Bangkok to Pattaya by train

Pattaya is a seaside city on the east side of the Bay of Bangkok. Even though Pattaya is only 155 km from Bangkok by train, it’s not well served by rail transport.

Here is how to get from Bangkok to Pattaya by train.

Bangkok to Pattaya by train

There is one train a day in either direction and an extra train service on the weekend. Trains from Bangkok depart from the old Hua Lamphong Railway Station, and not the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. The destination of both trains is Ban Plu Ta Luang.

[Map of Bangkok to Pattaya by train.]

Ordinary Train

There is one “Ordinary Train” a day from Bangkok to Ban Plu Ta Luang. These trains stop at every station, which makes them slower.

Train 283
Departs Bangkok: 6.55
Arrives Pattaya: 10.35
Travel Time: 3h 40m

Train 284
Departs Pataya: 14.21
Arrives Bangkok: 18.15
Travel Time: 3h 54m

This service is a single class, soft bench seats with fans and open windows for cooling. There are squat and seated toilets onboard, and no food or drinks are sold onboard. Vendors may walk through early on in the trip.

[Ordinary train to Pattaya.]

Tickets are sold on the day of travel, and the ticket costs 31 baht.

There is no assigned seating, but departing from Bangkok you will get a seat. The train fills up along the way as it acts as a commuter railway for the Greater Bangkok area.

Express Train

[Express train to Ban Plu Ta Luang.]

There is an extra express train that runs on Saturday and Sunday. This train is all 2nd class with reclining seats in air-conditioned carriages.

Train 997
Departs Bangkok: 6.45
Arrives Pattaya: 9.14
Travel Time: 2h 29m

Train 998
Departs Pataya: 16.26
Arrives Bangkok: 18.55
Travel Time: 2h 29m

This train departs Bangkok 10 minutes before the ordinary train, so make sure you are on the correct train.

[Ordinary (left) and Express (right) to Ban Plu Ta Luang at Hua Lamphong.]

Tickets can be booked in advance for this train, and it is advised to book before travel.

Book Bangkok to Pattaya train tickets.

How to get from Pattaya Station to the city

Pattaya Station is outside the city centre, so you will need transport from the station. There are songthaews (local minibus) at the station that go to points in the city centre. Show one of the drivers your hotel booking to find the right vehicle. A ride to Central Pattaya (the shopping mall in the central beach area) is 50 baht.

There is also a list showing how much a taxi costs to the main points in the city, so there is no need to worry about haggling.

Is it worth getting the train to Pattaya?

As is often the case in Thailand, the train is slower than the bus. That said, it is a much more pleasant experience than getting a bus (and especially more pleasant than the minivans).

[Passing the traffic at Ratchaprarop in Bangkok.]

The other problem with the train to Pattaya is that it’s only once a day (and twice on the weekend). There is no morning train from Pattaya to Bangkok, so you have to get the bus back for morning returns.

I got the bus from the North Pattaya Bus Station to Ekkamai Station in Bangkok. The big government bus cost 131 baht and took 2h 20m.

This will change in the future with the high-speed railway that will link it to Bangkok and three airports. There will be frequent trains throughout the day that will take you from Bangkok to Pattaya in under an hour.

Further reading

Here is my Pattaya trip report from 2019.

Search for hotels in Pattaya and the guide on where to stay in Pattaya.

This train travel article is part of the Southeast Asia train travel series.