Bangkok to Pattaya
 

Hi :),
We are a couple from Australia. We have been planning a trip of one week to Bangkok and Pattaya. Our 1st threee days we will be spending in Bangkok and then we are planning to move to Pattaya. Can anybody suggest us the best way to reach Pattaya from Bangkok and again after the week the best way back to Bangkok International airport.(please with an idea of costing as well)

Thanks
^

You could take a bus, taxi or private car.

There are bus departures from the Ekkamai bus station to Pattaya every 30 minutes. Cost is ~ 125 baht (or slightly less) per person. The bus will drop you at the Pattaya North bus station. You'll need to then take a taxi, motorcy or baht bus to your hotel.

You can hail a taxi on the street and negotiate a flat fare to Pattaya. Typically this will be 1,000 - 1,200 baht, and the passenger will have to pay the tolls (200 baht or less).

You could arrange a private car for the journey. I usally pay 1,500 baht.

For the return, there are buses to Suvarnabhumi, or you could arrange a taxi or private car, for similar figures or less.


Since I usually accompany visitors I arrange a private car, but I have taken a taxi off the street and the bus, once or twice. It's a shortish trip, 2 hours or less. The problem with the bus is that you might get a local, which will make dozens of stops, and/or terminate short of Pattaya.

You can take a government bus from Bangkok's East Bus Terminal, Ekamai, to Pattaya.

Thanks...
 

Thanks a lot transpac and sunnyhere...but will u tell me that how can we justify a local bus and a fast bus(which doesn't stop all over like local)....nd hw is the govt. buses nd how much does they cost??nd r they a/c buses????:)

At the Eastern Bus Station at Ekkamai (also a BTS stop [E7] adjacent by the same name; Sukhumvit Road, Soi 63: opposite) you could ask if the bus will make stops although it doesn't matter so much as you would have to wait 30 minutes for another departure and likely get there at the same time?

These buses are all government buses, are all air conditioned and the cost one-way, per person is 125 baht or less.

Thanks....
 

thanks a lot....Transpac....its been gr8 help to us...hope we will have a gr8 fun trip.....:cool:

The first time I made the trip from Ekkamai, I made the mistake of getting on a local bus. As I was walking toward Ekkamai, I saw a nearly-empty bus leaving the station with the "conductor" yelling that the bus was going to Pattaya. (It was written on the side of the bus as well.) I had no idea what I was doing, so I got on.

Well, it was not a very pleasant trip - it took forever. And about 2/3 of the way through, that bus just stopped, and they put pax on a different (packed full) bus. I wound up standing, crushed near the driver (None of the "no passengers forward of the line" nonsense in Thailand! ;)). The one advantage was that the bus actually went to Jomtien Beach, which was my destination.

I believe you can tell the difference because (1) the "good" bus (government bus with a ticket purchased inside the station) has assigned seating and I have never seen one leave that is not full, and (2) the "bad" (local) bus has an orange stripe on the side, while the "good" buses have blue stripes.

If you get the ticket inside the station, you get an assigned seat and the ticket will show the number of the bus, so it is really pretty straightforward. The bus has aircon, and the comfort is fine for a few hours. I usually take the bus unless I am feeling particularly flush with cash, in which case I will take a taxi.

Thanks...
 

Gary_nj......thankx a lot....this will be a gr8 help...i m still not sure we will take a bus or taxi...because this will be our 1st time in Thailand. thankx again nd will keep in mind abt the blue strip bus.....^

I have done exactly what you are looking to do and I was able to hire a car from the Pataya Resort where at which I was going to stay. They met me at my Bangkok hotel and provided a very enjoyable scenic tour into Pataya. I don't remember the exact cost, but it was quite inexpensive... much cheaper than a taxi and it was a Mercedes.

Have a great trip.

Going to Pattaya by bus. Depending where you stay in Bangkok. It may be faster to take the bus from Morchit bus station rather than Ekkamai since you avoid getting stuck in a bus in Sukhumvit traffic.

Returning Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi by bus you can call Bell Travel Service Co. by dialing locally 038-370-055-6. They more or less speak English pretty well. They will dispatch a minibus to your hotel which will deliver you and your luggage to the office adjacent North Pattaya bus station where you transfer to a nice AC bus directly to Suvarnabhumi departure level. All inclusive, hotel to Suvarnabhumi is 150 Baht per person. 20-30 Baht more than a government bus but they handle getting you to the bus station and deliver you to Suvarnabhumi departure level rather than Suvarnabhumi bus station. 100% tourist friendly, very easy and foolproof.

Sorry but this is not recommended. The bus station at Mor Chit (Jatuchuk) is fine for travel to the North (Chiang Mai) and Northeast (Isaan) but it is not recommended for travel to the East (Pattaya, in this case). The bus station at Mor Chit is infinitely more congested, harder to get to and much more complex, with fewer departures to the East (many of which go to Ekkamai!). Do not associate the BTS station at Mor Chit with the bus station at Mor Chit as they are ~ 3 Km apart (via taxi or motorcy).

Please go to the bus station at Ekkamai, or take a taxi or private car. Mini-vans are OK but often you have to wait until they reach capacity before departing.

I probably should have qualified that statement much more. I'm not saying that it IS the best way to go. But depending on where you are in Bangkok and what time it is, it is an option to look at. Morchit to Pattaya is far less impacted by traffic than Ekkamai, and departures are every 30 minutes or so. More than once I have sat in a bus stuck on Sukhumvit and cursed myself for ever being stupid enough to get on it during rush hour. In fact coming from Pattaya back to Ekkamai I usually just keep my bag on-board with me, bail out at Chit Lom BTS station and get on the Skytrain to avoid the whole mess. Getting to Ekkamai is not pleasant either from many places in Bangkok during heavy traffic hours if you have too much baggage to make the Skytrain practical. Some taxis won’t even take you from some places for any price during peak traffic hours. So either station might be a good option depending entirely on where you are in the city and what time it is. Me personally, I'd get the opinion of the lady at the front desk of whatever hotel I was staying in since she would know from their location what was best.

Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi though, the Bell Travel option IS the hands down best way to go unless you want to take a taxi. They run a first rate operation.

The few times I've gone to Pattaya, I've either caught the bus at Central Bang Na or taken a cab.

I presume you mean On Nut, the first BTS station when coming in from the east along Suk? This can also save a few min if you're taking the airport buses to the city.

Thanks a lot.....its a gr8 help to us....