Ekkamai bus station – connecting Bangkok to Eastern regions
Ekkamai bus station, often referred to as Eastern bus terminal is one of Bangkok’s major bus terminals. Buses from Ekkamai bus terminal primarily serve destinations in the Eastern regions of Thailand. These destinations include Pattaya, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat, where you can find piers for boats heading to the islands of Koh Chang, Koh Mak, and Koh Kood.
Unlike other bus terminals in Bangkok, such as Mo Chit in the north and Sai Tai Mai (Southern Bus Terminal), which are situated outside the main tourist areas, Ekkamai Bus Station is centrally located on Sukhumvit Road.
What destinations does Ekkamai bus station serve?
Ekkamai bus station primarily serves as a hub for buses and minivans to and from the Eastern regions of Thailand.
Pattaya, the seaside village just 2 hours away from Bangkok is the most popular destination. There are frequent air conditioned buses going to Pattaya. The buses are big and spacious with comfortable seats and decent leg room.
Trat, a region that borders with Cambodia in the far East of Thailand is also a popular destination and a route served from Ekkamai. Known for it’s gorgeous beaches and as a gateway for the ferries to tropical islands including Koh Mak, Koh Kood and the largest island Koh Chang.
While Ekkamai bus station is primarily a hub for Eastern destination, a number of departures to Hua Hin are also available. These are served by rather big minivans which are still quite comfortable.
Other destinations served from Ekkamai station are Rayong and Chanthaburi.
How to get to Ekkamai bus station?
Ekkamai bus station is easily accessible because it is located along Sukhumvit road and is next to the Ekkamai BTS (skytrain) stop.
Ride the BTS Sukhumvit line (green line on mass rapid transit map) to Ekkamai. On your way out take exit 2 and make a U-turn at the bottom of the stairs. Walk past the Panacee medical centre. Ekkamai bus station is around the corner from a small 7 Eleven shop.
From Silom or Sathorn, ride the BTS Silom line (teal line on mass rapid transit map) to Siam BTS. From the Silom line interchange to the Sukhumvit line and follow the above directions.
From Chinatown, use the underground MRT. Ride to MRT stop named Sukhumvit and interchange to the Sukhumvit line in Asoke station. Ride the Sukhumvit line for 3 stops to Ekkamai.
Khaosan isn’t yet connected to the mass rapid transit system. You can take a taxi to Sam Yot MRT underground station. From here ride to the MRT Sukhumvit station and interchange to the Sukhumvit line in Asoke.
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Buying bus tickets at Ekkamai bus station
Bus tickets can be bought on the day of travel and directly at the counters in the terminal. More frequent bus departures are added depending on demand, especially to popular destinations like Pattaya. So tickets are very rarely sold out.
The only issue is that while tickets may be available, there may not be any seats available on the next departing buses. Therefore, some waiting time of 1 hour or 2 hours, maybe more, should be expected.
Another option is to reserve seats online and avoid having to wait. Online tickets are slightly more expensive than buying in person at the counter.
Search any route from Bangkok below ⤵
Ekkamai bus station – Key Points
Tickets: The bus ticketing booths are located upon entrance to the terminal. Destination and ticket prices are displayed on the booths.
Luggage: Most bus tickets include allowance for one carry-on bag and one larger piece of luggage, which is stored in the bus’s storage compartment, with a combined weight limit of up to 20 kg. Extra weight will be charged.
Scams: Bus dispatchers will tell you to pay a fee for your stored luggage even if it is within the limit. They can be quite persistent, but this fee is just a scam and not necessary. The fee is usually ฿20 ($0.60).
Amenities: Exactly outside Ekkamai bus station there is a 7-Eleven store. There’s a few stalls selling drinks and snacks inside the terminal and in front of the bus parking bays. A popular street food shop which was opened by Mark Weins, a famous food vlogger and YouTuber, is located outside the terminal exit. Lines are often long due to all the social media hype.
Travel from Ekkamai bus station: the travel duration will depend on the destination. But regardless, the majority of buses make a short stop for a break. The average travel time to Trat is 8 hours, Chanthaburi 5 hours, Rayong 3 hours and Pattaya 2 hours.
Conclusion
In short. the Ekkamai bus station is a gateway to regions in Eastern Thailand with the most popular being Pattaya and Trat. Hua Hin is also served by minivans departing from Ekkamai.
However, should you plan going to Southern regions like Chumphon, the buses depart from the Southern bus terminal (Sai Tai Mai).
For destinations like Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui, joint tickets are available that include both bus and ferry travel. These tickets simplify what would otherwise be a complicated journey, ensuring smooth connections from bus to ferry and making the trip hassle-free.
Click on any route below and view options ⤵
→ Bangkok to Chiang Mai (train)
For your Thailand trip ⤵
Thailand is a big country with popular tourist destinations to the North and tropical islands with gorgeous beaches to south.
It’s good to know available options to move around in order to easily plan your trip. The 12Go platform allows you to search for routes easily. Just enter your origin and destination and view a list of available options.
Even complicated routes such as traveling to islands are made easy thanks to the bus+ferry joint tickets. But make sure to book in advance (especially during peak season and holidays) as the best options often sell out.
Attention Peak season is between December and March. Popular routes include all the joint tickets for journeys from Bangkok to the islands. Train tickets especially for sleeper trains (night trains) are often sold out weeks in advance. If you have fixed travel dates its always best to reserve seats in advance, even if traveling outside the peak months.
Click on any route below, select your travel dates and view all options ⤵
→ Bangkok to Chiang Mai (train)
or use the search box box below for other routes including to Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta
Planning Itinerary
Planning a Thailand itinerary can be overwhelming. It’s a big country with loads of destinations and even more interesting things to do. As a result, deciding what things to do and where to stay (hotels) can often feel like an impossible task.
Thankfully there are many ways to simplify the process and avoid turning what should be a fun holiday into a whole lot of stress.
I use a combination of platforms to plan trips which ultimately give me ideas for things to do and other platforms allow me to find the best prices when booking and accommodation such as hotels.
VIATOR – My travel planning always begins by researching things to do. This helps me narrow down the list of places I want to visit. To do this I use Viator, it’s platform to book tours. While I don’t do everything with a tour, browsing through the activities give me an overview for interesting activities in specific destinations. If I like anything and can’t be bothered to research everything myself, then I book it as a tour.
View activities in popular Thailand destinations ⤵
Booking.com – For the widest selection and best hotel prices (often with huge saving) I use booking.com. It’s the best hotel booking platform with a number of features that allow me to find the best hotel for my budget and taste. I often use the map feature in order to get a sense of orientation of the hotel location and can easily visualize anything of interest such as restaurants, bars or tourist spots nearby.
HEY, just so you know…
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