What's happening in Pattaya this week?

Pattaya changes on Friday afternoon, when families and office workers from Bangkok drive the 150 km down Motorway 7 and Sukhumvit Road through Naklua and South Pattaya slows to a crawl from about 4pm. Hotel rates on Beach Road tend to rise on Friday and Saturday nights, so a first-timer usually gets better value by checking in on a Sunday. The main weekend event is Thepprasit Night Market on Thepprasit Road, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from roughly 5pm to 11pm: you'll smell smoke from the grilled squid stalls before you see them, coconut ice cream costs about 40 baht, and the aisles get packed after 7pm. Koh Larn is where timing matters most. On Saturday and Sunday the ferries from Bali Hai Pier fill with day-trippers, and by 11am Tawaen Beach is covered in rented umbrellas; go on a Tuesday or Thursday instead and you might have Samae Beach mostly to yourself.

The daily schedule matters more than any single event. Walking Street in South Pattaya closes to traffic at around 6pm, and from the bar fronts the bass is loud enough to feel through your sandals until 2am or later. Before 9pm the street is close to empty, which makes that the best time for a first look if neon and touts are not for you. Most 7-Eleven tills in Pattaya still block alcohol sales between 2pm and 5pm under Thailand's long-standing rule, and major Buddhist holidays bring a full-day nationwide alcohol ban, so ask at your hotel desk whether one falls during your stay. Baht buses run a one-way loop along Beach Road and Second Road for 10 baht, about 30 US cents at 33.55 baht to the dollar: wave one down and press the buzzer when you want to get off. For years Wednesday has been the day deckchair vendors on Pattaya Beach and Jomtien stay off the sand, so bring a towel on a Wednesday, or make it a pool day.

For the big sights, go on a weekday morning. The Sanctuary of Truth in Naklua opens at 8am, and because carvers are still working on it, the halls carry the smell of freshly cut wood; tour coaches generally arrive after 10am. Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden, roughly 18 km south on Sukhumvit Road, is worth half a day, though on Saturdays it fills with Thai families and the queues for the cultural show get long. Wat Yansangwararam and Viharn Sien, the Chinese museum and shrine next door, sit further south near Huay Yai and pair well together on a quiet weekday drive. This week's weather is typical of the end of the wet season: at the latest noon reading it was 30.3°C with 76% humidity, a feels-like temperature of 37.3°C, and light drizzle that left the air sticky. Short showers build over Pratumnak Hill in the late afternoon, and after a heavy one, the side streets off Second Road can flood ankle-deep for about an hour. Plan to spend 3pm to 5pm indoors at Central Festival on Beach Road.