Getting Around Pattaya

Getting around Pattaya, weather you are a local or a tourist is a fairly easy thing to manage! There is an assortment of different travels options to suit any person with any amount of money for their Holiday! It should be pointed out that in peak times, traffic in Pattaya can get very busy and congested – travel at this time should either be avoided or you should learn extra early to ensure the traffic does not effect you. Peak times in Pattaya are in the early morning from 8am untill 9:30am and 3:00pm until 6pm in the afternoon.

If you have visited Thailand before, but this is your first time to Pattaya you may be surprised to find that there are no Tuk Tuk’s, they have been removed to try to help the traffic issues the plague this great city and people are asked to pay the extra money for a taxi or to use the bus service which works fantastically!

It should be warned that driver’s in Thailand, and Pattaya especially have little to no regard for the road rules, it is a strong belief that this is because they are mostly Buddhist and they believe in re-incarnation, death is not something that worries the Thai people. If you are going to be driving a car or bike in Thailand, we ask that you bring a helmet from your home country as the ones that are sold here are horrible quality. If you are driving a car, be sure to take extreme caution not to hit any Thais that may be riding a bike near by, there are many reports of farangs (Westerners) having to pay large sums to the police, people involved and others just to avoid going into jail to see a judge for an accident they did not commit.

Please continue on to find out about the different travel options that are available to get around Pattaya. Shoot us over an e-mail if you feel there could be more added!

Taxi’s

Taxi’s are very easy to spot in Pattaya, they generally drive on a set course but will obviously leave this when they pick up a passenger. Like any form of travel in Thailand, they can also be bartered with to get the best deal, and generally the first offer can always be almost halved. Taxi’s will cost anywhere from 100baht for a short trip, to 1200 baht to drive all the way to Bangkok. Although they are not meant to leave Pattaya, if you offer the correct amount of Money they will be happy to take you almost anywhere with in the country!

Taxi’s in Pattaya came varied, it is possible to get a beautiful new truck with air-con and comfortable seats while other’s will look nice from the outside but will have no radio, no air conditioning and the seats will be very used and uncomfortable, this would not generally be an issue for a short trip but if you are looking to travel a fair distance you may wish to check the taxi to ensure it does look in order.

Motorbike Taxi

Motor Bike Taxi’s are a way of live in Pattaya and Thailand in general, they will take up to 2 people at a time and are perfect for a cheap short trip when you don’t need the use of a Taxi. The Motor Bike Taxi can be a little bit daunting for tourists when they first arrive in Pattaya as they would not be used to seeing people travel in this way so frequently. Motor Bike Taxi’s rates will start at as little as 5baht for a short trip and should never cost more then 50baht to go somewhere with in the city area. Motor Bike taxi;s can be spotted as the drivers will be wearing bright vests with numbers if you are offered a lift by someone in a Taxi and they do not have this uniform they are more then likely a rogue operator you should be avoided at all costs – they will not have the required insurance and will often be in the worst category of driver in Pattaya.

Motor Bike Taxi’s will generally run 24 House a day 7 days a week, they are popular with Thai people due to the little cost involved with going a short distance at a fast rate! Due to this, the number of accidents involving Motorbike Taxi’s is increasing, it is the opinion of Best Hotel Pattaya that you only use these for distances when required, it is not worth the risk for a nice holiday! In Thailand, it is illegal for a passenger to ride on a Motorbike with no helmet, to ride with more then 2 passengers, to go down the wrong way on 1 way streets and all the other standard laws people expect at home, although in Thailand that are rarely enforced as the people can not generally afford to pay the fine and the Pattaya Police understand this.

Pattaya Bus Service

The Pattaya bus service was introduced to ease the traffic issues that have plagued the city for last 5 to 10 years, it is a very simple concert where a bus will travel around Pattaya on a specific route all day, people are able to get on this bus and pay 5baht to travel to any point in the city. People will at times try to avoid the small charge, which can lead to dire consequences with the Pattaya, we ask you ensure you pay this. The Pattaya Bus Service will follow a very similar route to the Taxi’s although it does cover a much larger circle to ensure people reach they destination they require as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Hire Care / Hire Motorbike / Long Term Hire

If you are looking to visit Pattaya but would rather get your self around to see more of the sights, there are plenty of options when it comes to Bike and Car Rental. Starting at as little as 500 baht per day, you are able to rent at times a fantastic older model jeep or a new model bike, for closer 1200-2000 baht per day you are able to rent a brand new jeep or 4wd. Car Rental and Bike Rental in Pattaya has a slight history of casing issues for Tourists that get into accidents, a westerner will generally always be blamed for a car accident and they will usually have to pay absorbent amounts of money to stay out of trouble, even if they did not cause any fault.

If you are coming to Pattaya for an extended amount of time, there are many leasing options available so you can basically own your car for a low monthly fee, and have it upgraded every few years when the payments are out and the car is getting a little old. Most rental company’s in Pattaya will request to hold your passport, this is something you should say no to and advise you will be happy to leave a photo copy. If they persist in requesting you leave your passport, the best advise would be to move onto a different rental company. If a  PattayaCar Rental Company has your passport and you have an accident, you will have major issues trying to get it back and get out of the country with out paying a large fine!