Place

Pattaya

How locals move

Getting around Pattaya the local way

Downtown Pattaya runs on dark-blue songthaews circling a flat-fare loop that turns into an expensive charter the second you ask the driver for a specific stop; everything longer-distance (Bangkok, the airports, Hua Hin) is a private coach or minibus company, not a public bus network.

01
Baht bus (songthaew) beach circuitsongthaew
Second Rd (northbound) and Beach Rd (southbound) loop via Dolphin Roundabout and South Pattaya Rd; branches to Jomtien and Naklua
Where
Wave down any dark-blue pickup truck running the loop on Second Rd or Beach Rd; get in the back without discussing a destination with the driver first
When
Near-continuous on the main loop, rarely more than a minute or two between trucks in daytime
Fare (2026)
15-20 baht flat for a shared ride on the loop as of April 2026, up from the long-standing 10 baht; naming a specific destination to the driver turns it into a private charter at 100-200 baht or more
Takes
Most Pattaya Bay trips are under 10 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
none for the shared loop; press the roof buzzer to signal a stop
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · thepattayanews.com (2026-04) · confidence high
02
Roong Reuang Coach (RRC) – Bangkok terminals to Pattayabus
Bangkok's Mo Chit 2 (northern), Ekamai (eastern) and Bangna terminals to Pattaya Bus Station on North Pattaya Rd
Where
Buy at the terminal counter (Mo Chit 2: counter 34, platform 42; Ekamai: counter 13, platform 1) or book online at airportpattayabus.com
When
Ekamai roughly hourly 05:00-22:00; Mo Chit 2 hourly 05:00-18:00; Bangna half-hourly-ish 06:30-21:30
Fare (2026)
144 baht/seat from Ekamai or Bangna, 155 baht/seat from Mo Chit 2, seen September 2026
Takes
About 2 hours from Ekamai or Mo Chit 2, traffic-dependent
Season
year-round
Booking
walk-up or online booking; no reservation required to travel
Sources: airportpattayabus.com (2026-09) · confidence high
03
Roong Reuang Coach (RRC) – Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattayabus
Suvarnabhumi Airport (Level 1, Gate 8) to Pattaya Bus Station on North Pattaya Rd
Where
Counter at Gate 8, Level 1 arrivals; a separate hotel-to-hotel shared or private transfer can be booked in advance on the operator's site
When
Station bus roughly every 2 hours, 07:30-18:30 from the airport; shared hotel transfer runs about every 2 hours, 08:30-18:00
Fare (2026)
135 baht/seat for the bus-station-to-bus-station service, seen September 2026; the door-to-door hotel transfer is a separate, pricier product with no public fare listed
Takes
About 2 hours, traffic-dependent
Season
year-round
Booking
walk-up for the station bus; the hotel transfer must be booked ahead online
Sources: airportpattayabus.com (2026-09) · airportpattayabus.com (2026-09) · confidence high
04
Roong Reuang Coach (RRC) – Hua Hin/Cha-am to Pattayabus
Hua Hin Bus Station to Pattaya Bus Station, via a stop at Cha-am (Government Savings Bank, Ban Bank)
Where
Counter 3 at Hua Hin Bus Station; the Cha-am stop is on Phetkasem Rd near the Cha-am intersection
When
One departure a day each way: Hua Hin at 09:00, Pattaya at 15:30
Fare (2026)
526 baht/seat, seen September 2026 (up from 389 baht advertised in older guides)
Takes
About 5 hours, traffic-dependent
Season
year-round
Booking
arrive at least 15 minutes before departure; online booking available
Sources: airportpattayabus.com (2026-09) · confidence high
05
Pattaya-Hua Hin catamaranferry
Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya to Hua Hin
Where
Bali Hai Pier, south end of Walking Street, when the service is operating
When
Was one round trip a day: Pattaya 10:00, Hua Hin 12:30
Fare
Undated; no current fare found
Takes
About 2 hours for the 116 km crossing
Season
Status as of September 2026 could not be confirmed; the operator's own domain, royalferrygroup.com, now redirects through an ad/parking script rather than serving any route content, which is not consistent with an operating public ferry
Booking
unknown; ask at Bali Hai Pier or a travel agency before planning around this
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence low
06
Bali Hai Pier – Ko Lan ferryboat
Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya to Na Baan pier or Tawaen Beach pier, Ko Lan
Where
Bali Hai Pier at the south end of Walking Street; boats to both piers leave from here
When
About seven sailings a day each way, roughly 07:00-18:30 from Pattaya and 06:30-18:00 from Ko Lan per the posted schedule
Fare
30 baht per person; undated, no year stated on the source
Takes
About 30 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
none, pay at the pier
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
07
Ko Lan speedboatspeedboat
Bali Hai Pier (or any main Pattaya beach) to Ko Lan
Where
Touts and boat operators along Beach Rd and Bali Hai Pier sell shared and charter speedboat trips
When
on demand, whenever enough passengers or a charter is arranged
Fare
150-200 baht per person shared; 1,500-2,500 baht to charter the whole boat; undated, no year stated on the source
Takes
About 15 minutes shared, similar for a charter
Season
year-round
Booking
none for a shared seat; negotiate directly for a charter
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
08
U-Tapao Airport door-to-door minibusshuttle bus
U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport (UTP) to hotels around Pattaya
Where
Minibus counters at the airport's front doors, including Bangkok Airways' and Air Asia's own services
When
on demand, timed to arriving flights
Fare
150 baht at the front doors, undated; if the driver drops you at the North Bus Station rather than the beach strip, a further songthaew leg is needed and drivers commonly ask 150 baht for it (a fair local fare for that leg is closer to 10 baht)
Takes
About 30-50 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
pre-booking not required but recommended, as availability on arrival is not guaranteed
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
09
Bangkok Hualamphong – Pattaya 3rd class traintrain
Bangkok's Hualamphong Train Station to Pattaya Station, continuing to Sattahip
Where
Buy a ticket at either station; cannot be pre-booked
When
One train a day, weekdays only, no service Saturday or Sunday
Fare
31 baht one-way, undated
Takes
Departs Bangkok 06:50, arrives Pattaya 10:18 (about 3.5 hours); return departs Pattaya 14:21, arrives Bangkok 17:40
Season
year-round, weekdays only
Booking
none, buy at the station before boarding
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
10
Motorbike taximoto taxi
Anywhere within Pattaya and out to East Pattaya (Darkside)
Where
Roadside stands throughout town; drivers wear numbered vests and often clap or call out to passing pedestrians. Also bookable through the Bolt app for a private driver
When
on demand, constant during daylight and evening hours
Fare
Undated; no current per-trip fare figure found in a citable source, generally described as costlier than a metered Bangkok taxi
Takes
varies by distance
Season
year-round
Booking
none for a street hail; Bolt app for a booked ride
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: The Pattaya-Hua Hin catamaran's current operating status could not be confirmed: the operator's own domain (royalferrygroup.com) now serves only an ad-router redirect script with no route content, which is inconsistent with a live public ferry, but no news source confirming closure was found either. Ask at Bali Hai Pier or a Pattaya travel agency before relying on it.; Government bus 389, described in older guides (Wikivoyage, citing a fare of 143 baht as of December 2023) as an hourly Suvarnabhumi-Pattaya service, could not be separately confirmed as still operating alongside the Roong Reuang Coach (RRC) service now running that corridor at 135 baht; these may be the same service under different branding, or 389 may have lapsed. Ask at the airport bus counter.; Motorbike taxi vest colours are reported by multiple travel guides to mark which zone/stand a driver belongs to, but no citable, current source giving the actual colour scheme for Pattaya could be found; ask at any stand which colours cover which area.; No current fare could be confirmed for a plain street-hailed motorbike taxi ride; ask the driver and agree a price before getting on.; The 407 Bus Company's Udon Thani/Nong Khai to Rayong service, which stops on Sukhumvit Rd in Pattaya, is mentioned in older guides with only a 2015 fare (636 baht VIP seat); current status and fare could not be confirmed.; Nakhonchai Air's Chiang Mai to Pattaya coach is mentioned in older guides with a travel time (about 11 hours) but no current fare could be confirmed.; The white songthaews running the length of Sukhumvit Rd between Pattaya and Sattahip (serving U-Tapao airport as an ad hoc alternative to a taxi) have no confirmed current fare; drivers set the price on the spot..

The field note on Pattaya reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

We have no description for this place yet. The planner still knows how to get there.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.