famous Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. It's an incredibly interesting place, especially for those who love ancient things and history. During the excursion, you'll see the most popular temple and palace ruins remaining from the great capital, and you definitely won't be disappointed. Additionally, you'll visit the much more modern Bang Pa In Royal Palace.

The excursion lasts a full day, and it's the only way to visit this city for a reasonable amount of money in one day, because from Pattaya, you can't get to Ayutthaya except as part of an excursion or by taxi. The only downside is that you won't see all the monuments of the ancient capital — to see all the Ayutthaya attractions you'd need more than one day, or even two.

For adventure on the River Kwai Recommended

This is a very packed and interesting excursion deep into Thailand, away from the beaches and tourist spots. Depending on the program, it can be for two or three days. The route includes a trip from Pattaya to Kanchanaburi province and back, visiting many interesting places and attractions along the way. You'll visit a floating market, cruise the canals by boat, see a teak wood carving craft center, view the Erawan Waterfall, spend the night in a floating hotel, swim in hot springs, visit the bridge over the River Kwai, ride elephants at an elephant village, and much more.

In short, this is a very worthwhile excursion program for a very reasonable sum of money.

Koh Larn Island – beach excursion

If you want a change of beach scenery for a day, head to Koh Larn Island – it's just 7 km from Pattaya, and the ferry takes about 45 minutes. This is the most popular day trip to paradise beaches with clear water and good snorkeling conditions. An organized excursion usually includes transfer to Bali Hai Pier, a round-trip ferry ticket, and even lunch on the beach. You can just buy a separate ferry ticket and explore the island on your own, but an excursion is less hassle – they take you from your hotel and meet you at the pier.

Cambodia

Pattaya is an ideal place for visiting the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. If time and money allow, be sure to head to the neighboring Kingdom of Cambodia, where you can see with your own eyes the temples you've only seen in beautiful postcards. During your stay in Cambodia, you'll visit the most popular temples of the Angkor temple complex, see Tonle Sap Lake, and explore Phnom Kulen National Park.

Excursions are available in several versions varying in length, from 2 to 5 days. The excursion price includes everything: transport, meals, accommodation in a hotel in Siem Reap, and entry tickets to the temples. A visa for Cambodia is processed upon arrival at the border, so you don't need to worry about it in advance.

This excursion is the best way to see all the most interesting Cambodian attractions of the Angkorian period in a short time, and you shouldn't pass it up.

This list of excursions in Pattaya is far from complete (these are just the most popular excursions), and there are many more excursions from Pattaya. You can find out about all of them on the spot or in the excursion descriptions on excursion sales websites.