One common questions that gets asked by people making their first trip to Pattaya is “How do I get to Pattaya?”  It is pretty simple really, but there are quite a few options to choose from.  You can arrive by air, taxi, hired car, train, bus, or the back of an elephant if the price is right.  However there are some ways to get here that are definitely better than others.

First step is getting to Thailand.  If you are coming in from one of the major European or American cities you are going to fly in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport.   This is about an hour and a half to two hours north west of Pattaya by driving on the highways.

From the airport you can take one of a few ways to get down to Pattaya.  We’ll go over them next.

Getting To Pattaya By Car

This is my favorite way, and in my opinion the only way to get to Pattaya from Bangkok.  You can do one of two things, have the hotel you booked at have a car meet you at the airport, ore arrange a private car service to pick you up.

Most hotels will have airport pickup available.  Though some of the smaller hotels and guest houses will not offer this service as they do not want the hassle.  If they do it is quite simple to arrange at booking, or by contacting them by email as you get closer to your journey.  The average price is about 1500 Baht for a one way transfer.  This is not a bad price, and every car that has been a new model in excellent condition.  A lot of the drivers will even have some bottled water waiting for you in the car.

The other option is to use a car service that is not associated with the hotel.  The price is usually a bit less but the service is just as good.  Mr. T taxi, who has an ‘office’ in Soi Diana is usually a safe bet and quite popular.

I prefer the private car service to Pattaya because it is less hassel.  They will meet you just after you pass through customs with a sign bearing your name.  They’ll take you and your bags to where the car is parked, you hop in and before you know it you are there.  I’ve grabbed many a quick snooze after a long flight on my way to the city by the sea.

Getting To Pattaya By Taxi

This is another avenue you can take to get to Pattaya (bad pun intended).  You can find the Taxi stand outside on the lower level.  There are plenty of signs in the airport to direct you to where the stand is located.  You need to push your way past the limo drivers that are trying to get your business.

Taxi’s in Thailand are supposed to be metered, however even at the Taxi stands they will try and cut a cash deal with you.  Just remember what the going rate is if you decide to do this.  The average taxi ride is a bit more expensive at average 2000 baht.

Getting To Pattaya By Bus

You can get a bus from Suvarnabhumi to the North Pattaya bus station.  These buses are cheap at a little over 100 Baht for the trip.  They are available at the airports transportation center.

However the big draw back is that they leave every two hours.  If you have already been traveling for 12 to 24 hours then the last thing you want to do when you arrive is wait for a bus to get you to the station.  And that doesn’t end your journey.  Once you are dropped off at the bus station in Pattaya you need to get another taxi to your hotel.

This is a cheap way to get to Pattaya, but not the best in my opinion.

Getting To Pattaya By Train

I won’t go into to much detail, but this really isn’t an option for those arriving into the Bangkok international airport.  It is best suited to people traveling from the city itself, or from other parts of the country.

Getting To Pattaya By Air

If you are in a local area like Phuket or Koh Samui, you can get a flight into U-Tapao, which is the local Pattaya airport.  This is not available for international travelers, you’ll still have to fly into Bangkok and get ground transportation to Pattaya.