Bangkok day trip from Pattaya: buses, costs and a plan

Bangkok is about 150 km north-west of Pattaya along Motorway 7. With a morning bus you are in the capital by mid-morning, at the Grand Palace before lunch and back in Pattaya late in the evening. The old royal quarter sits on the Chao Phraya river in the west of the city; the bus terminals are in the east and north, so the day is built around one cross-town journey by Skytrain and boat.

Which bus goes from Pattaya to Bangkok, and what does it cost?

Roong Reuang Coach runs the air-conditioned buses from the bus terminal on North Pattaya Road. Buy the ticket at the counter before boarding; seats are numbered and luggage goes underneath.

Ekkamai is the terminal to choose for a day trip. It stands beside Ekkamai station on the BTS Skytrain's Sukhumvit line, so you step off the bus and on to a train. Mo Chit 2 is larger, further from the centre and a taxi or bus ride from the nearest rail station; it suits a visit to Chatuchak weekend market and little else. On Friday and Sunday evenings and around public holidays the road is slow and buses fill up: buy the return ticket when you arrive in Bangkok.

Can you take the train to Bangkok for the day?

Not for a day trip from Pattaya. The timetable runs the wrong way round: the trains leave Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station in the morning, at 06:45 and 06:55, and leave Pattaya in the afternoon, at 14:21 for the ordinary third-class train and 16:26 for the weekend air-conditioned service. The ordinary train costs about 31 THB and takes close to four hours; the weekend train costs 170 THB and takes about two and a half. It is a pleasant, slow ride for a one-way journey, not a way to see Bangkok and return.

How much is a taxi, and is it worth it?

A car costs 1,200 to 1,500 THB each way through an app, with the price shown before you confirm, or about 1,200 THB with a Pattaya transfer company for a sedan. Add motorway tolls where they are not included. For three or four people the cost per head is close to the bus plus city transport, and the car takes you straight to the palace gate in under two hours when traffic is light. Leave Pattaya by 06:30 to arrive before the Bangkok rush thickens, and fix the return pick-up point and time before the driver leaves.

The same operators and prices apply to airport runs, covered in Bangkok airports to Pattaya.

What should you know before visiting the Grand Palace?

The Grand Palace is open daily. Tickets are sold from 08:30 to 15:30 and the grounds close at 16:30. Foreign visitors pay 500 THB, which includes Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Thai citizens enter free with an ID card. Allow two to three hours. The palace closes or shortens its hours for royal ceremonies, announced on its official website, royalgrandpalace.th, which also sells tickets.

The dress code is enforced at the gate. The palace lists as not permitted:

• sleeveless shirts, vests and short or see-through tops;
• shorts, short skirts, torn trousers and tight leggings;
• sleepwear and beachwear.

Cover shoulders and knees, men and women alike. Long light trousers and a shirt with sleeves are the simple answer in the heat. A booth near the entrance provides cover-up clothing if you are caught out. Remove shoes and hats before entering the chapel of the Emerald Buddha, and do not photograph inside it. Anyone on the pavement telling you the palace is closed today and offering a tour instead is to be ignored: walk on to the official entrance.

What can you fit into one day in Bangkok?

This plan uses the Ekkamai bus and keeps the walking for the cooler hours.

1. 08:00: bus from North Pattaya terminal. Arrive Ekkamai around 10:15.
2. 10:30: BTS from Ekkamai to Siam, change to the Silom line and ride to Saphan Taksin, about 30 minutes in all. Sathorn pier is below the station.
3. 11:15: boat up the river to Tha Chang pier, five minutes on foot from the palace gate. Orange-flag express boats charge a flat fare of about 20 THB and run on weekdays; the blue-flag Tourist Boat runs every day and sells a 150 THB day pass.
4. 11:45 to 14:00: Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.
5. 14:15: late lunch near Tha Tien, ten minutes' walk south.
6. 15:00 to 16:15: Wat Pho, home of the 46-metre Reclining Buddha. Entry 300 THB, open from 08:00 to 18:30.
7. 16:30: the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien to Wat Arun. Entry to the temple is 200 THB, open 08:00 to 18:00.
8. 17:45: boat back to Sathorn, BTS to Siam for Siam Paragon and its neighbours, or stay on the Sukhumvit line for EmQuartier at Phrom Phong or Terminal 21 at Asok, both a few stops before Ekkamai.
9. 20:30: BTS to Ekkamai. Bus at 21:00 or 22:00, back in Pattaya around midnight.

Three temples, the river and a mall is a full day. Early risers gain three hours by taking the 04:30 bus or a car at 06:30, which puts you at the palace gate when it opens at 08:30, before the heat and the tour groups. With children or in April heat, drop Wat Arun and go to the mall earlier. Carry water, a hat and small notes for boats and temple tickets: Wat Pho and Wat Arun take cash.

Temple etiquette is the same as in Pattaya, set out in temples in Pattaya.

When should you start back to Pattaya?

Buses leave Ekkamai for Pattaya every hour until 22:00, and the last from Mo Chit 2 goes at 18:00. Aim for the 21:00 bus so that a full coach or a slow Skytrain connection does not strand you. Bangkok's evening rush runs from about 16:30 to 19:30; the BTS is unaffected, but a taxi across town to the terminal can take an hour, so use the train. If you miss the last bus, an app car to Pattaya is available at any hour for the prices above.

Once back at the terminal, songthaews and app cars to your hotel are described in getting around Pattaya. For shopping without the journey, see shopping malls in Pattaya.