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How to Get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya

This is one of the easiest airport transfers in Thailand and one of the most commonly overcomplicated. Suvarnabhumi is already on the eastern side of Bangkok, so the road to Pattaya leaves the airport and joins Motorway 7 heading the right way — you never enter the city. Ninety minutes to two hours, and you are there.

Private taxi · BKK Airport → PattayaFixed fare per car, tolls included. Pay the driver at the end. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup; after that 25–100% of the fare.

Sedan: ฿1,200
SUV: ฿1,500
Van: ฿1,800

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The journey at a glance

From	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
To	Pattaya
Distance	≈ 120 km
Journey time	1.5 – 2 hours
Private taxi fare	Sedan ฿1,200 · SUV ฿1,500 · Van ฿1,800 — per car, tolls included
Payment	Cash in Thai baht to the driver at the end. Nothing is charged when you book.
Cancellation	Free up to 24 hours before pickup; after that 25% (less than 24 h), 35% (less than 12 h) or 50% (less than 2 h) of the fare, and 100% for a no-show, also when you pay the driver in cash.

Every option compared

Option	Typical cost	Total time	Departures	Door to door	Booking
Private transfer	฿1,200 per vehicle	1.5 – 2 h	Meets your flight	Arrivals to your hotel door	Same day usually fine
Bell Travel coach	≈฿300 per person	2.5 – 3 h	Fixed daily departures	No — depot, then a shuttle	Book ahead
Bus into Bangkok, then Ekkamai	≈฿170 per person	4 h+	Two connections	No	Buy as you go
Metered taxi from the rank	฿1,300 – 1,800 total	1.5 – 2 h	Queue at arrivals	Yes	No — take a ticket and queue

Bus, minivan, train and ferry fares are approximate and were last checked in September 2026. They change without notice. Our own taxi fares are live from our booking system.

Do not go into Bangkok first

The single most common mistake on this route is treating it as two journeys: airport to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Pattaya. Every budget itinerary that starts with "take the Airport Rail Link" is sending you west into the city so you can then travel back east past the airport again.

It roughly doubles the time, costs more than it looks once you add the connections, and involves moving luggage across Bangkok in between. The airport is already on the Pattaya side of the city. Either take a direct coach or take a car — but go east from the moment you land.

The metered taxi, and the fixed fare

The official rank at Suvarnabhumi will take you to Pattaya on the meter, and it is legitimate: expect somewhere between ฿1,300 and ฿1,800 once the meter, the ฿50 airport surcharge and the Motorway 7 tolls are totalled. The uncertainty is the point — you do not know the number until you arrive, and long-distance meter runs from the airport are where most disputes on this route start.

A pre-booked fixed fare is ฿1,200 for a sedan, agreed before you fly, with a driver already waiting and 60 minutes of free waiting time after you land. On a route this long the fixed price is usually the cheaper of the two as well as the more predictable.

Practical tips

Give us your flight number. A person checks it before the driver sets off, so a delay does not cost you the car, and airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting.
Tell us the hotel name, not just "Pattaya" — Naklua, central, Pratumnak and Jomtien are twenty minutes or more apart.
U-Tapao (UTP) is Pattaya’s own airport and is only 45 minutes away. If you have a choice of arrival airport, it is by far the shorter transfer.
Landing late at night is fine on this route — the road is quiet and the drive is quicker, though public transport has stopped.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the transfer from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya?

Ninety minutes to two hours for about 120 km. The route leaves the airport onto Motorway 7 heading east, so it never enters Bangkok traffic.

How much is a taxi from Bangkok airport to Pattaya?

A metered taxi from the official rank usually totals ฿1,300 to ฿1,800 including the airport surcharge and tolls. A pre-booked fixed transfer is ฿1,200 for a sedan, ฿1,500 for an SUV and ฿1,800 for a van, agreed in advance with tolls included.

Is there a bus from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya?

Yes — the Bell Travel coach runs direct for around ฿300 per person on a fixed schedule, dropping at a Pattaya depot with an onward shuttle. The cheaper route via Ekkamai means travelling into Bangkok and back out again, which takes over four hours.

Should I go to Bangkok first and then to Pattaya?

No. Suvarnabhumi is east of Bangkok and Pattaya is further east again, so going into the city means doubling back. Travel direct — it is faster, simpler and usually cheaper.