Getting there
Getting to the arena
How to reach the Pattaya fight arena and get back: baht buses, taxis and pre-booked cars, collecting your ticket, and what to do in the afternoon before.
Choose a night at the ring ↗Quick answer
The arena is in Pattaya, in Chonburi province on the Gulf of Thailand's eastern shore. Within the city most people get around by songthaew, the pick-up trucks with two benches in the back known as baht buses, or by taxi or pre-booked car. Show your driver the address on your confirmation, arrive by the doors-open time on your ticket and collect your seat ticket at the booth. Transport is not included.
Where Pattaya is
Pattaya is the largest city in Chonburi province, on the Gulf of Thailand's eastern shore, southeast of Bangkok. The city proper lies within Bang Lamung district, but it has grown into the neighbouring sub-districts, and most people mean the whole Pattaya, Bang Lamung and Jomtien area when they say Pattaya. Pattaya Beach runs alongside the city centre, with Phra Tamnak Hill to the south and Jomtien Beach beyond it. Your confirmation gives the arena's address; keep it on your phone to show drivers.
The baht bus
City and suburban transport in Pattaya is mainly the songthaew, popularly nicknamed the baht bus. The name means two rows, after the two bench seats fixed along either side of the back of the truck, under a roof. In towns they usually run fixed routes for a set fare, so a baht bus may get you close to the arena rather than to the door. Wikipedia notes that petty crime, mostly pickpocketing and confidence tricks, can happen on the baht buses, so keep your phone and wallet close.
Taxi or pre-booked car
For an evening event, a taxi or a pre-booked car is the simplest option: you are taken to the door at the time you choose, with no walk from a baht bus route. If you are travelling as a group, one larger car keeps everyone together. It is worth arranging your return before the card starts, so that a ride is waiting after the last bout and you are not searching for one in the dark.
Coming from Bangkok
If you are staying in Bangkok, think of the fight as part of a Pattaya stay rather than a day trip. By road, Pattaya is reached on the Bangkok–Chonburi–Pattaya Motorway, and buses from Bangkok's Ekkamai and Mo Chit 2 terminals connect with Pattaya's main bus terminal. The State Railway's Eastern Line also runs a daily service from Bangkok. Whatever you choose, allow plenty of margin, so that traffic on the way down does not cost you the first bouts.
At the arena
Aim to arrive by the doors-open time printed on your ticket, not the time you expect the first fight. The opening bout can start sooner than visitors expect. Walk to the ticket booth, show your booking and collect your seat ticket for the VIP area, then find your place near the ring. Nothing to eat or drink comes with the ticket, so have a meal before you set off and bring what you need for the evening.
Getting back
A weeknight card runs about two hours and weekend cards are shorter, which makes it easy to plan the ride home once you know your start time. If you came by baht bus, you may prefer a taxi or a booked car for the ride back at night. If you are going on to dinner or the seafront, a weekend card leaves more of the evening free. Either way, settle your return before the final bell.
Before the card
An afternoon in Pattaya fits well before a fight night. The Sanctuary of Truth is an unfinished museum built entirely of wood, a hybrid of temple and castle themed on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and on Hindu and Buddhist beliefs; construction began in 1981 and its tallest spire reaches 105 metres. Further out, Nong Nooch is a large botanical garden in Sattahip district, Chonburi province. Both can be booked as entry tickets, and both leave time to eat before the doors open.
Read next: Muay Thai night: worth it?
Sources