So, you're passing through Pattaya as well as you've set aside a few hours to check out the bar scene - but where to go? The most fashionable (and generally the most densely concentrated) beer bar and go-go bar locations (listed south to north) are:

* '''Walking Street'''

Should have been named "Walking, Shopping, Eating, Drinking, Dancing and Ogling Street" as there's plenty of almost everything there - with around 100 beer bars and at least 30 go-go bars, plus many more in the side-sois that lead east towards Pratamnak Road. Worth a look in the daytime, but best visited in the evening, and has loads of restaurants if you're bridging the gap between the two. Gets really packed in places when the discos empty, so watch your pockets.

* '''Pattayaland'''

Soi Pattayaland 2 (Soi 13/4) features on many a Pattaya postcard - when lit up at night, the go-go bar signs are a memorable and photogenic sight, although there are only eight go-go bars here (two of which feature guys, not girls), plus a half-dozen bars and the Penthouse Hotel. Worth a look in the evening (it's almost a ghost town the rest of the time), but get there before 01:00 as that's when the lights go out.

Soi Pattayaland 3 ("Boyz Town" - no direct access from Beach Road, runs from the middle of Soi 13/4 to Second Road) features only male dancers and bars that cater for the gay crowd; Soi Pattayaland 1 (Soi 13/3) has even more all-male go-gos (eight), but does have a couple of girlie-go-gos too. There's a small lesbian scene in Pattaya, with local butch girls called "tom" girls and femme girls called "dee".

* '''Soi L.K. Metro'''

Between Second Road and Soi Buakhao lies this relatively new complex. Connecting Soi Diana with Soi Buakhao, Soi L.K., as it is called (not to be confused with Soi Leng Kee) is a pedestrianised street for the most part. Cars are parked willy nilly, but that actually serves as a traffic calming system so it is risk less to pace down. There are lots of outdoor bars and cafes spilling out onto the street, giving it a "bit" of a European feel. The Metropole Hotel and the Areca Lodge are here.

* Go-go bar run by a friendly Aussie called Jason. Newly redecorated in Jan.'09, features racy shows even by Pattaya standards.

* Lively and loyal sports bar and grill, the place to go for hassle free food and drink on this soi.

* One of the busiest coyote (bartop dancing) bars in town, but the setup is like a goldfish bowl.

* '''Soi 7 & Soi 8'''

There's always something going on here - in the evening and early hours, there are about 120 well-staffed beer bars to select from, plus a handful of go-go bars; in the morning there are several places that serve breakfast; in the afternoon it's a popular place for those who like to get started early; and at ''Songkran'' (New Year) it's unmitigated mayhem. There are several large hotels (light sleepers beware), and Soi 8 also has a few travel agencies, convenience stores, etc.

* '''Soi Yodsak (Soi 6)'''

Imagine a kerb-crawlers paradise - and then pedestrianise it. Arguably Pattaya's most colourful street (as well as most notorious), Soi 6 has about 50 bars (mostly "short time" bars, with names e.g. "Butterfly", "Love Club", "Route 69" and "The Eager Beaver") which all get going at 13:00 and close pretty much on the dot at 01:00. It's not really a pedestrian-only street (but it is one-way), however walking - preferably in broad daylight - is undoubtedly the best and most popular way to experience it. Go in the middle of the afternoon and just wander from one end to the other (if coming from the south, walk from the Second Road end down to the Beach Road end if you want to get there and back by songthaew). It's much, much more "sex-tourist" than "tourism" oriented, but anyone and everyone is welcome everyplace give d they're buying a drink or three. The curiously named "Hi Boss! 2002 Pub" is where the ladyboys hang out, there's one go-go - "Mandarin" (dancing from 5PM-1AM), plus a couple of "pub" food possibilities; and neighbouring Soi 6/1 has a handful of "ordinary" outdoor beer bars.

* '''Second Road - around the Soi 2 & Soi 3 junctions'''

On the west side of Second Road opposite the Central Festival Centre is a collection of about 35 popular beer bars, which initiate to fill up from about 16:00, and several of which remain open long after the lights go out around 1AM-2AM. "Atlantic Bar", at the far end of the five-bar strip to the south of Soi 2, always draws a substantial crowd. The only go-go ("Classroom 2", 7:30PM-2AM) is a lively one, and while there's not much in the way of food in amongst the bars themselves, there are numerous eating options extremely close nearby (including outlets for most of the major fast-food chains directly opposite on the other side of Second Road).

'''10 assorted "same-same but different" bar styles'''

* '''Casino Club''' at the Pratamnak Road end of Soi Diamond is an a-go-go with a difference - not only do the girls dance with their apparel on, but there are no chrome poles! - whatever will they think of next? Despite the name, it's not a casino; maybe it's a disc-o-go-go? The atmosphere is lively, the music is techno, the dancing is energetic, the hours are 9PM-4AM (apparently able to close later than most due to the non-conformist format).

* '''Boyz Town''' (the whole of Soi Pattayaland 3) is the place to head for to see the male go-go dancers, likewise Soi Pattayaland 1 (Soi 13/3). Same applies for girls who want to ogle (exactly the same) guys. Pattayaland 1 is relatively dead in the daytime, but Pattayaland 3 has a handful of places to eat and drink that keep it ticking over in the afternoon.

* '''Jenny Star Bar''' in Walking Street (below Peppermint Palace) is wall-to-wall transvestites - seeing is believing, especially late in the evening and in the small hours. It's an open-air bar that spills out onto the pavement, and there's often quite a crowd gawking intently from a safe distance - so mind your pockets.

* '''Peppermint Palace''' on Walking Steet (go up the escalator next to Jenny Star Bar) is probably the largest go-go in Pattaya. Several stages with young women in various different states of attire. Always entire of energy, and always packed (you may be turned away if it's full). Good value drinks-wise.

* '''Club Boesche'''' in Soi 16 (connects Walking Street to Pratamnak Road) is a brand new split-level lesbian go-go with a large Jacuzzi-style tub sunk into the floor in front of the bar, occupied in shifts by pairs of uninhibited young ladies non-stop from 10PM until 1AM (or later). "Normal" (for a go-go) priced drinks and no cover charge.

* '''Tim Bar Beer''' on Second Road (opposite Soi 12) is an otherwise relatively run-off-the-mill go-go that plays nothing but DVDs, with a very strong bias towards live performances of rock'n'roll classics. Requests welcome - if in doubt, consult for Meatloaf's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light". Stage and screen come to life at 6PM and keep going until at least 2AM (closing hours not so strictly enforced here as it's not in amongst a bunch of other bars), but get there early as it's a popular place and their army of dancers thins out with prodigious speed.

* '''Beach Inn Beer Garden''' on Walking Street (opposite the FLB Bar) able to usually be found blindfold. Head through to the back and out into the bars that target visitors from the Middle-East, and feel the sound - several of the speaker systems here are bigger than a budget hotel room, and it's not difficult to position yourself so that you're being deafened by three or four of them (each one playing something different) all at the same time. (At the other extreme, there used to be a "Quiet Bar" on Second Road - but it closed not long after it opened, apparently due to lack of demand...)

* '''Carousel Beer Bar''' is a pair of circular outdoor bars in the centre of Soi Diamond (directly off Walking Street) which spin from 5PM until 3AM. A couple of drinks here and the world really will takeoff to revolve around you.

* '''Siren Bar Complex''' (Beach Road, just before the Walking Street entrance archway) is a crush of about 25 ancient open-air beer bars (open 4PM-3AM) surrounding a boxing ring (exhibition matches at various intervals between 10PM and 1AM). Get there early in the evening and it looks like there must be a prize on offer for whoever is able to squeeze the greatest number of bar girls into the smallest beer bar. If you sit down here, don't forget to shake the cockroaches out of your clothes as you leave.

* '''Beach Club''' (towards the Walking Street end of Soi 15) is not the only "table dance" format a-go-go in Pattaya, but it's probably the most popular. Patrons are seated around industrial-strength tables which have mirror tops, upward facing spotlights, and of course the obligatory chrome pole; the girls dance on each table in turn, wearing short skirts and...   - well if you can't guess the rest then you should probably steer well clear of any Pattaya establishment that mentions the words "table dancing" alongside its name.