The simplest way from Pattaya to Hua Hin is Roong Reuang Coach's direct bus, which leaves Pattaya bus station once a day at 15:30, takes about five hours and costs 526 baht (October 2026). If that time does not suit you, change buses at Suvarnabhumi Airport, or book a private car; the ferry across the Gulf stopped years ago.
On a map the two resorts face each other across the top of the Gulf of Thailand, so a boat looks obvious. In practice every route between Pattaya and Hua Hin today goes by road around the north of the Gulf, past or through Bangkok, and traffic decides how long it takes. This page compares the options on the Pattaya–Hua Hin leg in both directions. If you are coming from Bangkok instead, our guides to Bangkok to Pattaya and Bangkok to Hua Hin cover those routes.
| Option | Time (approx.) | Cost (October 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Roong Reuang coach | About 5 hours | ฿526 a seat | Most travelers, if the one daily time suits |
| Two coaches via Suvarnabhumi | About 6–7 hours with the wait | ฿135 + ฿361 | Other times of day |
| Private car or taxi | Depends on traffic | Agree the price in advance | Families, groups, heavy luggage |
| Minivan transfer | Depends on the operator | Ask the agent | Hotel pick-up |
| Ferry across the Gulf | – | – | Not running; see below |
The direct coach: one bus a day each way
Roong Reuang Coach, the company that runs the airport buses to Pattaya and Hua Hin, also runs a direct Hua Hin–Pattaya route. Its route page (checked 19 October 2026) gives one departure each way:
| From | Departs | Journey | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattaya bus station | 15:30 | About 5 hours, depending on traffic | ฿526 |
| Hua Hin bus station | 09:00 | About 5 hours, depending on traffic | ฿526 |
The coach also stops in Cha-am, just north of Hua Hin. Southbound passengers get off outside the Bangkok Bank in Cha-am, about 100 m from the main junction; northbound passengers can board outside the Government Savings Bank. The Hua Hin end is the town's bus station by the airport, on the northern side of town, and the operator sends passengers to counter 3 there. In Pattaya, Roong Reuang's terminal is the bus station on North Pattaya Road near Sukhumvit Road. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure, as the operator asks, and book ahead in high season: with one bus a day, a full coach means a different plan.
Leaving Pattaya at 15:30 puts you in Hua Hin around 20:30, so book a room you can check into late; the neighborhoods are compared on our Hua Hin accommodation page. A baht bus or songthaew gets you to the Pattaya terminal cheaply (15 to 20 baht a ride since April 2026), and in Hua Hin a Grab, taxi or tuk-tuk takes you on to your hotel.
Changing buses at Suvarnabhumi Airport
If 15:30 or 09:00 does not work, the same company's airport buses make a reliable two-part trip, because both routes stop at Suvarnabhumi, on Level 1 near Gate 8. According to the operator's timetables (October 2026):
- Pattaya to the airport: about two hours, 135 baht, leaving Pattaya bus station at 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 21:00.
- Airport to Hua Hin: about four hours, 361 baht, leaving at 06:30, 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:30.
For example, the 10:00 from Pattaya should reach the airport around noon, in time for the 13:30 to Hua Hin, arriving around 17:30. The total is 496 baht, a little less than the direct bus, at the cost of a wait at the airport. In the other direction, buses leave Hua Hin for the airport between 06:00 and 18:00, and the last bus from the airport to Pattaya leaves at 18:30. Allow a generous gap between the two buses, because the first one can be held up in traffic around Bangkok.
The Suvarnabhumi change also works if your flight lands that day. Both coach routes board at Level 1, Gate 8, so you can split a Pattaya–Hua Hin trip around a stop at the airport. Our guide to Suvarnabhumi Airport explains the terminal layout.
Through central Bangkok
It is also possible to go into Bangkok on one bus and out on another, for example from Pattaya to the Ekkamai or Mo Chit terminal and then by minivan or bus to Hua Hin. We would not choose it. It means a cross-city transfer between terminals in Bangkok traffic, and we could not verify current Hua Hin departures from the city's terminals, because the state bus company's site was unreliable when we checked. Use it only if you have a reason to stop in Bangkok on the way.
Private car, taxi or Grab
For a family or a group of three or four, a private car is the comfortable choice: door to door, with luggage in the boot and stops when you want them. Hotels and travel agents in both towns sell transfers. No meter applies on a trip like this, so settle the total in advance, ask whether tolls are in it, and have your hotel's address written in Thai.
Grab lists both Pattaya and Hua Hin among the places it serves, and the app shows a price before you book, but intercity rides depend on a driver accepting the trip. Bolt does not list either town. Our comparison of Bolt and Grab explains the difference. Driving yourself is straightforward on the main highways; our guide to renting a car in Thailand covers licenses and insurance.
Minivan transfers
Travel agents in Pattaya and Hua Hin sell minivan seats between the two towns, often with hotel pick-up. We could not verify a scheduled public minivan on this route, its operator or a fare, so treat these as private transfers and ask who actually runs the van. A trip of five hours or more is longer than we like to spend in a van: seats are tight, luggage space is small and there is no toilet. The rules vans must follow, and what to look for before you climb in, are set out on our minivan page.
The Pattaya–Hua Hin ferry: what happened to it
For a few years there really was a boat. A company called Royal Passenger Liner, the only applicant for the route, started trial sailings from Bali Hai pier in Pattaya to Hua Hin on Sunday 1 January 2017, and the service was officially opened on Sunday 12 February 2017. It used two catamarans, for 150 and 262 passengers, and the crossing took about 1 hour 40 minutes, according to Thai PBS.
The service stopped during the COVID period. On Tuesday 10 August 2021 Pattaya's mayor said the operator had handed the Bali Hai tourist pier back to the city and had given up the business because of COVID, as Post Today reported. In October 2026 we found no news, operator page or timetable showing any sailing between Pattaya and Hua Hin, and the Marine Department's site could not be reached to confirm a licence. Old blog posts and booking pages that still list the ferry are out of date, and some news aggregators show the 2017 launch stories with wrong dates. If a new operator ever starts a service, it will be news in both towns, so check locally before you rely on any boat.
Do not pay for a Pattaya–Hua Hin ferry ticket online. The only operator gave up the route and returned its pier in 2021, and no sailing was advertised in October 2026. A ticket sold for this crossing today is either out of date or not what it claims to be.
Ferries elsewhere in Thailand are covered in our guide to ferries in Thailand. If Hua Hin is a stop on the way south, our page on Hua Hin to the Gulf islands continues the journey.
Frequently asked questions
Does a bus run straight from Pattaya to Hua Hin?
One a day in each direction. Roong Reuang Coach leaves Pattaya bus station at 15:30 and Hua Hin bus station at 09:00. The trip takes about five hours and costs 526 baht a seat (operator's site, October 2026).
Is there a ferry from Pattaya to Hua Hin?
Not in October 2026. The catamaran service that started in 2017 stopped during the COVID period, and its operator returned the Pattaya pier in August 2021. No sailing was advertised in 2026; check locally in case a new operator appears.
How long does it take from Pattaya to Hua Hin?
About five hours on the direct coach, and six to seven hours if you change buses at Suvarnabhumi Airport, including the wait. A private car is quicker outside rush hours, but traffic around Bangkok can add a lot of time.
What is the cheapest way from Pattaya to Hua Hin?
Two Roong Reuang coaches via Suvarnabhumi, at 135 plus 361 baht, cost 496 baht in October 2026, slightly less than the 526-baht direct bus. The direct bus saves the change and the wait.
Sources
- Roong Reuang Coach – Hua Hin–Pattaya timetable, fare and stops (checked October 2026)
- Roong Reuang Coach – Suvarnabhumi Airport–Pattaya timetable (checked October 2026)
- Roong Reuang Coach – Suvarnabhumi Airport–Hua Hin timetable (checked October 2026)
- Thai PBS – Pattaya–Hua Hin ferry officially opened (14 February 2017, in Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Post Today – Pattaya ferry operator returns Bali Hai pier (10 August 2021, in Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Grab Thailand – Transport services by region (checked October 2026)
- Bolt – Cities in Thailand (checked October 2026)