Getting to Pattaya

Located within easy reach of Bangkok, Pattaya, as one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations, is a highly accessible city that can be reached by a variety of transportation means. For budget travellers, trains and buses provide good options, with the latter taking less than half the time of the former. A price bracket higher, you can take a taxi all the way from Bangkok or a flight from several domestic destinations. 

By car

At a distance of 147kms from Bangkok, Pattaya can be reached in less than 2 hours by road from the capital. The main route to the city is via State Highway 34 (Bangna-Trad), or alternatively, by the new and considerably faster Chon Buri Expressway.

By rail

Pattaya has its own train station, located north of Sukhumvit Road, and is served by a once daily train service from Bangkok’s Hualamphong Station. The journey takes approximately 5 hours.

By bus

For many travellers, the bus is the most popular method of transport for reaching Pattaya, with services from both Bangkok’s northern and eastern bus terminals. From the northern terminal, buses operate every 30 minutes between 05:00 and 19:00, while from the eastern terminal (Ekamai), they are equally frequent and run between 05:00 and 22:00. Services are generally air-conditioned and relatively comfortable.

By air

Pattaya is served by U-Tapao Airport at Sattahip, which maintains connections with Phuket and Koh Samui. Scheduled flights are operated daily by Bangkok Airways. A service between Pattaya and Siem Reap in Cambodia is also operated by PMTair.

U-Tapao Airport

U-Tapao Airport is located at Sattahip, 30kms outside of Pattaya, and is a small facility that was previously a US airbase. Flights operated by Bangkok Airways run between U-Tapao and Phuket and Koh Samui. For more details, visit the airline’s official site at: www.bangkokair.com/. For details of the service operated between Siem Reap and U-Tapao Airport, visit: www.pmtair.com. The airport is a small facility operating a single terminal, with limited services and amenities including a duty-free shop, a gift shop and a convenience store plus a small restaurant.

Pattaya airport transportation

Minibuses available outside of the terminal building are the most convenient means of transportation, providing direct services to the most popular tourist areas of the city. Alternatives include public buses, some of which are available from outside of the airport, while others destinations can be connected with via a short songtaew ride.

Songtaews are converted pickups with space for passengers in the back and they cover the entire route to the city. They provide a cheap and convenient means of transportation.

It’s also possible to take the train to the city, with the station at Sattahip providing weekday service to Pattaya. The journey takes around 45 minutes and is incredibly cheap.