Girls are a big part of the scene in Pattaya. The nightlife is vibrant and risqué. It’s cheap, warm, by the sea, and a carefree place to stay that’s popular with foreign men in search of sun, fun, and company.
However, if you’re a single foreign man visiting Pattaya for the first time for the girls and nightlife, mistakes are easy to make, and often costly.
While you can’t know everything about Pattaya, its girls, and nightlife until you experience it all first-hand, this guide covers what you need to know before you arrive. Think of it as an overview, or even a quick-start guide to Pattaya girls and nightlife.
In this guide, you’ll learn about the different types of girls in Pattaya, where to meet them, the main nightlife areas, the various bars, and where to stay if you’re visiting for the girls and nightlife.
Where to Stay in Pattaya for Girls and Nightlife
If you want to be near the main nightlife areas, stay in Central Pattaya, particularly between Beach Road and 3rd Road, and in the Walking Street area, as shown on the nightlife map below. With everything else you need nearby, it’s also ideal if you’re visiting for the first time.
The area is also home to many of the most popular guest friendly hotels in Pattaya, in other words, hotels that allow you to take guests back to your room without paying a joiner fee.
Pattaya Girls
You can meet all kinds of Thai women in Pattaya, from women working in the adult entertainment industry to those with regular jobs and living normal lives.
Much depends on what you’re looking for, whether that’s a bit of fun, an experience, a steady Thai girlfriend, or a holiday girlfriend.
TIP: Given the scene, always wear a condom. For more information, including where to buy them, read this article on why you should wear a condom in Pattaya.
Bar Girls in Pattaya
It’s often said that it’s bar girls and nightlife that brought droves of foreign male visitors to Pattaya, leading the city’s great fame, and no less infamy.
They work in girlie bars, such as beer bars, go-go bars, and gentlemen’s clubs, throughout Pattaya. Meeting them can be somewhat ritual-like, with prices varying from one bar and one girl to the next. For more about bar girls, prices, and pitfalls to watch out for, read this article on paying for bar girls in Pattaya.
Read this article on Thai bar girls if you would like to know more about who they are, where come from and why they choose to be bar girls.
Freelance Girls
Thai freelance girls in Pattaya offer the same kind of short‑term fun and companionship as bar girls, but unlike bar girls they work for themselves.
You find them in nightclubs such as Insomnia, Republic, and MYST, on Walking Street, in freelancer-friendly bars, loitering under coconut trees on Pattaya Beach Road (aka the Coconut Bar), and online on Thai dating apps.
The Pattaya Beer Garden was once well known for its freelancers. It’s not so much the case these days, but they still use their famous beer mats, which you would flip over depending on whether you were interested or not.
You won’t usually be charged lady-drink prices when you buy drinks for freelance girls, but don’t be surprised if you find some bars where you do, and the girls earn a commission on the drinks bought for them.
TIP: If you’re visiting Pattaya’s nightclubs or using dating apps, it’s hard to tell which girls are freelancers and which aren’t, but don’t be afraid to ask.
Pattaya Girls Online
Thai dating apps are popular with foreign men in Pattaya. They have a diverse user base, which means beyond the usual dating and casual hookups, they’re often used as a cheap alternative to the nightlife or to find a holiday girlfriend.
While it’s true there is a large number of freelance girls online seeking customers, using dating apps and their filters, or simply asking, is also a good way to meet women in Pattaya who are NOT bar girls, freelancers, or otherwise work in the sex industry.
Girls in Pattaya Who are Not Girls
There are lots of ladyboys in Pattaya, lots. And mistaking them for women has been the cause of much embarrassment to many an unwitting first-time visitor.
They are everywhere in Pattaya, living and working as normal. In the adult entertainment scene, there are a number of ladyboy bars. They are sometimes among the girls in girlie bars, and you’ll also find them in massage parlors, online on dating apps, and in Walking Street’s nightclubs.
TIP: Telling whether someone is a woman or a ladyboy is not always as easy as you might think. If you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, calmly explain that it’s not what you expected, apologize, and come to a friendly compromise.
Pattaya Nightlife
Nightlife, including girlie bars, can be found throughout Pattaya, including Jomtien, Pratumnak, Naklua, and East Pattaya (aka the Darkside).
However, most of the famous nightlife zones and bar streets, including Walking Street, Soi 6, Soi 7, Soi 8, and Soi Buakhao, are in central (downtown) Pattaya.
What are Girlie Bars and Nightlife Venues in Pattaya?
Girlie bars are bars and venues such as beer bars, agogo clubs, and gentleman’s clubs where bar girls work.
Discos and nightclubs aren’t girlie bars in the usual sense, but you’ll find many freelance girls there, along with bar girls who head there after the bars and gogos have closed.
Beer Bars in Pattaya
Beer bars can 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 go 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 poles 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. Just decline if that’s not what you’re looking for, drinks you buy for girls in gogo bars are often way overpriced.
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
Pattaya bar opening and closing times vary by venue. Many beer bars are open by midday, most by mid-afternoon, and close around 1 to 2 AM. Gogo bars mostly open in the early evening and close around 2 to 3 AM. Nightclubs and other late-night venues are often open until 4 AM, sometimes longer.
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 nightlife spots (zones) are better known for certain types of venues or activities.
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, Soi 6 is 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
Walking Street has has 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 clubs 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.
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, any amount of arguing usually won’t 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 best known 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.