-- Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Jonesy

The seaside town of Pattaya is in Thailand’s eastern province of Chonburi. It has long been a favourite weekend or nearby holiday destination for anyone in Bangkok, whether native or visitor to the city. Certainly most people in the capital consider Pattaya as one of the easiest beaches to get to within the reaches of the city.

This may have something to do with the fact that Pattaya is one of the nearest Chonburi coastal resorts to Bangkok. The fact is, Pattaya is less than 100 road miles from Bangkok, easily reachable within just an hour or two, depending on the mode of transport involved.

That’s about as near as any coastline tends to get to the centralised Thai capital—although not far behind are some stretches of the more subdued Hua Hin in the scenic southwestern Prachuap Khiri Khan province. This is more of a family resort, a sparklingly well-kept seaside area a bit further out in the opposite direction along the southwestern coastline.

Pattaya seems to be currently undergoing something of a subtle revamp in order to promote a more upmarket and family-oriented environment. This is being done in no small part in an attempt to shake off the wild and hedonistic, bar girl haven tag that it has become so well-known for over the years—and not without good reason (according to a friend of mine).

So just how easy is it to get to Pattaya from Bangkok? And what’s the best way to get there? Well…honestly the answer to both questions depends largely on:

A—Whether cost is an issue or not

B—What kind of travelling experience you prefer in Thailand (i.e. if you are here to ‘do it like the locals’ and are thus willing to potentially sacrifice comfort or not)

So without further ado let’s take a closer look at some of the options for getting from Bangkok to Pattaya—and you can decide for yourself which you think would be the best for you.

1. Using Taxis or Cars with Grab or Bolt Apps (Recommended)

Many believe that transport applications like Grab and the increasingly-used Bolt have really filled a gap and transformed the market in Thailand. Anyone with prior negative experience of Bangkok taxi drivers for instance will find these platforms a blessing and a godsend.

It can still be unfortunately more common than not to get a negative taxi experience in the city as many drivers are not locals—especially when they are commonly found lurking in the vicinity of the airport pick-up points.

With these new and largely functional app platforms you don’t even need to look for a taxi at the airport.

Basically you key in your desired location—make sure your location is turned on your device—and you’ll be given the fare price and an approximate time of pick-up (usually within 10 minutes or so, as the nearest drivers in the area will respond to the call). They will pick you up from your location which you should verify on the map options first if you can.

You can book cars as well as taxis and they are generally considered to provide a somewhat more comfortable experience than regular taxis. This is often because the cars are privately-owned vehicles, although they come with just a slightly higher fare. Many would agree that the fare is often worth it though—and this is a useful option for larger families with more children who might find a six-seater more suitable.

As the level of English communication is still somewhat on the low side in Thailand these apps are really useful in reducing or even eliminating any need for verbal communication with the driver, thus reducing any possibility of miscommunication. Ideal for what is pretty much a non-English-speaking country, and you get picked up from A and driven directly to B without too much confusion and you already know the fare. Super!

There are also many other options and features with Grab, including as of last year the option to select female drivers with GrabCar.

Of course aside from being the fastest and most comfortable option for getting to Pattaya from Bangkok—this will also be your most expensive option aside from a flight. This doesn’t mean that it actually is expensive—but in comparison to some of our other choices for transport it most certainly would seem that way.

For a trip from Bangkok to Pattaya by car or taxi the fares are likely to be in the region of 1500-2500 baht—£50.00 tops—depending on the vehicle you select and the time of day you travel (which could seriously affect the time involved).

• Pick-up location: Wherever you may currently be—hotel etc.
• Fare: According to vehicle and distance (usually upwards of 1500 baht)
• Booking: In-app
• Length of journey: Approximated by app according to time of day and destination
• Comfort and Safety: The best you are likely to get in Thailand (the app knows when you have stopped or the internet connection is broken) and the drivers largely do their best as they know they are likely to be rated and that feedback is important to these companies in order to maintain and improve standards—a first in Thailand
• Pros: Direct route from A to B with no communication problems and other preference options like lady drivers
• Cons: Ten times more expensive than a bus

– Related: Bangkok Taxis and Guide to Thailand Taxis

2. Bangkok to Pattaya by Bus or Coach

The Eastern Bus Terminal in Bangkok is in Ekkamai along the main stretch of the Sukhumvit Road, which means it can be reached on the BTS Sukhumvit line. Some buses do go to Pattaya from the Northern Bus Terminal in Mor Chit 2, but the Eastern Terminal is the one used by the majority of Thais heading in the direction of Chonburi.

A company known as Roon Reuang Coaches is one of the main operators for the Pattaya route from Bangkok. They operate more than 100 vehicles and these coaches are the air-conditioned variety of bus that is quite a bit more expensive than the older, non-air versions with fans and open windows that don’t make for the most comfortable of transportation options.

The non-air buses—the cheapest option of transport there is—can be cramped, uncomfortable, and hot—with additional open-window air pollution. Some experienced travellers may even go as far as to tell you that this kind of (very) low cost transport should be avoided at all costs, especially for long journeys—although they serve as the main form of transport to the provinces for high proportions of the Thai population.

Who knows—these buses may even be an arduous yet rewarding way to thicken your travelling skin—if you feel the need to do so by sheer deprivation of space and comfort.

When we say these coaches are ‘more expensive’—that has to be taken in context—as even the air buses are still incredibly cheap compared to some other forms of transport. They could be as much as a tenth the price of a taxi, for instance.

Of course this is not the only bus company and if you turn up at the station you’ll find there are various options. Roon Rueang picks up from three different locations though—the Eastern Terminal, the Northern Terminal, and at Bangna bus stop on the way to the main airport.

• Bus Station Locations: Northern Terminal, Eastern Terminal, Bangna Bus Station
• Fares and Booking: From approximately 150 baht up check HERE
• Duration: 2-3 hours
• Comfort & Safety: OK on the more modern air-conditioned vehicles
• Benefits: Comparably low costs
• Downsides: Potential traffic congestion depending on the time and 3 hours is a long time for the distance (longer than a flight to Phuket or Chiang Mai)

3. Bangkok to Pattaya by Train 

Trains run from various stations and are not that much more expensive than buses with fares somewhere in the region of 70-200 baht per ticket for a trip the length of the one to Pattaya. The trains are most likely to be the 2^nd class, air-conditioned variety of train—there are no first class train services to Pattaya in Thailand.

The 2^nd class trains are operated with tickets and a booking service, whereas 3^rd class tickets are for non-reservable seats and you have to fight for your place when the train pulls in (not recommended) These trains are probably one of the cheapest existing forms of transport in the country—one of the reasons you battle for seats—with fares as low as 30 baht for some journeys.

It’s fair to say that aside from the central Metro System, train travel has never really been the most popular option for a lot of foreign visitors. Travelling to Pattaya by train is an example of what many might consider a slow service with lots of stops at small stations, and the setting off early in the morning that you can expect from a journey like this by train in Thailand is what makes the direct buses more of a popular option.

The station in Pattaya is close to 2 miles outside of the main town center so if you do take the train you’ll need to arrange a pick up from the station.

– Related – Thailand Trains and Booking Trains in Thailand Guide

4. Bangkok to Pattaya by Minivan

OK—let’s begin by saying that minivans do get a fairly bad rap in Thailand. That’s largely from Thais, and although some do use them, many foreigners steer clear of minivans due to the negative media reports about them.

Let’s just say the incidences of accidents and/or horrific deaths in connection with unsafe minivans powered into oblivion by drivers bouncing along merrily way over any speed limits are common. This is especially true around busy holiday-time periods when many are making trips back to the provinces from the city and avoiding the bus stations and queues.

Many of these minivan horror stories involve drivers who are commonly way over the speed limit when they roll the van with its broken suspension due to poor maintenance and overloading, sometimes even after the odd drink or two and eager to get back.

That said, the same types of story come with virtually every other form of transport and depend largely on how they are reported.

Droves of Thais use minivans on a daily basis to get either some or all of the way to work—again some would have no other feasible option. Others will use them on a weekend to get to places just a couple of hours away from Bangkok to the nearest beaches at places like Bangsaen, Pattaya, and to some extent Hua Hin, and many use them as a means of weekend passage to their hometowns as they are much faster than buses.

The vans used to pick up at Victory Monument but this has now apparently come to an end due to the chaos it was helping to cause around the area. The minivans instead now collect passengers from both the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai and the Northern Terminal at Mor Chit 2. A lot of vans that the Thais commonly use are often fully booked. You can check prices and bookings HERE.

• Minivan pickup locations: Bus Terminals—many hotels etc. can also arrange pick up
• Approximate fares: HERE
• Booking: online/at the station
• Length of journey: 2 hours
• Comfort: slightly less than some buses
• Safety: slightly less than some buses due to speed
• Pros: Faster than buses more direct than trains
• Cons: More expensive than buses and possibly more cramped

5. Going from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya 

Depending on what travel arrangements you may have, it’s not difficult to get a transfer to Pattaya from the main airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi.

You’ll find bus and coach companies like Roon Rueang run dedicated routes from the airport using transportation that can be booked at the airport either prior to landing or when you arrive.

These buses run to Jomtien Beach in Pattaya virtually on the hour and cost around 130 baht. There are various other options like the many private transfer services on offer that collect you from the airport and can be quite reasonable price-wise.

Airport Transfer Companies

It’s worth noting that there are many companies who specialise in airport transfers to other locations in the country. Some of these services are fairly standard—similar to a normal taxi service—but there are plenty of options.

You have limousine options starting from around 1000 baht, and other preferences and nuances that can be addressed by some companies like the option to select female drivers, which is of course an excellent feature for many travelling females.

Conclusion

So there you have it—getting from Bangkok to Pattaya really couldn’t be easier! The eastern seaside resort is literally just down the road—and the road is probably the best means by which to reach the town as flights and trains are pretty much out of the picture. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you’d prefer the swift comfort of a private car or the slightly lengthier and grittier (but much cheaper) experience of getting the bus for transferring from the city to the coast in a matter of an hour or three.

FAQ about Getting from Bangkok to Pattaya

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