Getting from Bangkok to my hotel in South Pattaya, getting around Pattaya, and getting back from my hotel to Bangkok.
Bangkok to Pattaya
Trains still start from Hua Lampong and do not pass KTW. Bangkok to Pattaya weekday ordinary 282 at 6:55 and weekend special 997 at 6:45 too early for me.
I usually take bus from Roong Reuang Bangna Trat (google maps: ท่ารถรุ่งเรือง บางนา - Pattaya bus station) at 13.6713, 100.62. Buses from Ekkamai and Mor Chit stop here. Over the years, there was always a seat for me on the next bus (usually less than 30 min wait) and current price is 131 THB.
The above works well for me to get to Pattaya, the difficulty is getting to my hotel. Tue15oct2024 dep 14:26, arrive in North Pattaya Bus Station 16:13. The difficult part is to get from there to South Pattaya. Songtheos inside bus station ask for 50 THB which is price gouging. I cross the road and wait for passing regular songtheos. One stops and tells me it goes only to Dolphin Roundabout, I let it pass. The next tells me the same, so I take it (10 THB, 16:41-47) and change to another (10 THB, 16:50-17:06 South Pattaya). This is getting tedious!
Airport bus line 389 "sex tourist express" from Suvarnabhumi gate 8 to Jomtien every full hour. They have a website for online booking rrcticket.com 143 THB plus 25 THB service charge for online booking. I checked several times, next available seat is 3 hours from now. When I leave the booking window open and come back with less than 3 hours left, message: fully booked. Either they don't allow online booking less than 3 hours before departure or it's indeed always fully booked. However, a friend recently took the bus and noticed several empty seats left. This bus stops in Sukhumvit South Pattaya, from where it's easier to get to my hotel than from North Pattaya Bus Station. And for people staying around Jomtien Complex, it's walking distance.
Nowadays I sometimes go by taxi with sightseeing along the way as a day trip.
Getting around Pattaya
There is supposed to be a network of songtheo in Pattaya:
See here as well: https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-songtheo-lines-in-pattaya.html
From my experience, South Pattaya to Jomtien and circular (Beach Road and Second Road) have high frequency. Sukhumvit North Pattaya to Dolphin Roundabout / Terminal 21 low frequency (see above). Sukhumvit South Pattaya to Second Road low frequency, recent experience: 11dec2024 Wait at songtheo stop 15:58, others there already. 10 THB songtheo 16:30 with 7 pax, out 38 at Tuk-Com. Walking would have been faster! That's 32 min wait and 8 min ride for a distance of 2.0 km. A friend has similar experience.
A mocy for this trip would cost 50. With a Bangkok taxi, 2.0 km would cost 40, and a mocy would cost 20-30. I would have to compare with mocy elsewhere in Pattaya to judge if this is price gouging or mocy prices in Pattaya are indeed higher than taxi in Bangkok.
Travelling along Sukhumvit road north or south is easy by taking a van or songhtheo (white, line 1631จ, Satthahip to Nakluea) for 20 THB, or varying by distance.
Following picture is one of such vans, Bangkok-Pattaya, labelled only in Thai, which stops at all local places. Suitable to travel short distances; between Bangkok and Pattaya however would take an hour longer for frequent stops and not using motorway or tollway.
However beware of vans that are not full and wait for more customers, recent experience: Walk to Sukhumvit road and ask an arriving van if he passes Wat Banglamung. I should have known when I got in, only 2 passengers, that we will wait long time for more passengers. Wait in van 11:16-45, then another longer stop at central Pattaya bus office, driver asks me to pay fare here, 40 THB. Out on Sukhumvit 12:22 near Wat Banglamung. Unreasonably slow and expensive.
Bolt partially makes up for these shortcomings. In 2023 and 2024, I had several trips of about 20 km for about 200 THB. Prices like Bangkok taxis.
Line 6085 (dark blue, Nakluea to Chak Ngaew ชากแง้ว) goes along Sukhumvit and then inland on Huay Yai to Chak Ngaew.
Yet some more lines on https://pantip.com/topic/30424693 (Thai only: สองแถวพัทยา = Songtheos in Pattaya) from 2013, might be outdated.
Pattaya to Bangkok
Train Pattaya to Bangkok weekdays ordinary 284 14:21 and weekend special 998 16:26 is okay timing and arrival in Hua Lampong convenient for me and interesting to see the countryside, so I take it once ever 5 years even though it's a bit slow about 5 hours.
Airport bus line 389 Jomtien to Suvarnabhumi can be booked at their counter, no service charge for online booking. Conveniently located, whereas from airport there is no other way than booking online and paying 25 THB, unless you want to turn up without booking and wait hours for the next free bus.
Van from South Pattaya (in front of Pattaya Tai Center Condo, google maps: Mini bus to bangkok) to Ekkamai or Mor Chit. Timetable at station: to Ekkamai 6:30 every hour until 19:30, to Mor Chit 2 6:00 every 90 min until 19:30. Cost is 160 THB. They stop for gas, everyone has to get out of the van. Notes from recent ride: departure schedule 13:30, real 13:06. Gas stop 14:34-44. Detour to Samrong, there U-turn 15:50. Ekkamai out 16:25. (The van always does a detour to Samrong and lets me out on main road near Ekkamai bus station, does not enter bus station). The departure time very flexible, in above case 24 min early!
Long-distance other than Bangkok
There are several bus stations that serve all parts of Thailand: Chan Tour, 407 Pattana Comp, Pattaya Pannipa, Nakhonchai, "Pattaya South Big C Supercenter" to Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat; "Pattaya Minivan Station" to Sakaew, Aranyaprathet, Rong Kluea (picture below).
The above date is to the best of my knowledge, probably incomplete, needs more research.
Update: https://www.gayguides.com/topic/73358-baht-bus-pattaya/
https://web.facebook.com/thailandtravelandnews/posts/1057964483033510
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2963397/new-1st-class-bus-service-from-bangkok-airports-to-hua-hin-pattaya
Copyright 2025 ChristianPFC
I'm fairly sure the airport bus that had some empty seats was fully booked.
ReplyDeleteWhen everyone knows there may be a wait of several hours, there is an incentive to book ahead.
Some of those will miss the bus.
Those empty seats are people who booked and arrived by airplane, but didn't make it in time? Some day I might go without a booking (and plan for 2 or 3 hours waiting time) and try to find out.
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