Walking Street - Pattaya

Walking street is located in Pattaya at the southern end of the city. It starts where Pattaya Beach finishes and ends at Bali Hai Pier. Getting there is easy, baht buses run all over the city. They go everywhere and anywhere in the Pattaya area it they cost you just 10 Baht - approx 20 pence. Even if you only go Walking Street once, it is a ‘must see’ - 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, a trip to see this famous Street for yourself is an absolute ‘must-do’.

Walking Street by day:

 Walking street is approximately 1 kilometre long starts at beach road and ends at Bali Hai pier. (You have already said this!) 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 - not to mention Seven Eleven and Family Mart stores.  and much more, from fresh sea food to fresh pizza, European Thai Indian food, from ice cream to iced coffee from iPods to eye care if you want it you can pretty much get it in Walking street.

 There are also a variety of places to stay in Walking Street from smaller guest houses to larger medium sized hotels, there are also hotel beer gardens they play live music in the evening and usually have a Filipino singer, there are also a number of live bands that play older classics from rock music to lighter pop music, at the very start of walking street the beach road end there is a regular live Elvis impersonator and just before that there is a complex of bars that in the middle of hosts nightly Thai Boxing matches (Muay Thai) and if you are feeling brave enough you can even have a go at Thai Boxing yourself.

Walking Street is open to traffic from approx 3.am to 6.pm this is when the nightlife starts but it does not really get going until after 8pm this is when the nightclubs and discos open their doors. During the high season the whole street becomes completely full with a mass of human traffic and you might think you are in the middle of some huge event. At the entrance of Walking Street Pattaya Beach side is a huge TV that can be seen from the other end of Pattaya Beach and at the Bali Hai entrance there is a large arch that has Walking Street written on it.

Walking Street by night

Walking Street at night undergoes something of a transformation, although many of the restaurants and shops remain open the whole street becomes a glitz of neon lights with bars complexes disco’s and gogo clubs on every side, it attracts literally thousands of people from all over the world and becomes a circus of scantily clad girls trying to lure you into bars and clubs, people trying to sell you flowers to give to your partner or wanting to take a picture of you and your partner for money, people trying to entice you to ping pong and sex shows and people trying 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.

Guy’s and girls perform entertaining circus tricks at the side of the road. As you turn your head there is a cocktail of smells from the scores of food outlets and there are all kinds of food from deep fried insects to pies sold from mobile trolley shops. This is also the time that the local Thai police and tourist police set up a temporary site with a long table and chairs so should 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 that go up and down 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. Look up and you will see scantily-clad Russian girls dancing behind big glass windows on the second floor of a club.

Lady boys in Walking Street

Now not forgetting to mention Thailand’s world famous Lady Boys (Thailand’s third gender) they seem to be on nearly every corner. Sometimes you will know he/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 looking for attention above all else. Continue on and you will see more specialised establishments catering to Russians and people from the Middle East.

Go-Go Bars and Clubs Various.

 The more conservative travellers of you may find the activity inside some of the gogo bars not to your liking and strictly for adults only, but 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 club 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. There are so many baht buses that run the main roads or if you’re staying off the beaten track you can hire a motor bike taxi. In the Pattaya area they are approx 30-80 baht for one person depending on how far you want to go but always remember to barter - politely. After all this is Thailand.

The 'Fun' starts immediately 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 Lady boys - 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.

Talking of 'tastes, there are many and varied restaurants, with seafood being in evidence at most of them.

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 will not allow vehicles using the street after 6:00pm. Therefore most of 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.