Bangkok to Pattaya: The Easiest Ways to Make the Trip
For an easy weekend trip from Bangkok, one great option is Pattaya, located about 1.5–3 hours away by road (depending on how kind the Bangkok traffic is to you). It’s pretty easy and affordable to get there as well.
Me personally? I’m a bus girl through-and-through when it comes to traveling Southeast Asia. I like to have my bus tickets picked and booked already before I go, so I use 12Go Asia. Note that there’s a typically small surcharge for booking tickets online.
For me, the extra few baht on the ticket is worth it for me. I get anxious beforeI travel, and having my spot reserved is the best way to ensure I can avoid a sold-out situation (especially on a weekend)t’s the best way to ensure you have a ticket (avoiding sold-out situations, especially on busy weekends.
The immense popularity of Pattaya means that bus and minivan seats fill up fast, especially on weekends or holidays. So by you reading this Bangkok to Pattaya post, you’re already a step ahead of the crowds by planning ahead like this.
Ready to continue? I’ll break down the myriad ways you can get from Bangkok to Pattaya and also share what I think the best option is.
My Quick Take
| 1. If you prioritize comfort and ease: Treat yourself to a private transfer if simplifying your transit matters more than savings, or you just want to get your Pattaya trip off on the right foot. 2. If you prefer simplicity and saving money: Take the bus or minivan—easy to book online via 12Go Asia, frequent departures, cheap (฿150-250), and usually around 1.5 to 2.5 hours door to door. 3. If you prioritize flexibility: Taxi services are fast but a bit pricy — great for convenience, not so great for your budget. I use Grab so that I don’t have to negotiate and I know exactly what I’ll pay (keep in mind your route may add tolls!). |
Best Option: Bangkok to Pattaya By Bus
Why I recommend it: Traveling by bus from Bangkok to Pattaya is budget-friendly, super-reliable with so many daily departures, and extremely easy to book online via 12Go Asia.
Where to depart: In my opinion, leaving from Sukhumvit area (Green line of the BTS) is generally the most convenient option. Most travelers take a bus from Ekkamai (Eastern Bus Terminal). It’s literally within eyeshot of the BTS Ekkamai station on the Sukhumvit Line. If you’re staying in other parts of the city, there are other options: Mo Chit (Northern Terminal ), Sai Tai Mai (Southern Terminal), Khao San Road (Central backpacker area), or BKK (Suvarnabhumi Airport).
Frequency: Buses leave every 30–60 minutes throughout the day, typically from early morning until late evening. You rarely have to wait long for a bus, which is great if you’re traveling in a more spontaneous fashion, though I still prefer to pre-book a ticket with 12Go Asia to ensure I have a seat on my desired bus or minivan.
Travel time: Expect around 2–2.5 hours by bus, though traffic can extend it to 3 hours during peak times (leaving Bangkok in the morning can be a bit jam-packed, but it’s much worse coming back into Bangkok on a Sunday evening!)
Cost: Ticket prices range from ฿160–฿200 on public buses (about $4-5 USD) if you book online to reserve your spot.
From BKK Airport: If arriving at Suvarnabhumi (BKK), buses run from Gate 8 (Level 1), cost ฿197 (about $5 USD) with the Roong Reuang bus and takes about 2 hours as you skip some of the city traffic. The bus’s final stop brings you to Jomtien Beach.
From DMK Airport: If coming from Don Mueang, tickets are a tiny bit cheaper but they take away longer as it’s an older bus and you’re coming from further away (north side of the city,) so therefore you have to also deal with city traffic, so from DMK the travel time is estimated at 3.5 hours. The check-in counter can be found at Terminal 1 in DMK. Tickets bought in advance online are only ฿170 via the Transport Co company and it brings to the main Pattaya bus station.
Pro tip: Arrive 15-20 minutes early just in case and so you don’t stress about missing your bus. In the case of the Ekkamai bus station, there’s a 7/11 right across from the bus terminal so you can grab the essential snacks (Pocari Sweat and a fun flavor of Lays chips are my go-to elite bus snack combo).
Caveat: Personally, I find the buses quite comfortable but they’re often a bit older and don’t have all the bells and whistles of a more modern form of transit. For example, sometimes the USB cables won’t charge, etc. However, I actually find they have a decent amount of legroom for me as a relatively tall traveler and I still am a fan of these buses, especially for such a short ride.
Make sure you get your desired departure time — pre-book your bus to Pattaya here!
Alternative: Pattaya to Bangkok by Minivan
Why choose this: Faster and slightly more flexible than buses, but the stations are a little less centrally located than the bus stations. You can also book minivans online via 12Go Asia.
Cost: Minivans are slightly more expensive than buses, but they’re a little more comfortable and typically faster. You can expect to pay about ฿180–฿250 (about $5 to $8 USD) for a ride.
Frequency: Buses typically leave about once per hour at each station, usually every hour on the hour.
Travel time: Depending on where you depart from and what time, you can expect travel times of 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours
Details: Most departures are from Mo Chit New Van Terminal or Imperial World Samut Prakan; you can also get express minivans from BKK airport but for a higher rate (around ฿1,000 baht) but it only takes 1.5 hours
Caveat: With these minivans, there’s no under-the-bus storage, so therefore there’s the small issue of limited luggage space for larger bags. It may be necessary to buy an extra seat in that case.
Make sure you get your desired transfer time by booking online here!
Option for People Comfortable with Driving in Thailand
While I don’t recommend driving in Thailand unless you’re really familiar with the road conditions here, renting a car gives you flexibility and is super affordable. The drive takes about 1.5 hours if traffic is light, but if you return on a Sunday evening, traffic delays can stretch it to 3 hours.
You can rent cars from the airport if you flying into Bangkok and immediately going to Pattaya. However, if you’re already in Bangkok, it’s most likely more convenient to get a car downtown. My friend who often rents cars (who lives in downtown Sukhumvit) recommends the Budget near Rama 9 and the Sixt near Rama 4.
If you want to pick up a car while you’re already in downtown Bangkok, I suggest clicking here and typing in “Bangkok Downtown” to get only the results downtown (not the results at the airport!).
Remember to have cash for tolls (QR will not work!), drive safely around motorbikes, and be sure to have an IDP if you don’t have a Thai license as police have been cracking down on this a lot more often recently.
Option for Train Lovers: Railway + Transfer
Why choose this: Honestly, you probably shouldn’t unless you’re a real trainhead. I love trains, yet even I wouldn’t opt for this. Why?
Caveat: The so-called “Pattaya Railway Station” is actually located in Chonburi, which is about 20 km outside Pattaya. So while you may be able to score a cheap ticket — we’re talking as low as ฿31 or about $1 USD for the 3rd class fan trip — you won’t get all the way to Pattaya in one go and you’ll need to add on costs for a songthaew or taxi the rest of the way.
Price: ฿31 ($1 USD) for a 3rd class fan seat or up to ฿345 (about $10 USD). This will get you to Chonburi. To finish the route to Pattaya, a songthaew is the cheaper option at about ~฿40-50 whereas you should expect to pay at least ฿300 if you taxi instead.
Travel time: This is also not a winner here. The travel time is about 3.5 hours, not including the extra ~30 or so minutes you need to take a songthaew or taxi into Pattaya proper.
Where to depart: It appears that there’s only one daily departure to Chonburi, leaving from Hua Lamphong (near Chinatown)
Departure times: I haven’t personally done this trip, but I can only find one daily departure, at 6:55 AM (yikes!)
Other Options: Grab Taxi or Private Transfer
Grab: Quickest and most flexible as they’ll leave from wherever you are so you don’t need to get you and your luggage to a bus or van station, but of course, it’s much costlier —around ฿1,500–฿2,000 one way, with journey times ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on traffic.
Private Transfer: Ideal for groups or families, offering comfort and door-to-door service (they’ll even greet you at the airport and help you with your bags, but expect higher costs. Though honestly, it’s not that much more than a Grab. The private transfer I recommend costs $51 USD flat rate, which is about ฿1,650.
Book your private transfer with at least 24 hours notice to ensure a smooth departure!
