Koh Chang Island, Thailand - “Chang Island, which is easy to get to from Pattaya on your own. To the coral islands on a boat, exotic swimming with elephants. Lots of photos." How to get from Pattaya to Koh Chang: distance, public transport, travel tips

First you must decide for what purpose you are going to the island. If you just want to get acquainted with it, relax for 2-3 nights from noisy Pattaya, and then return back, then it might make sense to just buy a tour. It includes transfer and accommodation, i.e. solves the most important issues. But if you went on your own, you would spend the entire first day searching for suitable accommodation.

For those who are planning to stay on the island for a longer period of time, it is better to get there on your own, and below we will tell you how to do this.

Important information for independent trip from Pattaya:

• distance from Pattaya to Koh Chang (to Ao Thammachat pier on the mainland) - 250 km;
• how long does it take to get to Koh Chang from Pattaya by minivan - about 5 hours (4 hours to the pier);
• ferries operate from 06:30 to 19:00;
• The ferry fare for a passenger is 100 baht.

Bus from Pattaya to Koh Chang

There are no direct buses between the resorts and never have been: so that you come to the bus station, buy a ticket and go. You can only get there by buses that pass through Pattaya along the Sukhumvit Highway. There are very few of them during the day, moreover, they may simply not notice you among the traffic and not stop. There is no exact schedule either. Usually we pass Pattaya at about 11:30. The ticket costs about 200 baht.

In fact, no one travels this way and we do not recommend it to you. It takes longer than all the others, and it’s not a fact that you’ll leave.

If you are planning to go somewhere by bus in Thailand, then.

Minivan from Pattaya to Koh Chang

There are also no minibus stops at the resort; everyone orders a transfer through street travel agencies, which are at every turn in Pattaya. This must be done the day before the trip; it is advisable to go in the very morning, and not in the late afternoon, in order to be guaranteed to buy a ticket.

The price of a ticket from Pattaya to Koh Chang includes transfer from your hotel to Ao Thammachat Pier and almost always a ferry ticket. Many companies also offer transportation to your hotel on the island.

Minibus can be ordered from many transport agencies, but we will recommend only two, where the most low prices and whose services we have used more than once.

The first one is called 35 Group Pattaya. Located on Third Street, approximately 50-70 meters from its intersection with South.

Only in this office you can buy a ticket at the lowest price. We saw a VKontakte group with the same name, but these are just intermediaries (by the way, Russian), their prices are noticeably higher.

If you come to the office on Third Street, the ticket prices will be as follows (all include transfer from your hotel in Pattaya):

• One way to Ao Thammachat Pier - 400 baht (includes ferry ticket).
• Round trip to Ao Thammachat Pier - 720 baht including ferry.
• From Pattaya hotel to the hotel on Koh Chang - 550 baht one way and 1050 baht round trip.

Usually minibuses depart twice a day - at 7 a.m. and at 9 a.m. In the low season, sometimes the flight at 9 a.m. is canceled. And in the high season, a flight at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. can be added. All this will be told to you at the office.

In addition, with the company 35 Group Pattaya you can get to the island, , . This is very convenient if, for example, you want to go to Samet first and then to Koh Chang or vice versa. Tickets to these islands (including a return ticket to Pattaya) can be purchased at one office.

Tickets are sold from open date, which is valid for a month. The day before your return, you need to call the company by phone and notify it. However, they will tell you all this in detail when purchasing tickets.

We recommend buying a ticket with transfer to your hotel on Koh Chang, even if you are traveling light or have not yet decided where to stay. In the latter case, just name the beach and you will be dropped off in its central part. We recommend a transfer to the hotel (or to the beach), because... learned on own experience problems with finding an independent transfer at the Koh Chang pier. Yes, when disembarking from the ferry there are guards who go to the beaches. But nowadays almost everyone takes the included transfer to the hotel and the songthaews are empty. Drivers refuse to drive if there are only 3-4 people in the car. Therefore, you often have to wait for the next ferry, or maybe two, to arrive. The author of the article thus sat on the Koh Chang pier for more than an hour before there were a dozen passengers and the songthaew traveled at a fixed rate. Of course, at the very beginning the driver offered to rent his car as a taxi for 300-400 baht. If there are 5-6 people, then each person will be charged 100 baht, despite the fact that the fare to the nearest White Sand beach costs 50 baht. In general, it’s cheaper to take a transfer to the hotel in Pattaya, and in this case you’ll get to your place faster.

The total travel time from Pattaya to the hotel on Koh Chang is 5 hours (3.5-4 hours to the pier, waiting for the ferry, 30 minutes on the ferry, 15-40 minutes from the pier to the hotel).

There is also a second transport company with low prices - Burapha Bus. The office is located next to the Sukhumvit Highway (on Soi Sukhumvit 51), opposite the one-story Tesco Lotus. We have shown the exact location on the map below.

They send minivans to Koh Chang, Trat, Rayong and Chanthaburi. A ticket to Koh Chang costs 500 baht and includes the ferry and transfer to your hotel on the island. But they don’t pick you up from your Pattaya hotel; you have to get to their office on your own. This company is more suitable for those who live in the Central Street area or close to the Sukhumvit Highway.

Excursion from Pattaya

If you want to get to know the island at first glance, you can buy a tour to Koh Chang in Pattaya with transfer included (you can agree on the number of nights of accommodation and stay there). Prices start from 2500 baht per night.

Taxi

If you are used to driving in maximum comfort or suddenly woke up in the morning and irresistibly wanted to go to the island right now, then you can take a taxi (we remind you that you must pay for a minivan per day). A taxi can be ordered at the hotel, arranged in the city or.

how to get there from Pattaya?

Koh Chang is one of the largest islands in Thailand; its name means “elephant” in Thai. Koh Chang Island is part of national park Moo Ko Chang. The distance from Pattaya to Koh Chang is 250 km.

It is very easy to fall in love with the nature of Koh Chang. Mountain landscapes, wild jungles, sandy beaches with coconut palms, the waterfalls are what makes you come back here again and again. Most of the hotels are located along west coast, the eastern part of the island is poorly developed. In the south of Koh Chang is the fishing village of Bang Bao.

We offer a convenient and inexpensive way to get to Koh Chang - group transfer by minibus and ferry.

You can also order an individual transfer - a taxi to the pier or to your hotel on Koh Chang. Ferry tickets are not included in the taxi price.

Table with directions and prices

group and individual transfers

*** For transfers from hotels located in the Na Jomtien area and further south, there is an additional charge of 100 baht per person one way.

***Issued ferry tickets are non-refundable.

How will everything happen?

The price for a transfer to the pier on Koh Chang includes a trip on a comfortable minibus from a hotel in Pattaya, a ferry ticket to the pier on Koh Chang. You can choose transfer directly to your hotel. You can also reserve transport in both directions at once. If you do not know the exact date of return, you can make a reservation with an open date, but you must notify of your return at least one day before the desired departure date.

We do not recommend booking a return transfer from the island on the same day as your departure date. The bus departure time can be changed unilaterally by the transport company. Therefore, the bus may not arrive in Pattaya on schedule.

On the bus you can take one suitcase per luggage compartment– the service is free.

Description of directions and prices

group transfers

Excursions to Koh Chang

Excursions to Koh Chang are a profitable solution for spending a few days on the island. The price includes transfer and hotel accommodation. You can find out more about the options for excursions to Koh Chang.

Koh Chang Island on the map

FAQ

1. How long does it take to get to Koh Chang from Pattaya?

Travel time is 5 - 5.5 hours.

2. How long in advance do I need to order a transfer to Koh Chang?

3. Is non-cash payment possible?

Possible, check with the operator for details.

4. Can I pay for the transfer in dollars?

You can pay by bank card, check with the operator for details.

5. How to find out exact time departure?

Our operator will inform you of the exact departure time after confirmation of the order by the organizer.

The desire often arises among tourists who have spent some time in Pattaya and are somewhat tired of its unbridled fun and, in general, from the big noise resort town. In this respect, Koh Chang is the complete opposite of Pattaya and it is not surprising that the number of people wishing to spend a few days on quiet island with magnificent beaches and tropical vegetation constantly increasing. This article describes the most convenient and popular way to get from Pattaya to Koh Chang.

THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE (you can click on the link for a quick transition)

Transfer Pattaya - Koh Chang

Despite the fact that an organized transfer from Pattaya to Koh Chang is not the most budget-friendly way to get to the island, it is recommended by all experienced travelers who have once been convinced of its advantages. And the very small overpayment for this transfer compared to other methods described at the end of this article, which also allow you to get to Koh Chang from Pattaya, is fully compensated by the convenience and simplicity. However, first things first. The advantage of the transfer is that, having paid once, you no longer have to worry about anything in the process of moving from Pattaya to Koh Chang.

Today in Pattaya it is easy to find many tourist offices, who will happily take care of your transportation to the island of Koh Chang, however, the prices are not the same everywhere and for the same route you can pay either 400 Thai baht or 500-600. This is due to the fact that not all offices themselves deliver passengers on the Pattaya - Koh Chang route: many are only intermediaries. As a result, the cost of a transfer for clients of such companies will be higher than for tourists who contacted the transfer organizers directly.

The company with the best prices and an excellent reputation today is 35 Group Pattaya, whose office is located on Third Street in Pattaya, near the intersection with South Street. If you walk from the beginning of Walking Street along South Street, you will need to go through several small intersections, i.e. Third Street is not the next intersection after Second Street, as many people think, but much further, but I always walked without problems.

Your landmark should be a traffic light at a larger intersection than the previous ones and a small motorbike repair shop in front of it, located in a building on the right in the direction of travel (although it is useless to describe establishments and signs in Pattaya, since everything is changing rapidly). At this intersection you need to turn left and go through several buildings until you see a 4-story pink building with balconies, again on the left side, a corresponding sign (see photo) and a glass door. By the way, on road signs the street is designated as Pattaya Tai (in Latin). Since the company moved to this office only last year, a currency exchange is located in the program in place of the Group’s office 35.

Before entering the office, I advise you to take off your shoes (you will see a lot of shoes in front of the door and remember this). At the office you will be asked where you want to book a transfer (Pattaya - Koh Chang), the desired date and time of departure. They will also be sure to ask for the name of your hotel and its address (if the hotel is small and little-known, take a business card with the address from the reception so that the driver can definitely find you before going to Koh Chang). I also advise you to leave your phone number in Thailand. The company operates three flights on the Pattaya - Koh Chang route per day: at 07:00 and 09:00 in the morning and at 13:00.

Transfer cost Pattaya – Koh Chang in 2013 and at the beginning of 2014 it was 400 baht, while the indicated price includes a ticket for the Trat - Koh Chang ferry (which costs 80 baht when purchased separately). If you are planning to return from Koh Chang to Pattaya (and not to Bangkok for example), I advise you to immediately book a ticket in the opposite direction, i.e. transfer Koh Chang - Pattaya. This will save you another 100 baht (round trip transfer costs 700 baht). You can take a return ticket with an open date (tell the girl in the office that you need an “open ticket”). There are some nuances with the return transfer, which are described below on the page.

After paying for the tickets, you can breathe easy: you will no longer need to do anything to get from Pattaya to Koh Chang, except to be in the right place at the right time. At the appointed time, you will be picked up directly from the hotel and taken in a comfortable Toyota minibus with a leather interior to the pier in Trat, from where ferries depart to Koh Chang. Having received ferry tickets upon arrival at the pier from an employee of the company “35 Group Pattaya” (they have a small office there), all that remains is to go through the waiting room and wait for the ferry, get on it and cover the distance to Koh Chang.

Since the pier on Koh Chang is on the eastern side of the island, and most hotels and beaches are on the western side, you will have to use a songthaew. To the nearest one, which is given in a separate article - White Sand Beach - the trip will cost 50-60 baht, to Kai Bae Beach - 100-150 baht (depending on the time of day and the total number of passengers in the pickup truck). By the way, even when ordering a transfer Pattaya - Koh Chang, you can order your delivery directly to a specific hotel on the island. Of course, this will cost more, like 550 (or 600) one way, but some will find this option convenient, especially if you managed to save a lot by using the hotel search form and comparing prices in various booking systems, which is located just below.

Please note: the company’s reputation is really good and not only among Russian-speaking tourists, so it is increasingly necessary to order a transfer Pattaya - Koh Chang in advance. I myself was faced with a situation where I had to postpone a trip to Koh Chang by one day due to the fact that all seats on two morning flights on the originally chosen day were sold out. Therefore, if you want to be guaranteed a cheap trip to Koh Chang from Pattaya, book a transfer in advance.

Return transfer Koh Chang – Pattaya

If you have ordered a return transfer, be sure to ask the 35 Group Pattaya employee who will meet you upon arrival at the pier to give you a receipt for the return ferry ticket. For some reason, the girl immediately refused to give me such a receipt; I had to demand more insistently, pointing out that there was a return ticket with an open date. If the return transfer was originally booked for a specific date, simply arrive a few hours before leaving for Pattaya at the island pier, exchange your receipt for a ticket and board the ferry.

If the opposite transfer Koh Chang – Pattaya with an open date, you should definitely call the company’s office two days before the planned departure from the island and reserve seats in the minibus. If this is not done, there may not be free seats on the bus and you will have to look for other options for returning to Pattaya and overpay for it. A small clarification: over the phone, employees speak only English (as in the company’s offices), so it is advisable to know this language a little and be able to put together a few words in it to explain what you need (you will need to indicate the transfer contract number, departure date and time from Trat to Pattaya).

The receipt for a ticket can be exchanged at the window at the entrance to the pier on the island (before departure to the mainland). You can get to the pier in the same way as when arriving on the island - using a songthaew. By the way, it is better to arrive at the pier in advance so as not to be late for your return transfer. Arriving by ferry to Trat, you must again go to the office of the 35 Group Pattaya company, from whose door the buses depart, and show your ticket. Often, a bright sticker with the name of the company will be placed on your T-shirt so that you do not get lost.

If a company minibus arrives at the time you choose, but they don’t want to let you into it, don’t panic and swear, “losing face.” Another one will arrive soon and you will definitely be taken to the hotel in Pattaya where you were initially picked up from. On the way there and back, the minibus stops at a gas station a couple of times, where you need to get out of the minibus. You can just stretch your legs, or you can have a bite of local food (from the makashnik), eat some fruit, or go to a 7/11 store (not at all gas stations) and buy beer there. Just don’t confuse the minibass, there are usually a lot of them and all are white. Therefore, pay attention to the name of the company (highlighted in the photo with a yellow marker) and remember your fellow travelers.

Why transfer Pattaya - Koh Chang is more profitable and convenient
bus

More accessible at first glance methods are regular buses passing through Pattaya to Trat. Their cost is about 200-220 baht. It would seem that the amount is almost two times less than the cost of an organized transfer to. However, if you add 80 baht for a ferry ticket to this amount, you already get about 300 baht. Plus, you need to get from the hotel to the North Bus Station in Pattaya or the Sukhumvit highway (10-20 baht by songthaew or much more by taxi), find a suitable bus (and this is not easy either, if you use the ones passing through Pattaya along the Sukhumvit highway, which you need stop yourself or ask to do it local residents, also for a small fee).

In addition, from Trat itself you will need to get to one of the ferry piers yourself, using local songthaews, which will again cost you about 50 baht. In other words, the amount turns out to be similar, plus or minus 30 baht, but there are much more difficulties, especially if there are problems with English. If you order a transfer in both directions, then this method turns out to be not only the fastest, but also the cheapest, and the method with regular buses cannot compete at all.

Also remember that a trip of about 270 km on a VIP minibus with comfortable leather seats will in any case be faster and more comfortable than on a regular one intercity bus, which goes to Trat for about six hours with many stops. Decide which way get from Pattaya to Koh Chang more convenient, in any case for you. I wish you a successful and comfortable trip!

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Koh Chang is an island in Thailand (Trat province), located near the capital and main tourist resort. That is why tourists from here very often come here. In addition, many independent travelers often choose Koh Chang as a place for long-term stay when visiting the land of smiles.

By the way, Koh Chang is the third largest island in Thailand (after Phuket and Samui). We ourselves stayed on Koh Chang for only 5 days when we arrived there. And in this article we will tell you how to get from Koh Chang to the most popular resort in Thailand among tourists all over the world - Pattaya.