Pattaya

Get ready for the Big Buddha on your trip to Pattaya. Also known as Wat Phra Yai, the Big Buddha Temple has a 300-foot Buddha image and is the most visible landmark in the city. The image was put up in 1977 and locals often call it Luang Phor Yhai, the Big Buddha. Standing on a hilltop sets it apart from the other sights in town, and smaller images surround the great one on the hill, with fine views over the city and the bay.

• Khao Chi Chan, also known as Buddha Mountain, is a remarkable sight near Pattaya: an enormous Buddha carved into a limestone hillside. The image is 109 metres tall and 70 metres wide, worked in fine detail, and it shows what Thai craftsmen can do.
• Covering 100,000 m2, the Four Regions Floating Market is divided into four sections, each representing and selling goods from one of the main parts of Thailand: north, north-east, central and south. Expect restaurants, fruit stalls, souvenir shops and a few art galleries. There is a cultural show every afternoon.
• The Sanctuary of Truth is probably the most striking building in Pattaya. Carved entirely from teak, this 105-metre hall on the headland north of Wongamat beach is unlike anything else in the world. Neither temple nor palace, though it looks like both, it was commissioned by a local businessman as a place to appreciate philosophy, art, culture and faith, without being tied to any one religion.

A safe ride back to your accommodation.