How To Get To Ban Chang From Bangkok

[F1Racecar]

I need to get from Bangkok to Ban Chang. I am assuming I need to take the bus from Ekkamai or MoChit. Whats the best way to get there? I need to meet a friend near a school called Garden International School. If I take a bus what bus do I take as the bus stations, especially the one near MoChit, always confuse me. And what is the best way to get back? Also anyone want to chime in about what they think of living in Ban Chang? A friend is traveling from the UK to possibly live there and I know nothing about it. He wont have a car or motorbike to get around. Is it good to live in the city or in Rayong or Pattaya?

[soundman]

Moved to Eastern Thailand forum for local knowledge.

Moved.

[Soutpeel]

The bus route I cant help you with as dont know, but if by car, get on the motorway heading towards Pattaya, once getting close to Pattaya, you will find signs for Rayong (off ramp to the left)....stay on this road until you come to a set of traffic lights (the only set) and turn right at the lights...20km and you will be in the middle of Ban Chang...this is the simplist route..

Maybe someone else can jump in with the bus route..

Been in Ban Chang for nearly 10 years and is an ok place to live, its a "working town"...Garden school is easy enough to find (off Sukhumvit towards the beach)

If living there will certainly need transport to get around

As regards living in Pattaya or Rayong....if working at the Garden School...would be a very long haul every day, about 35km each way to both Rayong and Pattaya

[dsprtliving]

There is a van service that runs from Victory Monument in Bangkok directly to Ban Chang several times a day, and I'm thinking that maybe your only direct route there via public transportation.

[PattayaParent]

There is an express bus that runs from Morchit that will drop you in Ban Chang, sorry don't konw the timings except that there's one about 4pm. I think they're about every 1 hour though.

There's an express bus from Ekkamai to Rayong also but I don't think it goes through Ban Chang, you can get a songthaew from the Rayonf bus station though.

Or there's the regular Rayong bus from Ekkamai that takes 5+ hours that stops at Ban Chang, and everywhere else on the way.

[tvaddict]

As Pattaya parent says the Ekamai bus is very slow as it stops all the way down the Sukhumvit no 3 road at every little place with people jumping on and off all the way- don't get this!!!!

You have 2 options.

1. Use one of the big buses operating out of Morchit to Ban Chang. The Ratanamongkorn Tour company has buses that take 3hr 30 mins going via the motorway and turning east at KiloSip. This is the fastest bus route out of Morchit. Others go via Pattaya and take a bit longer. Get the ticket from one of the kiosks inside on the left, near left entrance way- can't explain easily where it is. Sorry. Just keeping asking for Ban Chang and say motorway. These buses go on through Maptaput to Rayong Bus Station.

2. The other way is to go to the Victory Monument and get on one of the small white minibuses. These go very fast and arrive in Ban Chang within 1hr 40-50 mins. You get the ticket and get on the bus infront of the Fashion Mall. This bus continues on to Maptaput and then Rayong Bus Station.

Once in Ban Chang get off at Tesco Lotus ( the big one - not the Express) and catch a motorbike taxi on the corner there down to the Garden School. It's on that road where Tescos is.

As for living in Ban Chang you friend will need transport as things are spaced out - a motorbike is ok but a car is better for going into Rayong town or Pattaya- both about 30-40 minutes away.

[PattayaParent]

^I've only used the bus from Ban Chang to Morchit and the journey time was around 2.5 hours. should be the same return, no?

[kerryk]

Although they are slower a #46 or #57 bus goes every 20 minutes from Ban Chang to Rayong and Pattaya and Bangkok. Also Song taus go from Ban Chang to Sattahip or the other way to Rayong for 20 baht. Orange Song Taus to Sattahip and Red larger ones to Rayong. From Rayong to Ban Chang you have get the Song Tau marked Ban Chang in Thai or you will have to transfer in Maptaput for another 20 baht. Not really that complicated just ask folks for the Song Tau to Rayong or Sattahip or Ban Chang. You could actually go all the way from Ban Chang to Pattaya by Song Tau but you would have to get off the orange one in Sattahip and walk 100 meters towards Pattaya and board a white one for the rest of the trip to Pattaya.

For transportation in Ban Chang getting a few telephone numbers from motorcycle drivers will insure transportation if you don't find any at the motorcycle driver stands. Ban Chang has far more public transportation options than Rayong IMO.

I used to work in Maptaphut and live in Pattaya and it was 4 hours of bus transportation daily, not a lot of fun. If you had a car it wouldn't be that bad.