Pattaya With Kids
What Pattaya with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Pattaya OK for a family?
Yes, with the right base. Stay at Jomtien or the north end, skip the one nightlife street, and Pattaya is a easy, fun family beach town close to Bangkok.
How many days?
Three to four days for the beach, the gardens and an island day. Two if you are just grabbing a quick beach fix from Bangkok.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Book a family resort with a good pool ahead, away from the central strip. The gardens and the island boat you can do on the day.
Do we need a car?
Not really. The songthaew trucks and Grab cover the town cheaply, and a private car for a day handles the gardens and the sanctuary. Base near the beach and you are mostly on foot.
When should we go?
November through March for the dry, sunny season and calm seas. April is very hot, and the May to October rains bring showers and rougher water, so the cool season is best.
Thailand’s Easy Beach Escape from Bangkok
Pattaya has a nightlife reputation, and yes, one street lives up to it. Skip that street and you find a easy family beach town, the closest one to Bangkok, with calm beaches, huge gardens, a coral island offshore and more kid attractions per square mile than anywhere in Thailand.
You get the wide family beach at Jomtien, a tropical garden the size of a small country with elephant shows and topiary dinosaurs, a giant carved wooden temple, and a quick boat to a white sand island. It is a two hour drive from Bangkok, which makes it the simplest beach add on in the country.
Getting Around
You do not need a car, but a way to get around helps. The blue songthaew trucks run fixed routes cheaply, Grab works, and many families take a private car for the day trips. Base at Jomtien or the north end away from the noisy center and you keep most days close to home.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Jomtien Beach
The long, family friendly beach south of the center, calmer and cleaner than central Pattaya, with a relaxed strip of restaurants. This is where I would base a family, right on the good sand.
Wong Amat & the North
The quieter north end, with the nicer resorts, a calmer beach and easy access to the gardens and the pier. A relaxed base away from the busy center.
Pratumnak Hill
The green headland between the two main beaches, with quiet coves, the big viewpoint and calmer resorts. A gentler base with little beaches of its own.
Cape Dara Resort
A smart resort on the quiet north cape with a great pool, a beach club and calm, the splurge that keeps the family side of Pattaya front and center. A real treat away from the noise.
Holiday Inn Pattaya
A big, reliable family hotel with a great pool complex near the beach and the attractions, easy and comfortable. Well priced for a family and the one I point most people to.
Ibis Pattaya
Clean, cheap and central near Jomtien beach and the restaurants, an easy base for a family doing Pattaya on a budget. It does the job and keeps you near the sand.
The Three I Build Every Pattaya Trip Around
Jomtien and the Family Beaches
Jomtien is the family beach, a long, gently shelving stretch of sand south of the center with calm water, shade and a low key strip of restaurants. Settle in for a slow day, rent a lounger, and let the kids swim and dig. This is the easy heart of a family Pattaya trip.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
Nong Nooch is a tropical garden the size of a small town, with topiary dinosaurs, an elephant show, a butterfly house and endless themed gardens, and it is one of the best family days in Thailand. Give it a whole morning, ride the little tram between the sections, and let the kids run.
A Boat to Koh Larn
A short boat from the pier reaches Koh Larn, Coral Island, with white sand beaches and clear water far nicer than the mainland. Spend the day swimming, snorkeling and eating on the sand, and take an early boat back. It is the beach day that lifts the whole trip.
Family Time, Built In: Pattaya With Kids
Pattaya is the easiest beach town in Thailand for a family, once you steer clear of the one loud street. Calm beaches, huge gardens, a coral island, and every kind of kid attraction, all two hours from Bangkok. Base south or north, do a garden day and an island day, and it runs itself.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the the bay
Planten un Blomen
Nong Nooch garden plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
The Pattaya Viewpoint on Pratumnak Hill, with its gardens and the wide view over the whole bay, is the easy sunset stop. Come in the late afternoon, let the kids run the terraces, and watch the boats and the lights come on.
Five Things To Eat In Pattaya
Pad thai
Green curry
Grilled seafood
Mango sticky rice
Coconut ice creamNicole’s Perspective
Beaches and gardens close to Bangkok
I taught social studies for eight years, and even a beach town has a story worth showing kids. The Sanctuary of Truth, a vast temple carved entirely from teak wood by hand and still being built, is a living lesson in the craft and beliefs of the region, and it is unlike anything they have seen.
I have planned and priced a lot of Thailand for families, and Pattaya is the fast, easy beach fix beside Bangkok, the two hour escape when there is not time to fly south. It is not the prettiest coast in Thailand, and it is the most convenient, and with the right base it is a fun family week.
The Day Trip: Koh Larn Coral Island
Koh Larn, or Coral Island, is the day everyone remembers, a short boat ride to white sand beaches and clear water off the busy mainland. Take the ferry or a speedboat from the pier, pick a quieter beach, and spend the day swimming and eating on the sand. Go early and come back before the afternoon crowds.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Three to four days suits Pattaya, a mix of beach days, the gardens and an island day. That is Pattaya as an easy beach stop beside Bangkok.
A rhythm, not a schedule. A beach and pool day, a full morning at Nong Nooch, a boat day out to Koh Larn, and the Sanctuary of Truth and the viewpoint in between.
With more time, the floating market, a waterpark, and slow evenings at the night market away from the busy strip. There is plenty here for a family.
If all you have is a couple of nights from Bangkok, do Jomtien beach and a day on Koh Larn, and call it a strong little escape.
Pattaya With Kids, Answered
Is Pattaya OK for a family?
Yes, with the right base. Stay at Jomtien or the north end, skip the one nightlife street, and Pattaya is a easy, fun family beach town close to Bangkok.
How many days?
Three to four days for the beach, the gardens and an island day. Two if you are just grabbing a quick beach fix from Bangkok.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Book a family resort with a good pool ahead, away from the central strip. The gardens and the island boat you can do on the day.
Do we need a car?
Not really. The songthaew trucks and Grab cover the town cheaply, and a private car for a day handles the gardens and the sanctuary. Base near the beach and you are mostly on foot.
When should we go?
November through March for the dry, sunny season and calm seas. April is very hot, and the May to October rains bring showers and rougher water, so the cool season is best.
Ready To Put Pattaya On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will build you a family Pattaya stop that keeps the good and skips the rest.
Keep exploring from Pattaya
Nearby cities, the country, the whole region.
Click any card to open that page
Zoom out
All of Thailand
All of Asia