Getting to Pattaya

Pattaya is about 1.5 hours from the new Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Sa-worn-a-poom) airport, or about a 2-hour taxi ride from Bangkok.

From Bangkok you can go by taxi, (pay no more than 1200 baht for a nice new shiny taxi) most drivers will go at the drop of a hat 24 hours a day in my experience. If your staying at a hotel, tell one of the staff outside who deal with taxis that you want a new cab and you don’t want to pay more than 1200 and let them deal with it, but if they start to push you onto some taxis parked nearby and start swearing that its more, just walk off and find your own taxi it is one of the easiest places to get taken to, as it’s a nice break for the taxi driver from the nightmare start-stop of Bangkok traffic. There are always taxi drivers who wont be able to see past the fact you are a foreigner and will try to go for 1500-2000 baht, but in a city with a taxi every 30 seconds just close the door and wait for the next. For those who just love to haggle every last baht out of a deal 1000 is the lowest I ever heard a Thai person getting it for, but 1200 is your stress free number.

Your other cheaper option is the Bus leaving from Ekamai bus terminal; the bus takes about 2.5 hours. Take the BTS or a taxi to the Ekamai BTS station. The bus terminal is at the lights at the corner of Sukhumvit 63 (Soi Ekamai) & Sukhumvit Road. The bus terminal is on the other side of Sukhumvit Rd, not on the Soi Ekamai side. The bus at the time of writing is about 120 baht, buses leave very frequently so no need to find a timetable or try and ring for a ticket, just head to the bus terminal before 9pm (buses leave till about 11pm I think but who wants to arrive at 1am?)

The train does go to Pattaya, but not as frequently as the bus. Also the train station is not located in a nice easy to access area like Ekamai, and it is not as cheap or as fast.

One can also rent a car and drive, I recommend Highway Car Rental opposite Lumpini Park (026339999) as they have good cheap cars and can speak English over the phone, cars from 800 baht. Though making a booking is almost pointless, as they seem not to do anything, and just deal with you when you turn up. WARNING driving in Bangkok can reduce your fun and increase your stress, I do not advise it for vacationers, but for backpackers and adventurers it can maximize your baht and increase your potential to get off the beaten track. Driving directions are best made from Sukhumvit Road, as it runs the whole way from Bangkok to Pattaya. Find Sukhumvit Road, drive along it heading for the On-nut end of the BTS and when you get to what seems like the end of it, get onto the huge freeway heading to the right and then make sure you get onto the raised freeway part in about 1-2 kilometers and then follow the signs. If you miss the entry ramp to the raised part of it, it’s a terrible bit of road but still goes to the same place and still has the signs so don’t have heart failure if you miss it. 95% of signs in Thailand are in English and Thai and should make sense.

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