Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mscoop1085]

Am wondering the cheapest way to get to pattaya beach, and how far it is from bankok (around the airport area) to pattaya beach (minutes or miles,km) and the cost? Thank you.

[mscoop1085]

Bangkok*

[soviet_man]

Wherever you are in Bangkok, hop on a Skytrain and go to Ekkamai station.

Walk downstairs and go to the bus terminal.

Buy a ticket for a bus to Pattaya, you most likely won't have to wait too long, although better to go earlier.

This will most likely take you to Pattaya bus station.

Here you then jump on one of the blue truck-taxi thingys and it will drop you off at your hotel or the beach or wherever in Pattaya.

Maybe 200-250 baht all up for the above.

Or you can go straight from the airport to Pattaya in a shared taxi direct. Maybe 500 baht if you share with someone else. There is also a bus from the airport to Pattaya but it only goes a few times a day, so you could be waiting hours.

[Tobias]

Soviet called it. The Ekkamai bus station is in the southeast of the city. You'll get on the BTS (this skytrain thing) and go in the direction of On Nut. Don't go towards Mochit. That's the other way that leads up north towards the old airport and the northern bus station. The Ekkamai bus station is either three or two stops before the On Nut terminus.

There is another way to get to Pattaya, though. This is the mini-van route. If you're carrying big luggage, avoid going via van. Take a bus. But if you're going light, a van is better. The van can be had at the huge mini-van lot just north of Victory Monument. How do you get to Victory? Again, via the Sky Train. A mini van ticket to the hole that is Pattaya will run you about 120 baht.

[D.D.]

Go to another place. I saw a guy from England get a bottle smashed over his head in Pattaya. He was just sitting there in the middle of the day minding his business having a beer. Random drugged out Thai walks over and smashes the bottle on his head. Pattaya is as close to visiting hell as someone could ever come.

[Drew345]

Couple of more tips:

It takes about 3 hours by bus from Bangkok Ekamai bus terminal (is that right?, my memory is a bit foggy). It would be about 1.5 hours by speedy taxi to/from the Bangkok Suvarnabumi Airport to Pattaya.

At the Ekamai bus station, go to the Pattaya ticket window which is first (or second) window on right side. It is the obvious choice. The problem here is that sometimes a slow bus to Pattaya is leaving and the driver will happily let you on and the slow bus is 5 hours of misery. The slow bus looks identical (big, blue) to the fast bus. Just go to the Pattaya ticket window and buy the ticket and all will be fine.

You said you are leaving from near the Bangkok Airport? I assume you mean Suvarnabumi (new) airport. On the bottom floor of Suvarnabumi airport is a minibus stand with minibuses leaving to Pattaya 4 times a day. If you don't like the minibus, taxis from Suvarnabumi might go to Pattaya for about 1000 Bt ($30). The skytrain does not go to Suvarnabumi airport. Suvarnabumi is out of Bangkok, on the way to Pattaya; so if you are at Suvarnabumi, you probably don't want to go into Bangkok first to get to Pattaya.
So you can arrive at Suvarnabumi airport and go to the bottom floor and look for minibus 4 times a day to Pattaya (or take a taxi). Or if you stay in Bangkok, use the skytrain to Ekamai as everyone says.

[chris_J2]

I'd skip Pattaya, & head to either Ko Si Chang, or Ko Samet.

[Tobias]

Drew's right. I forgot about the minivans downstairs at the new airport. If you can get one without waiting several hours, that is. If you're like me and miss one by 30 seconds (I'm the world's best when it comes to missing buses/vans/trains by mere seconds), hop on the sky train and go to Victory Monument if you really want to go via van. There you can get one that leaves within an hour. Of course, you could just go to the Ekkamai bus terminal and take a bus.

People here keep advising you to avoid Gemmorah, I mean Pattaya. That's good advice. I've been there only once, and that was when I was traveling through in a minivan. I never got out. I just kept on going. I had heard too many bad things about the place to try my luck in Pattaya. If I did go there and stay, I'd be walking around that hole wondering "Is that old white guy over there on the bar stool a pedophile? I wonder if that dude over there is wanted for murder by InterPol?" Such thoughts are no conducive to a 'good time' while on vacation, ya know what I'm sayin'?

[newinseoul]

I wouldn't really recommend the vans at Victory monument. Although, they may be a tad cheaper, they may take a lot longer. The mini van I took from there to Kanchanburi made three stops along the way, and took forever to get there. It was packed, and not overly air-conditioned either.

Just a word of warning.

[Tobias]

[Toffenheim]

Pattaya is a good place to go if you're the type of person who is looking to have sex with children or transvestites. You're not one of those people are you?

[tommy1]

Pattaya is a super vacation destination! I don't understand why some people give it a bad rap. Sure, there are some questionable people there, but they are everywhere. Pattaya is a lot of fun!

When are you going to Pattaya? I'll be there over summer break too.

Enjoy yourself

[D.D.]

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

[chris_J2]

India is a much bigger place than Pattaya! I've been to Darjeeling, but not Goa, which is the sleazy 'Pattaya' of India: drugs, excessive alchohol consumption, shady characters & prostitution.

But why would you want to go to Pattaya:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Pattaya_Beach_Road.jpg

when Ko Si Chang:

http://www.trekearth.com/members/ChrisJ/photos/Asia/Thailand/East/Chon_Buri/
http://www.pattayadb.com/images_post/72_koh%20sichang_3.jpg

and Ko Samet:

http://www.trekearth.com/members/ChrisJ/photos/Asia/Thailand/East/Rayong/

are so much better?