THINGS TO DO IN PATTAYA – THE BIG BUDDHA

Guide to Pattaya

When you search for things to do in Pattaya, a ridiculously long list of suggestions comes up. There are so many random museums and temples that have been built for the influx of tourists, we had no idea where to start. The Big Buddha looked impressive so that is where we ended during our trip.

Getting there

Also known as Wat Phra Yai Temple, the Big Buddha is at the top of Pratumnak Hill between Pattaya and Jomtien Beach. There are a few different ways to get there:

  • Tour – If you are short on time in Pattaya and want to see a lot of the area, perhaps book a day tour. You can choose a your to take you around all the sights of Pattaya but make sure you bring water and wear suncream. Viator have a great morning tour for only $29.
  • Taxi – We chose to get a taxi which was a bit more hassle than we had anticipated. Every taxi driver refused to put the meter on, meaning we ended up paying around 200 baht for a trip that should have cost around 40 – 60 baht. We were able to quickly get a taxi on the way back but there isn’t a taxi rank in the car park so you may have to wait for a taxi to drop someone off first.
  • Baht bus – You can take a Baht bus to Jomtien beach (get off opposite the police box) then walk the 250 meters uphill.

Need to know:

Open 7am – 8.30pm

Entry is free

TIP: Head here early to enjoy the temple before the tour groups show up and the heat is beaming down.

Make sure you check out our video (below) and if you enjoy it, head over to CTG TV for more travel vlogs!

A short post about a great place to visit in Pattaya.

Have a great time in Pattaya! What is your favourite thing to do in Thailand?

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Things to do in Pattaya
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QUICKEST WAY FROM BANGKOK TO PATTAYA – GRAB, TRAIN, MINI-VAN OR BUS?

After a week in Bangkok, we decided to head down to Pattaya and browsed what was the quickest way from Bangkok to Pattaya. Here are your options!

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THE BEST FOOD MARKET IN BANGKOK – WANG LANG MARKET

Food at Wang Lang Market

Looking for a great food market in Bangkok? Wang Lang Market offers a variety of Thai meals and snacks, is affordable and local!

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TERMINAL 21 – BANGKOK

Terminal 21

During our visit to Bangkok, we decided to check out the cities most popular mall – Terminal 21 Bangkok.  We are definitely glad we visited and this is a quick overview post (plus we have a video – watch it below).

The mall

Each floor offers a different theme based on various countries from around the world and each floor is full of unique, boutique stores along with more common, western brands available too. The top two floors are full of restaurants and an awesome food court; Pier 21.

The shops

As a westerner that has been living in China, I love seeing stores that I recognise. There are some Asian and boutique stores but they also have some familiar chains too. Here are some of the stores you can find at Terminal 21:

  • Boots (Lower Ground/Caribbean) – A well stocked pharmacy with recognisable, English medicines.
  • LEVI’s (G Floor/Rome)
  • Mango (G Floor/Rome)
  • Quiksilver (G Floor/Rome)
  • MAC (M Floor/Paris)
  • The Body Shop (M Floor/Paris) – I LOVE the make-up and body lotion at this store.
  • H&M (M Floor/Paris)

Many of the smaller, unique stores can be found on Floor 1 (Tokyo), Floor 2 (London) and Floor 3 (Istanbul).

They also have a Fitness First Gym, Samsung store, Playstation store and SF Cinema on the 6th floor.

The food

We LOVED the food court on the 5th floor and there are so many vendor styled booths to choose from. These are mostly Thai but we also spotted some Italian, Chinese and good ole’ Fish ‘n; Chips.

The mall also has some western chains you may recognise:

  • Subway (LG Floor/Caribbean)
  • Dairy Queen (LG Floor/Caribbean)
  • SantaFe  (LG Floor/Caribbean)
  • Starbucks (M Floor/Paris)
  • Haagan Dazs (1 Floor/Tokyo)
  • Yoshinoya (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • MK Restaurants (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Pepper Lunch (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Bar B Q Plaza (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Tony Roma’s (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Sunrise Tacos (4 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Sushi Express (5 Floor/San Francisco)
  • KFC (5 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Hawker Chan (5 Floor/San Francisco)
  • Pier 21 (5 Floor/San Francisco)

We are glad we visited the Terminal 21 Mall, if anything to try out its awesome food court. The mall itself is too big for me personally, if we lived in Bangkok, I can’t imagine I would do my practical shopping here. If you want to read about the biggest and best mall in Bangkok, don’t forget to read our post!

What’s your favourite place to shop in Bangkok? Let us know in the comments below!

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Terminal 21
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WHERE TO STAY IN BANGKOK? X2 Vibe Review

Where to stay in Bangkok

On our first trip to Bangkok, we stayed in the Silom area. The hotel was fairly good but the area was touristy and expensive and boring. So this time around, we decided to do some thorough research and stay at a hotel in the On Nut neighbourhood. This is our full review of where to stay in Bangkok – X2 Vibe Hotel. 

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