Girls are sexy, fun-loving, and friendly in Pattaya, and a huge part of the scene. The nightlife is vibrant and risqué. It’s cheap, warm, by the sea, and a carefree place to stay that’s especially popular with single foreign men seeking sun, fun, sex, and love.
However, for many single foreign men visiting Pattaya for girls and nightlife for the first time, naive mistakes are easily made and often prove costly, both financially and emotionally.
While you can’t know everything about Pattaya, its girls, and nightlife until you experience it all first-hand, this guide will give you everything you need to know before you arrive.
Here, you’ll discover the different types of Pattaya girls and where to meet them, why Thai girls online are a big part of the scene, all the top nightlife zones, the types of bars, and the best place to stay for single men.
Best Place to Stay in Pattaya for Nightlife
The best place to stay in Pattaya for nightlife, for single men, convenience, to party, and meet girls, is the area between Beach Road and 3rd Road, and in and around Walking Street (see map below).
This area is home to the best nightlife spots, the most popular guest-friendly hotels, and everything you need is nearby, including restaurants, 24/7 convenience stores, shopping malls, and money changers.
Getting around is easy: Baht bus (songthaew) taxis travel the length of Beach Road and 2nd Road, along Buakhao and central, north, and south Pattaya Roads. So, wherever you stay, it’s easy to reach bars and nightlife anywhere else.
Best Hotels in Pattaya for Single Men
The only thing you need to do, in case you intend to invite some of the girls you meet back to your hotel room—including bar girls and freelancers—is to make sure the hotel you choose is guest friendly, meaning they allow you to have visitors and guests free of charge.
For more detailed information on which hotels in Pattaya are most recommended as “guest friendly,” including up-to-date joiner policies and booking tips, check out this comprehensive guide and list of the best guest friendly hotels in Pattaya.
Pattaya Girls
Broadly speaking, it’s Pattaya’s girls that brought the city great fame and no less infamy. They are known to be fun‑loving and sexy, and have a reputation for being money‑oriented.
However, just as the term ‘Pattaya girls’ usually refers to sex workers such as bar girls and freelancers, much of the talk about girls in Pattaya is broad generalization.
In reality, there are all types of women in Pattaya, from bar girls and freelancers to so‑called ‘good Thai girls.’ And with the city’s famous ladyboys, it’s fair to say that some aren’t girls at all.
Bar Girls in Pattaya
Bar girls, found in their thousands in the city’s hundreds of assorted girlie bars, are the backbone of Pattaya’s nightlife. They’re paid to be friendly, and meeting them is meant to be fun. But given their reputation and that prices can vary widely from one girl and one bar to the next, it’s when connecting with Pattaya girls can become complicated and expensive. For more on bar girls and their prices, read Paying for Bar Girls in Pattaya.
Freelance Girls
Some women who appear to be employed by bars in Pattaya are actually freelancers. Like bar girls, they are seeking customers, and depending on their arrangement with the bar, their prices can be similar to or much cheaper than hooking up with bar girls in Pattaya.
Popular bars in Pattaya with freelance girls include Bamboo Bar near the entrance to Walking Street, Billabong in Soi LK Metro, and Candy Club on Soi Buakhao.
Other places you’ll find freelance girls in Pattaya include online, in popular nightclubs and discos on Walking Street, and along Beach Road (known locally as the Coconut Bar), from where they are routinely removed by the police, only to return a day or two later.
Girlfriend Experience
While some consider it the best reason to meet women in Pattaya, and others avoid it at all costs, a girlfriend experience (holiday girlfriend) happens by chance for most men when they meet a bar girl or freelancer whose company they enjoy.
Good Thai Girls in Pattaya
Contrary to what’s often said, there actually are plenty of honest, genuine Thai women in Pattaya seeking foreign men for reasons beyond financial gain. If love is what you’re looking for, read this guide to finding a real Thai girlfriend in Pattaya.
Pattaya Girls Online
Thai dating apps are a big thing in Pattaya, where you’ll typically find hundreds of girls online at any time. They’re a great way to meet genuine Thai girls for dating, and widely used to connect with freelance girls for fun.
Practice Safe Sex In Pattaya
Connecting with Thai women for sex in Pattaya costs relatively little, it’s easy, and it’s a big part of the scene. But with that comes the probable higher‑than‑average risk of STDs, along with the risk of unplanned pregnancy—whether real or just claimed as a way to extract money from you.
For your protection and for peace of mind, always wear a condom. Bring your own, or buy them here at 7‑Eleven stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets. If you can’t find your size or favorite brand, try online on sites like Lazada. Just don’t go out without a condom.
Pattaya Nightlife
There are plenty of things to do in Pattaya at night, for example: cinemas, ten-pin bowling, pool halls, shopping, dining, Tiffany’s, and other ladyboy shows. But that’s not the kind of nightlife most single men come for.
It’s the naughty nightlife and girlie bars full of fun-loving girls that draw most single guys to Pattaya. A nightlife scene unlike almost anywhere else in the world.
If you’ve seen how Pattaya’s nightlife is portrayed in certain documentaries that cast a dark, sleazy shadow, you might be surprised to find the real vibe is more fun than filthy, more cheeky than sleazy, and a lot less dark than it’s made it out to be.
Where is the Best Nightlife in Pattaya?
Nightlife, including girlie bars, is in all areas of Pattaya, including Jomtien, Pratumnak, Naklua, and East Pattaya (aka The Darkside).
However, all the most famous and popular nightlife zones and bar streets, such as Walking Street, Soi 7, Soi 8, Soi 6, and Soi Buakhao, are in central (downtown) Pattaya.
What are Girlie Bars and Nightlife Venues in Pattaya?
Girlie bars are bars and clubs where women (bargirls) are employed to attract and entertain male customers. They include agogo clubs, beer bars, and gentleman’s clubs.
Usually, if a bar appears to have an excessive number of female employees—it’s a girlie bar.
Discos and nightclubs are not girlie bars in the proper sense, but late at night, when the bars and agogo bars have closed, many girls go to party and try their luck in the popular discos and nightclubs on Walking Street.
Beer Bars in Pattaya
Beer bars might be shop-house-style buildings like most bars in Pattaya. Many are single-storey with an open front, while some of the most popular are the open-style bars consisting only of a square or rectangular bar and a roof (see photo below), often one of many bars found in beer-bar complexes.
Beer bars are great places to chill, chat, play pool and bar games like Jenga and Connect 4 with the girls, or mind your own business and enjoy watching the world go by. As with most types of girlie bars in Pattaya they open around midday, and it’s normal to see a large influx of girls working in the bars from 5 to 6 PM onwards.
Simple beer bars in places like Soi New Plaza, Soi Made, Soi Diana Inn, and Soi 7 and 8 are where you’ll usually pay less for beers and lady drinks, and ultimately the cheapest of all bars to meet girls in Pattaya.
Gogo Bars in Pattaya
The agogo bars/clubs of Walking Street and Soi LK Metro are the best places to if you want to meet the hottest girls in Pattaya, and where buying a few lady drinks and getting friendly with the girls can cost a small fortune.
What happens in Pattaya gogo bars? There may be a central stage with seating around or multiple stages with chrome polls where the gogo girls dance.
Like in many other girlie bars in Pattaya, you will often be asked if you would like some female company shortly after you sit down. Otherwise, you can invite a girl to come and join you and buy her a lady drink.
What are Gentleman’s Clubs in Pattaya?
Gentleman’s clubs are typically plushly decorated air-conditioned bars, often with private areas such as curtained cubicles, guest rooms, and friendly hostesses.
Before becoming numerous in some of Pattaya’s more popular adult entertainment zones, most gentleman’s clubs were located in remote suburban areas, often large houses adapted for the purpose and serving as discreet getaways for expats.
Many gentleman’s clubs in Pattaya have weekly or monthly events, ranging from Sunday lunch to organized bar-crawls, pool parties, and sexy shows.
Pattaya Bar and Nightlife Opening Times
The majority of beer bars in Pattaya are open by mid-day. Many bars-cum-restaurant open for breakfast as early as 06:00. The majority of gogo clubs open early to late afternoon, but some, along with discos and nightclubs, only open from around 18:00 to 19:00 onward and stay open until the early hours of the morning.
The Most Popular Nightlife Zones and Bar Streets in Pattaya?
Whether it’s the girls, the music, or the quality of service, each bar and nightlife venue in Pattaya has its own unique vibe, and some Pattaya nightlife spots (zones) are better known for certain types of venues or activities.
For example, Walking Street is home to Pattaya’s best gogo bars— its discos and nightclubs are the best places to party late into the night, Soi 6 is famous for short-time bars, and BoyzTown is Pattaya’s most prominent gay nightlife spot.
So, the best nightlife spot in Pattaya, for you, might be a chilled-out beer bar on Soi 7, a Pattaya gogo bar with a sexy show, a groovy nightclub on Walking Street, a bar where you can enjoy people-watching on Soi Buakhao, or a bar with friendly girls on Soi 6. It’s a matter of taste and preference.
The best thing about the numerous popular nightlife spots in downtown Pattaya is that it’s super easy and cheap to go from one to the next using baht buses or motorcycle taxis or even on foot.
List of Pattaya Nightlife Streets (sois) and Zones
Here are all the Pattaya nightlife streets and zones worth checking out if you ever have the time.
Between Beach Road and 2nd Road, including Walking Street:
Soi 3
Home to a small covered bar complex similar to the former Best Friend bar complex on Beach Road. Although dated, it’s lively, with lots of friendly girls.
Soi 6
With a high concentration of bars, each employing up to 10 girls or more, the street most noted for its short-time bars is, as they say, a street full of girls.
Soi 7 and 8
An alley connects the two streets, and both boast a mix of open and shophouse-type bars, including some live music bars and a coyote bar. There are also several massage parlors, restaurants, and hotels.
Soi 13/1
Better known as Soi Yamato after a long-established Japanese restaurant on the soi. Although it’s a little-mentioned street it has many girlie bars, bars-cum-restaurant, massage parlors, and the popular Hops bar and restaurant.
Soi 13/2
Also known as Soi Post Office, there is a good choice of bars and massage parlors along with guest houses, restaurants, and many other business types, including visa and travel agents.
Soi 13/3 and Soi 13/4
Once upon a time in the 1990s and early 2000s, when they were known as Pattayaland 1 (13/3) and Pattayaland 2 (13/4) and among the very best nightlife spots in Pattaya, these two streets were home to many of the then best agogo bars in town.
It’s still worth visiting the remaining bars there. The Classroom on Soi 13/4, once a popular agogo bar, is now a music lounge and sports bar with hostesses. The Penthouse—a famous adult-only hotel reopened along with its own agogo bar in 2024 after looking doomed during the pandemic.
BoyzTown
Also known as Pattayaland 3, the L-shaped soi that stretches from midway up Soi 13/4 to 2nd Road has been Pattaya’s premier gay nightlife spot since the 1980s. The street features A mix of boy bars and gay-friendly hotels.
Walking Street
There are old and modern beer bar complexes, live music bars, but most notably, many agogo bars, discos, and nightclubs. Even if it’s not your scene—Pattaya’s most famous nightlife and adult entertainment zone is a must-see.
Along Soi Buakhao and between 2nd and Soi Buakhao:
Soi New Plaza
A popular place to enjoy cheap drinks and play a game of pool with the girls in the chilled-out beer bars.
Myth Night
A modern bar complex of around 50 open-style bars opened in 2023 on land once occupied by the bulk of the Soi Made In Thailand bar street.
Soi Made In Thailand
The multiple cheap beer bars on the remaining 150-meter length of Soi Made In Thailand is another great option if you’re looking for somewhere cheap and chilled-out to meet girls and play pool.
Tree Town
After years of being used for parking and previously home to the Cupido bar complex until around 2005, the U-shaped Tree Town started to take shape in 2017. Besides its many girlie bars, it features a popular food court, a trendy cocktail van, coffee shops, and fast food vendors.
Soi Skaw Beach
Named after the Skaw Beach Hotel, it’s a street with numerous shop-house-style bars, massage parlors, and cheap guest houses.
Soi Honey (Soi 11)
Famed for its many naughty massage parlors and the Grand Honey 1 soapy massage parlor, there are also many bars—including gentleman’s clubs, cheap places to eat, and popular guest friendly hotels.
Soi Diana
A centrally located soi from where you can enter Soi LK Metro and Soi Buakhao, it has some single bars and 2 beer bar complexes, including the modern (opened in 2024) Las Vegas Beer Garden.
Soi LK Metro
One of the busiest nightlife streets in Pattaya, with several popular agogo bars, the freelancer-friendly Billabong bar, and several other air-conditioned girlie bars and bars-cum-restaurant.
Soi Boomerang
This L-shaped street between Soi Buakhao and Soi 15 is where you will find several of the most popular gentleman’s cubs in Pattaya.
Between Soi Buakhao and 3rd Road:
Soi Chaiyapoon
Many popular bars, including the Triangle bar and a handful of gents clubs. While there have always been bars here, the number has grown steadily over the years, and many of the cheap eating places and boy bars have gone.
Soi Lengkee
A popular soi with a good number of bars but also many hotels, guest houses, and restaurants.
Pattaya Bar Etiquette
When you order a bottle of beer in Pattaya, it gets served in a bottle cooler known as a condom (see photo below). If you want a glass, you must ask for one. Most importantly—the bill should be placed next to you in a cup-like container (bin) similar to the one in the photo below. Every time you order a new drink, an additional—or updated bill goes in the container.
When it’s time to leave and pay—the final bill arrives inside a folder in which you place your money. Any amount of change will also be returned inside the folder.
Should you leave a tip at bars in Pattaya? That’s up to you, but even a smal tip is always apprecited, and no tip is sometimes cursed. Alway check the bill to see if there is a service charge.
Ringing the bell at bars in Thailand
Why do bars in Thailand have a bell placed over the bar? You should ring the bell ONLY if you want to buy drinks for everyone in the bar, that means all the staff, all the customers. The wooden penis attached to the bell in the photo below is also a lucky charm.
Pattaya Nightlife Scams
Whether it’s an opportunist thing or you happen to find yourself in a clip joint, there are scams you should always be aware of.
Bill Padding
What’s meant by bill padding in Pattaya is bills for drinks you did not order are placed in your bin or added to your total bill.
It’s most likely to happen when a group is sharing the bill and all bills are placed in the same bin or in similar situations where it’s thought you might not be able to recollect the number of drinks you ordered, including when buying lady drinks.
If you suspect your bill has been padded, stay calm and explain that you think there has been a mistake. If they insist the bill is correct, no amount of arguing will change their mind.
You can get the tourist police involved, but all they are likely to do is try and negotiate. Rather than get angry and confrontational, at which point the bouncers/security get involved, it’s best to walk away.
So you’re not a victim of a bill padding scam in Pattaya you should check each new or updated bill that goes in your bin or pay for each drink or round of drinks as you go.
Clip Joints in Pattaya
Establishments that charge ridiculously high prices, advertise non-existent deals, etc, are known as clip joints.
Over the years, some well-known clip joints in Pattaya have been Russian strip/dance clubs on Walking Street. After being enticed inside, a Russian or East European girl would dance in front of/on customers before DEMANDING a large tip.
You can easily avoid such clip joints in Pattaya by sticking to the usual popular Thai agogo bars and nightclubs and ignoring the touts that offer to take you to sexy or special shows.
Naughty Massage Parlors in Pattaya
It’s often difficult to distinguish them from traditional “normal” massage parlors unless the girls outside offer subtle—or sometimes not-so-subtle hints. Places like Soi Honey (photo below) and Soi Chaiyapoon are among the most popular places to find naughty massage parlors in Pattaya.
What to Bring to Pattaya
What to wear in Pattaya? Shorts, T-shirts, and sandals are appropriate for everyday wear in Pattaya. A pair of jeans or trousers and a pair of training shoes or casual shoes are essential if you plan to visit discos, nightclubs, fine-dining restaurants, or local government offices such as immigration.
More tips for first-time visitors to Pattaya:
- Pattaya cheap for singles guide
- This guide is primarily for men in Pattaya. For more information on getting to Pattaya, getting around, things to do, the best time to visit, pitfalls and dangers, and dos and don’ts—read this Pattaya first time visitors guide.
Thanks for reading. Before you go, here’s something to remember, some well-known quotes and sayings about Pattaya:
- No money, no honey.
- In Pattaya, you never lose your girlfriend. You only lose your turn.
- What happens in Pattaya stays in Pattaya.