Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya

Not everyone flying into Bangkok actually wants Bangkok. For a good number of arrivals, Suvarnabhumi is simply the jumping-off point for the coast — and the nearest stretch of sand worth the name is Pattaya, a brash, buzzing beach city about 120 kilometres to the southeast. The happy part is that you can reach it without setting foot in the capital: the airport sits on the right side of the city for a straight run to the sea, and there are a few honest ways to make the journey.

The cheap coach down the coast

The budget hero is the Airport Pattaya Bus, route 389, which runs directly from the airport to the beach city for around €3.30 and takes roughly two hours, calling at North, Central and South Pattaya so you can hop off nearest your hotel. For the price of a sandwich, it is superb value, and it saves you the hassle and expense of routing through Bangkok. The trade-offs are the ones you would expect of a coach: you are working to its timetable, and two hours is two hours — but with the air-conditioning going and the highway unspooling toward the coast, it is a painless way to start a beach holiday on a backpacker budget.

Straight to your resort in a private car

If you would rather be poured directly into your hotel, a private car or minivan is the comfortable answer at around €40 to €65. It is the fastest option — about ninety minutes rather than two hours, since it doesn't stop — and it carries you door to door with your luggage, a driver waiting on arrival and the price agreed before you leave. For families, groups splitting the cost, or anyone landing tired and just wanting the beach, it turns the transfer into the easiest leg of the trip rather than a chore.

The negotiated taxi in between

Sitting between the two is the taxi: a metered or, more often for this distance, a negotiated fare of roughly €35 to €55 including tolls, door to door in around ninety minutes. It is worth doing if you want a private car on the spot without pre-booking, but the golden rule for a run this long is to agree the price before you set off rather than trusting to the meter alone — settle the number, confirm it covers the expressway tolls, and you will avoid any unpleasantness on arrival.

A few things to sort before the coast run:

• If you take the 389 coach, note which part of Pattaya — North, Central or South — is closest to your hotel, and tell the driver.
• For the private car, book ahead so a driver is waiting; it is the quickest and least stressful with luggage.
• Agree the full taxi fare, tolls included, before departing — this is a long ride to leave to chance.
• Have your Pattaya hotel's name and address ready; the resort strip is long and drivers will want the specifics.

Weighing two hours against forty euros

The choice on the Pattaya run really comes down to a simple trade between time and money, and the gap is stark. The 389 coach costs about €3.30 but asks for two hours of your day and a fixed timetable; a private car costs €40 to €65 but shaves the trip to ninety minutes and pours you straight into your resort. For a solo backpacker with the afternoon free, the coach is unbeatable value and part of the adventure. For a family arriving jet-lagged with a stack of suitcases and small children eyeing the pool, the private car's premium buys back both time and sanity, and split between four it looks a good deal more reasonable. The negotiated taxi sits in the middle for those who want a car on the spot — just settle the full, tolls-included fare before you pull away, because a two-hour ride is no place for a surprise.

Whichever you choose, the reward is the same: skip Bangkok entirely, and roughly two hours after landing you are trading the terminal for the Gulf breeze and the long curve of Pattaya bay.