Getting in Pattaya By Train

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Provided it’s a weekday, the most economical way to travel between Pattaya and Bangkok by public transport is by rail - the one-way fare is just 31 baht, and if you’ve never experienced a 3rd class Thai train, this is a good one to try.

From Monday to Friday, a single daily 3rd class (non-aircon) train departs Bangkok’s Hualamphong Train Station at 06:50 and arrives at the main Pattaya station at 10:18, before continuing on to Sattahip; it then returns via Pattaya at 14:21 and terminates back in Bangkok at 17:40 (on Saturdays and Sundays it turns back to Bangkok at Chachoengsao, so is of no practical use for getting to or from Pattaya at weekends). Regardless of direction, simply turn up and buy a ticket at the station - this train can’t be pre-booked.

Pattaya has two train stations, both just east of Sukhumvit Road:

Pattaya Train Station (tel. +66-38429285) is the main stop, just north of the junction with Central Pattaya Road (from Sukhumvit Road, turn into Soi Pornprapanimit and then turn left immediately before the road crosses the railway line). A Baht Bus waits here for the train to arrive and charges a reasonable 30 baht/person to anywhere in the Pattaya Beach area; in the opposite direction, budget around 40-50 baht for a motorbike taxi from Beach Road. Facilities comprise a small snacks / chilled drinks counter, toilets, a solitary payphone, and the ticket office - which also sells maps of Pattaya.

Pattaya Tai Train Station is a small unmanned halt about 3 km further south, and hence closer to Jomtien, near the Sukhumvit / Thepprasit Road intersection.

At the main Pattaya Train Station, tickets must be bought before boarding and are only sold in the final 30 minutes prior to departure. The fare from/to Bangkok is 31 baht, from/to Sattahip 6 baht.

As the Pattaya Tai halt has no ticket office, passengers are permitted to board here without tickets and then pay on the train (32 baht to Bangkok).

The surcharge for transporting a bicycle (up to 20 kg) between any two points on this line (ie Bangkok-Sattahip) is 80 baht.

Tickets for other journeys can be purchased (up to a maximum of 60 days in advance) at the Pattaya Train Station ticket office between 08:00 and 16:00; the same tickets can also be arranged through Pattaya agencies, who will add on a 200-300 baht markup to cover their assistance and the cost of sending a moto-taxi to collect the tickets from the station

Getting In Pattaya By Road

First class bus

1st class buses from Bangkok to the North Pattaya Road bus station are air-con, almost always have an on-board toilet, are essentially direct (ie no stops), and provide a no fuss, no frills, hassle-free service. Departures from the Eastern (Ekamai) Terminal and Northern (Moh Chit) Terminal are frequent (every 20-40 minutes, depending on the time of day; more frequent still at public holiday weekends) and usually take 2-2.5 hours; those from the Southern (Sai Tai Mai) Bus Terminal are less frequent and take a little longer.

Departure times & fares (as at June 2006):

- Ekamai (East) to Pattaya - first 05:20, last 23:00 - 117 baht

- Pattaya to Ekamai (East) - first 05:20, last 21:00 - 113 baht

- Moh Chit (North) to Pattaya - first 05:00, last 20:00 - 117 baht (tollway route: 121 baht)

- Pattaya to Moh Chit (North) - first 05:20, last 20:00 - 113 baht (tollway route: 121 baht)

- Sai Tai Mai (South) to Pattaya - 05:30, 08:30, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:30 - 117 baht

- Pattaya to Sai Tai Mai (South) - 06:00, 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 - 113 baht

- Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya - 09:00, 13:00, 17:00 - 106 baht

- Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport - times to be confirmed - approx. 120 baht

Fares may vary slightly depending on the route taken - for example, at busy times when the Moh Chit service uses the elevated express tollway, a marginally higher fare applies - however exact prices are always clearly posted at the official ticket counters.

All 1st class direct services to/from Bangkok use the recently redeveloped bus station on North Pattaya Road. These buses are usually full when they depart, and must be boarded at the terminus. Tickets are sold at the bus station; it’s not possible to pre-book these services more than an hour or so in advance. Usually, if the bus that’s due to leave next is already full, there will be seats available on the next one. The longest queues are for the very early morning departures from Pattaya - to get a seat on the first bus of the day you need to be in the ticket queue at least 30-40 minutes early; however the bonus is that these pre-rush hour services can take as little as 90 minutes to get to Bangkok.

From the North Pattaya Road bus station songthaews (a cross between a pickup truck, a share-taxi, a local bus and two pews) depart when full (every few minutes). The fare to anywhere on Beach Road (”the beach”) is 20 baht; press the buzzer button on the underside of the roof when you want to get off.

Pattaya to the Eastern (Ekamai) Terminal: if requested, this bus will stop at the On Nut Skytrain Station on Sukhumvit Road. Depending on your final destination and the traffic conditions, you may want to transfer to the Skytrain there; if so, wait until the bus departs Pattaya and then confirm with the crew that you want to be dropped off at “On Nut”. NB: this bus does not stop to pick up passengers at On Nut (or anywhere else) on the outbound leg. Also, note that the Eastern Terminal in on Sukhumvit Road next to the Ekamai BTS station.

Pattaya from/to the Southern (Sai Tai Mai) Terminal: if the direct bus is fully booked, take the Eastern (Ekamai) Terminal bus instead, and use the #511 (air-con, every 30 minutes 24/7, 20 baht) bus to connect between Ekamai and Sai Tai Mai.

Pattaya from/to Suvarnabhumi Airport - this service runs from Suvarnabhumi Airport Transport Centre, which is connected to the main arrivals/departures terminals by a free shuttle bus service.

Second class bus

2nd class services (air-con, usually no on-board toilet) don’t use the expressways, and make frequent (and sometimes lengthy) stops, hence they take considerably longer than their 1st class counterparts (which at worst will only halt momentarily once or twice to let passengers jump off on the final approaches to their destination). As at June 2006 the 2nd class fare is 100 baht, so the difference in price doesn’t amount to much.

Many 2nd class buses from Bangkok continue on to Jomtien, so may be worth considering if that’s your final destination and you’re not in a hurry. For travel from Jomtien to Bangkok they have the advantage that they can be flagged down and boarded as they crawl along Jomtien’s seafront road (Jomtien Beach Road - Thanon Hat Jomtien), avoiding the need for a preliminary trip to the bus station.

The terminus for 2nd class services to/from Bangkok and other short-haul destinations is on South Pattaya Road, but in practice these buses pick up and drop off the majority of their passengers en route. Tickets are sold both at the bus station (although advance booking may not be possible) and on the bus itself.

Minibus

Bangkok - minibuses run between Pattaya and Bangkok’s hotels and Khao San Road, offering the convenience of a door-to-door service for around 400 baht/person. Departure times vary, but 09:00 / 12:00 / 17:30 are the most widely advertised. Driving time is about 2 hours, however it can take quite a bit longer overall (especially if you’re the first to be collected and the last to be dropped off). One such service runs direct between Pattaya Dynasty Inn (Soi 13) and Bangkok Dynasty Inn (Soi Nana), and can be arranged through the Dynasty Inn reception desks.

U-Tapao Airport (near Sattahip) - about 30 minutes, 200-250 baht; departure times to suit flight schedules (pre-booking especially important when flying to U-Tapao)

Ban Phe (gateway to Ko Samet) - about 90 minutes, 150-200 baht; departures typically 07:30, 11:30, 15:00

Laem Ngop (gateway to Ko Chang) - about 3 hours, 400-500 baht; depart 09:00

It’s also possible to travel by minibus to Hat Lek (for the southern-most border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia) but not every day of the week; this service may or may not go via Laem Ngop, depending on overall demand. As at January 2006: depart 07:30, arrive around 14:00, 700 baht, Tuesday and Friday only - but liable to change, so enquire locally for the latest schedule details.

Travel agencies (ubiquitous throughout Pattaya) plus many hotels/guesthouses sell minibus tickets, and tourist-oriented services such as these invariably include collection from your hotel/guesthouse/wherever (allow extra time for this - times quoted above are approximate transit times and make no allowance for the vagaries of the collection process).

Taxi

To Bangkok - widely advertised in Pattaya at 800 baht (the lower price is because it’ll be a Bangkok cab returning home), and easily arranged through most travel agencies and hotels/guesthouses. Minibuses can also be chartered taxi-style from around 1800 baht.

From Bangkok - prices range from 1500 baht (the official meter-taxi rate) to 1000 baht; arranged car services will tend toward the higher end, but licenced meter-taxis should be negotiable to the lower end of the range. Allow about 90-120 minutes, depending on where in Bangkok you’re coming from; more around rush hour.

From Suvarnabhumi Airport - the official meter-taxi price to Pattaya is 1050 baht (1100 baht to Jomtien) plus the 60 baht highway (”motorway” or “expressway”) toll. Allow around 80-90 minutes in favourable conditions.

Scams to watch out for when headed for Bangkok by taxi include being told that the pre-paid price is fully inclusive, but then, on arrival at the first toll booth, being told that the expressway fees are extra.

Hotel car

Many of the more upmarket hotels can arrange to have you met at the airport gate by a personal driver with a limousine, for an additional fee. This means you do not have to negotiate with taxi drivers, although the driver may require a small tip at the end of the journey.

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