Get To Know The Famous Pattaya Walking Street
Pattaya as a town is perhaps best known for its beaches, but even they are very closely followed by the infamous Pattaya International Walking Street. Usually known just as “walking street”, Pattaya’s all-night strip of bars and restaurants is home to a wide variety of entertainment and dining options, both seedy and clean.
Almost all visitors to the city come here at least at some point, and like the somewhat similar Khao San Road in Bangkok, Pattaya’s Walking Street truly is open for business 24 hours per day. However, Walking Street really comes alive after dark, with most establishments open until the wee small hours.
As its name might suggest, the main way to get around this road is by walking! Because of the heavy pedestrian traffic the road is actually closed to cars from 6pm onwards. This makes for a much nicer environment, as visitors can walk around without having to worry about dodging cars and motorcycles.
A continuation of Beach Road, the main entrance to Walking Street is at the intersection with South Pattaya Road. At the other end, Walking Street meets Bali Hai and ends slightly before Pattaya soi 3. The area feels surprisingly safe, with a strong Tourist Police presence and teams of plain-clothes security guards.
Pattaya Nightlife Center
At night, a kaleidoscopic neon glow runs the length of Walking Street which boasts a seemingly-endless parade of beer bars, sports bars, discos and cabaret shows. Although the street is probably most famous for nightlife and its red-light culture, Pattaya’s walking street is also home to a large number of normal bars and clubs, offering beer and snacks and a good central meeting place.
Recently, Pattaya’s tourist Mecca is increasingly becoming a great place to see live music, with a wealth of cover bands performing nightly. A number of Middle-Eastern restaurants offer a wide selection of shisha flavors to diners that enjoy a relaxing smoke.
Walking Street is quite close to the beach, and as such is convenient to many of the area’s most important amenities. Walking Street is also home to many very talented street performers, who give the area some very pleasant local color. One of the best performers has an impeccable costume for Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The accent and mannerisms are nailed perfectly as well! There are a variety of other performers and street vendors offering food and snacks as well.