I am leaving for Pattaya from Kolkata and my arrival will be at the Don Muang Airport. I would like to know what the distance is from Don Muang Airport to Pattaya, so I can organize my transport from the airport to my hotel. I would also like to know if you can easily get a taxi from Don Muang Airport?
Hello, welcome to the forum! Overview The distance between the Don Mueang International Airport and Pattaya is about 164 kilometers. Pattaya is located to the south of the Don Mueang International Airport, driving time would be around 3 hours, more or less. Fortunately, you have many transportation options to reach Pattaya from the Don Mueang International Airport. If you want the fastest and most convenient option, then you can opt for a direct taxi service. However, this would also be the most expensive option. If you don't mind the longer journey, also if you don't have much luggage with you, then you can opt for bus journey instead, which is leaps cheaper than the former option. Below, we would highlight your transportation options from the Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya. Transportation Options from Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya In this guide, we would discuss your travel options to reach Pattaya from the Don Mueang International Airport. The Don Mueang International Airport is one of the two international airports of Bangkok. It is located on the northern part of central Bangkok, while the other airport, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, is located to the southeastern side of central Bangkok. 1. By Direct Taxi - If you have many luggages with you, or perhaps you're traveling with your family or friends, your best transportation option is to hire a taxi. You can find Taxi Dispatch Kiosks outside the Arrival halls of both the International Terminal and Domestic Terminal. These kiosks are registered with the airport, though subjected to an airport surcharge of THB 50, they are more reliable in terms of charges and services. Simply walk outside the Arrival hall of the International Terminal, walk straight to the Taxi Dispatch Kiosk and communicate with the kiosk personnel. You just tell the personnel your destination, in this case Pattaya, then he or she would translate it for you to the taxi driver. Taxi Metre in Bangkok Make sure that the metre of the driver's taxi is switched on prior to departing from the airport so you won't need to negotiate for odd fare rates once you arrive in Pattaya. Also negotiate beforehand about the toll charges, usually at THB 70, more or less, whether it's included in the fare rate or not. Taxi rates from the Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya would be around THB 1,400 to THB 1,600. Alternatively, you can also book for a radio taxi service prior to reaching the airport and they can pick you up on your arrival at the airport. ↪Radio Taxi Services from Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya + Rates Taxi Service NameCamry RateInnova RateFortuner RateContact NumberAnn Private Taxi ServicesTHB 1,400THB 1,600THB 1,800+66 81 205 3044Cherry Taxi ServiceTHB 1,400THB 1,600THB 2,200+66 84 120 5646Pattaya Express TaxiTHB 1,600THB 1,800THB 2,000+66 80 002 3377These are just some of the radio taxis operating from the Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya. As you can see, their fare rates vary but they mostly have the same kind of taxis for hire. The numbers included above are for those who want to contact the radio taxi services outside of Thailand. Thus, you can easily make a booking for any of these taxi services even before your flight to save some time. Most of these taxi rates also include already the toll charges, driver's fee, airport surcharges and service fees so they're pretty much direct fares. 2. By Bus/Taxi (To Mo Chit Bus Terminal) + Bus (To Pattaya) - This is your next option to reach Pattaya from the Don Mueang International Airport, which involves a combination of either bus or taxi and bus. So for the first part, you need to reach the Mo Chit Bus Terminal. You can go the easier way and hire a taxi to do so. Or you can go the cheaper but longer way by taking the airport bus running from the airport to the bus terminal proper. ↪Bus from Don Mueang International Airport to Mo Chit Bus Terminal Bus NumberFirst TimingLast TimingFareA17:3024:00THB 30This is the airport bus running from the airport to the Mo Chit Bus Terminal. It is designated as A1 and stops over at Kasetsart University, Mo Chit and Chatuchak Park before reaching the bus terminal proper. It has two main pickup points in the Don Mueang International Airport, the first is at the Gate 6 of the International Terminal and the second is at the Gate 12 of the Domestic Terminal. There is a bus every 12 minutes, with the first bus departing from the first pickup point around 7:30 in the morning. The last bus departs from the first pickup point at around 24:00 in the evening. From the Mo Chit Bus Terminal, you can just ride a bus going to Pattaya. A1 Bus in Don Mueang International Airport (Image from Not Your Typical Tourist) There are both private buses and government buses for the Mo Chit Bus Terminal to Pattaya route. However, only one private bus operator has timings available on the internet. You can find other buses once you arrive at the bus terminal, usually every 30 minutes or so. But for convenience purposes, you can refer to the table below for the timings of the private buses that run from Mo Chit Bus Terminal to Pattaya. ↪Roong Reuang Coach Buses from Mo Chit Bus Terminal to Pattaya Bus NumberDeparture TimeArrival TimeJourney DurationFareBus Number 19:0012:003 HoursTHB 135Bus Number 213:0016:003 HoursTHB 135Bus Number 318:3021:303 HoursTHB 135These are the private buses, under Roong Reuang Coach, that run from the Mo Chit Terminal to Pattaya. The earliest bus departs from Mo Chit Bus Terminal at around 9:00 in the morning and the last bus departs at around 18:30. Journey duration is around three hours. Fare is around THB 135 per passenger. The buses drop off passengers at the Pattaya Bus Station proper. You can book any of these buses from the bus terminal proper, at Counter No. 48, located on the Ground Floor. Alternatively, you can also reach a booking website like this one and reserve your ticket from here. 3. By Bus/Taxi (To Mo Chit BTS Station) + By Train (To Ekkamai BTS Station/Ekkamai Bus Terminal) + Bus (To Pattaya) - This is your next option, a combination of bus/taxi, train and bus to reach Pattaya from Bangkok. For the first part, you need to reach the Mo Chit BTS Station, either by taxi, the easy way, or by bus, the harder way. If you don't have much luggage with you, then you can opt for the latter. ↪Buses from Don Mueang International Airport to Mo Chit BTS Station Bus NumberFirst TimingLast TimingFareA17:3024:00THB 30A28:0021:00THB 30These are the airport buses running from the Don Mueang International Airport to the Mo Chit BTS Station. It includes the bus mentioned above, plus the other airport bus, designated as A2. The only difference between the two are their pickup and drop-off points, for the A1 bus, they were mentioned above already. For the A2 bus, the stopovers before the Mo Chit BTS Station are Kasetsart University and Chatuchak Park. You can alight thereafter and walk a bit to reach the Mo Chit BTS Station. From there, you need to ride a train to reach the Ekkamai BTS Station. Ekkamai BTS Station (Image from Placess) ↪Train Schedules from Mo Chit BTS Station to Ekkamai BTS Station Train StationFirst TrainLast TrainFrequencyMo Chit BTS Station6:0000:11Every 10 MinutesEkkamai BTS Station6:0200:39Every 10 MinutesThe first train for the Mo Chit BTS Station arrives at around 6:00 in the morning while the last train arrives at around 00:11 in the early dawn. Journey duration from Mo Chit BTS Station to Ekkamai BTS Station is about 26 minutes. Fare is at THB 42 per passenger for a one-way trip. From the Ekkamai BTS Station, make your exit into Gate No. 2 or Exit No. 2 and simply walk to reach the Ekkamai Bus Terminal. From the bus terminal, you can board any bus reaching Pattaya. But if you want fixed timings, the same private bus operator has some buses here as well, the Roong Reuang Coach. ↪Roong Reuang Coach Buses from Ekkamai Bus Terminal to Pattaya Bus NumberDeparture TimeArrival TimeJourney DurationFareBus Number 19:3012:303 HoursTHB 131Bus Number 213:3016:303 HoursTHB 131Bus Number 317:3020:303 HoursTHB 131These are the buses operated by the Roong Reuang Coach from the Ekkamai Bus Terminal to Pattaya Bus Station. The earliest bus departs from Ekkamai Bus Terminal at around 9:30 while the last bus departs from the same terminal at around 17:30. Journey duration is more or less 3 hours as well. Fare is at THB 131 per passenger. You can book from the terminal proper or through a booking website like this one. 4. By Taxi/Shuttle Bus/Van (To Suvarnabhumi International Airport) + By Bus (To Pattaya) - This is your last option, which is also one of the most convenient options. You can ride a taxi that can take you to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The cost would be around THB 400, more or less. Alternatively, you can also ride the free shuttle bus that transfers passengers from the Don Mueang International Airport to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Sometimes though, the counter personnel would need proof of travel, like your onward boarding pass. Most of the times though, you can ride the free shuttle bus even without an onward boarding pass proof. ↪Airport Shuttle from Don Mueang International Airport to Suvarnabhumi International Airport Bus NameFirst BusLast BusFrequencyJourney DurationAirport Shuttle5:0024:00Every 30 Minutes1 HourThe first bus departs from the Don Mueang International Airport at around 5:00 in the morning. After that, there are buses every 30 minutes or so, until the last bus that departs at 24:00 from the Don Mueang International Airport. The bus departs from the Terminal 1, just close to Gate No. 8. Journey duration is around an hour, more or less. Fare is free because this is a complimentary bus service for passengers who need to be transferred from one airport to another. However, you cannot book tickets in advance and the seats are in a first come, first serve basis. The passengers would be dropped off at the Departure Terminal, in the 4th Floor, close to Gate No. 5. Free Shuttle Bus from Don Mueang to Suvarnabhumi (Image from Don Mueang Airport Thai) If you don't want to risk boarding this free shuttle service, you can just opt for a mini van ride to reach the Suvarnabhumi International Airport from the Don Mueang International Airport. There are mini vans located after the Gate No. 3 of the latter airport, at the parking lot area. ↪Mini Vans from Don Mueang International Airport to Suvarnabhumi International Airport NameFirst VanLast VanFrequencyJourney DurationFareMini Van5:0019:00Every 30 Minutes1 HourTHB 50The timings of the mini vans from the Don Mueang International Airport to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport are not fixed. However, the first van departs here at around 5:00 in the morning while the last van departs at around 19:00. There are vans every 30 minutes or so and the journey duration is also an hour. The fare is very minimal at THB 50 per passenger. But if you have many luggages with you, you might have to pay some excess fees, though it usually won't exceed THB 100. Once you reach the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, you can go to the Level 1, near the Gate No. 7 of the airport. This is where you'd find the counter for the Bell Travel Service, which operates the buses running from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Pattaya proper. There are fixed bus timings so you need to plan accordingly. ↪Bell Travel Service Buses from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Pattaya Bus NumberDeparture TimeArrival TimeJourney DurationFareBus Number 18:0010:002 HoursTHB 250Bus Number 210:0012:002 HoursTHB 250Bus Number 312:0014:002 HoursTHB 250Bus Number 414:0016:002 HoursTHB 250Bus Number 516:0018:002 HoursTHB 250Bus Number 618:0020:002 HoursTHB 250These are the buses operated by the Bell Travel Service, running from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport to different points in Pattaya. These points are Naklua, North Pattaya, Central Pattaya, South Pattaya, Phratamnark Hill and Jomtien. There are buses every two hours starting from 8:00 in the morning until 18:00 in the evening. Journey duration is around two hours, more or less. Fare is at THB 250 per passenger but if you have extra luggages with you, you need to pay an excess luggage fee between THB 20 to THB 300, depending on the weight of your luggage. You can book any of these buses from the official website of Bell Travel Service or from the counter at the airport itself. Conclusion I hope this guide cleared your confusion about travelling from the Don Mueang International Airport to Pattaya. Basically, if you want a direct and convenient journey, you can opt for a taxi or car rental service. With this, you would need to pay around THB 1,500 for a one-way trip to Pattaya. If you want to save some money, you can opt for bus journey, a combination of bus and train journey or a combination of van/shuttle bus and bus journey. With these options, journey would be longer but you'd end up saving some money along the way. However, if you're rushed for time or have lots of luggage with you, your best option would still be the taxi journey. Enjoy in Pattaya!
