Patong's pedestrianised main nightlife strip runs from Beach Road inland for about 400 metres, lined wall-to-wall with open-fronted bars, go-go clubs, beer halls, live-music venues, ladyboy cabarets, street vendors, and tattoo parlours. From 6pm to 2am it is one continuous neon spectacle — the sort of place that has to be seen at least once and is hard to take twice.
By day the same street is a different planet: quiet, hot, with cleaners hosing down the pavement and stallholders setting up for the night. The narrow side-sois (Soi Bangla 1, Soi Crocodile, Soi Easy) feed off the main strip and host smaller, more specialised bars. Pickpocketing and scams are common — leave anything valuable in the hotel safe.