This beautiful golden Buddha sits on top of a hill with breathtaking views of the city and coastline, providing some excellent photo opportunities and allowing you to orientate yourself to the cityscape. There is a steep climb so visiting in the morning is a good way to avoid the heat of the day.

A little north of central Pattaya, this impressive temple-like structure sits on the edge of the sea with more beautiful views to behold (and photograph), plus amazing Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.

If you like your wines and want some peace from the city, head out to Silverlake for lunch. With scenic views and peaceful surroundings, this is a working winery where you can spend a few hours relaxing, eating lunch from the Bistro and perhaps sampling a few wines.

This is not so much an art gallery or museum as a creative, interactive art-based experience. It has fun art exhibits and optical illusions that are fascinating for both kids and adults. Take your camera for some unique holiday snaps. You'll need a good couple of hours to take in what this place has to offer.

There are plenty of places to eat in Pattaya but many of them offer mainly western or international cuisine. If you want to experience some authentic Thai food this is a great place to try, with a diverse menu, friendly staff and delicious food at an affordable price.

The real reason many come to this attraction is not to enjoy the animal exhibits and feed the crocodiles (although if you like that kind of thing, you won’t be disappointed). No, the real draw for most people are the prehistoric fossilized trees and the fascinating ancient stones.

Sprawled across 100,000 square-meters, Pattaya Floating Market has something to catch everyone’s interest and features some of the best local street food in the area. If you’d prefer to bypass the deep fried cockroaches, think noodle soup, pad thai, tom sum and plenty of Thai sweet treats.

Showing miniature monuments from all over Thailand and the rest of the world, this is a fascinating attraction that can be covered in just a couple of hours.

If you’re looking for some flamboyant evening entertainment and just a taste of what the masses come to Pattaya for, put an hour aside for this multicultural dance and cabaret show. The show encompasses many international dance styles and the performers are local ladyboys, but it’s still far removed from the seedy side of Pattaya and even suitable for families.

This is a huge zoo with open spaces and well-kept animals. In fact, most westerners would consider it more of a safari park or wildlife reserve. It does take some time to see everything, so you could easily spend a full day here, but if you’re short on time you can hire a golf buggy to get around, stopping off at the parts you’re most drawn to.

To see areas of Pattaya you probably wouldn’t see otherwise, and to get some exercise at the same time, try a tour with RBB Pattaya Biking tours. Your guide will take you to local schools, communities and points of interest that you’d probably never find alone. This is a chance to see a side of Pattaya most visitors rarely do.

While in Pattaya, make sure you grab dinner and a show at Alangkarn, a spectacular performance depicting the story of Thailand. The stage is huge – and needs to be since there are elephants on it at one point – and cast members will entertain you and pose for photos as you stroll through the gardens before the show.