Pattaya beer bars along the waterfront

Pattaya is renowned for its night-life, which caters primarily to foreigners. While some of this is unrelated to prostitution, the central Pattaya Beach Area is known as a destination for sex tourism (alongside several districts in Bangkok and Phuket). While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, it is widely tolerated.

The city has literally hundreds of beer bars, go go bars, and night-clubs/discotheques. Virtually all of these are venues for in some form. The nature of commercial sex varies widely; the standard system of "bar fines" is the most common, but there are many exceptions. Most notably, discos and nightclubs are venues for freelancers, while the bars on Soi 6 are essentially brothels. There are also several large massage parlors.

Since the "social order" crackdown of 2004, there are very few sex shows (such as the ping pong shows) although they can sometimes still be found. Depending on the enforcement climate, Go go dancers may be seen fully nude, topless or in bikinis on different days or weeks.
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) matches aimed at the tourists can be seen at many of the open-air beer bar complexes.

Another important but understated aspect of Pattaya are the excellent foreign restaurants. Often run by expats, most offer excellent food at prices far below those found in Bangkok, Samui or Phuket. High quality German, British, American, Mexican and Indian food can easily be found.