The three kilometers long, main Pattaya Beach, runs along the city centre. The beach is full of life with hotels, restaurants and shops all along the road facing the beach. The street south of Beach Road – Walking Street – comes alive with music as the night sets in. People throng the street to experience the night life, which is unique in all respects. There are plenty of bars and some discotheques around the area. Muay Thai is on show in open arenas in some of the bars complexes. 

Another beach in Pattaya, Jomtien Beach, more popular among family vacationers, is on the southern part of the city, and separated from the main Pattaya Bay by a Buddha hill. Jomtien is calmer and more serene compared to the crowded Pattaya Beach and great for water sports enthusiasts. Jomtien is also popular for its amusement park and tower at Pattaya Park. The one km long, Wong Phrachan Beach, situated on the Northern part of the Pattaya Beach is very pleasant and good for simming. 

Pattaya's main beaches are popular and busy places. For the thrill-seekers, activities include banana-boat rides, jet-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, and the like; and anyone who just wants to enjoy a simple swim or a good splash around with a frisbee or rented inner tube will always find themselves with plenty of company. 

For those more interested in doing virtually nothing there are acres of sand and recliners and umbrellas where one can eat, drink, receive a massage or just nap.

Pattaya Bay

• Pattaya Beach is 2.9 km long and bordered by Beach Road. Due to its central location and extreme proximity to several hundred hotels, and because it's a relatively narrow strip of sand, it can get crowded.
• The northern end of Pattaya Bay is occupied by Wong Amat Beach, which is accessed from Naklua; and beyond the southern end, around the Buddha Hill headland that separates Pattaya Bay from Jomtien, are several more smaller beaches.

Jomtien
Jomtien Beach is a 10-15 minute songthaew ride south from the centre of Pattaya. Some 6 km long, it is especially popular with Thai families enjoying day outings. Places to eat and sleep line the opposite side of Jomtien Beach Road and the many sois that lead from it. 

Naklua 
Naklua Bay is immediately north of Pattaya Bay, with Rachvate Cape separating the two. Naklua Beach, to the far north, is the main strip, with the smaller Crescent Moon Beach and then Palm Beach further south. Beyond them is Wong Amat Beach which occupies the northern end of Pattaya Bay, but is accessed from Naklua. All are generally cleaner and more suitable for quiet relaxation than Pattaya Beach.

Dongtan Beach
At the northern end of Jomtien Bay, has a traffic-free promenade, and the area in front of the Avalon Beach Resort is popular with gay visitors.