Thailand · Road trips
Road distances and drive times from Bangkok (2026 table)
How far, how long and which road, from Bangkok and from Suvarnabhumi Airport, with the source of every figure.
Updated · Checked against official sources
From Bangkok, Ayutthaya is about 80 km (about 1.5 hours by road), Pattaya about 145 km (2 to 2.5 hours), Hua Hin about 200 km (2.5 to 3 hours), Korat about 250 km (3 to 3.5 hours), Sukhothai about 440 km (5.5 to 6 hours) and Chiang Mai about 685–700 km (8 to 9 hours). Times are typical road times with normal traffic; weekend and holiday traffic adds more.
How to read the figures: kilometres and times come from the operators' published route data and a 27 September 2026 research round (marked N), or from road routing without traffic (marked O, a floor rather than a promise). The Sources section lists each one.
How far is it from Bangkok, and how long does the drive take?
Short answer: find your destination below. "Bangkok" means a central Bangkok hotel; "BKK" means Suvarnabhumi Airport.
| Destination | From Bangkok | From BKK airport | Main road | Without a car | Pre-booked car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayutthaya | About 80 km · about 1 h 30 (N) | About 90 km · about 1 h 30 (N) | — | Train or van | Bangkok to Ayutthaya |
| Damnoen Saduak Floating Market | About 100 km · 1 h 30–2 h (N) | About 127 km · about 2 h (N) | Rama 2 (Highway 35) | Bus, van or tour | Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak |
| Ratchaburi town | About 103 km · 1 h 30–2 h (N) | — | — | Train (southern line) or bus | — |
| Pattaya | About 145 km (O) · 2 h–2 h 30 (N) | About 115 km (O) · 1 h 30–2 h (N) | — | Bus from Ekkamai | Airport to Pattaya Taxi |
| Kanchanaburi town | About 130 km · about 2 h 30 (N) | About 170–175 km · 2 h 30–3 h (N) | M81 motorway | Train (western line) or bus | Kanchanaburi Taxi |
| Khao Yai (Pak Chong and Thanarat Road) | About 170 km to Pak Chong (O) · about 2 h 30 (N) | About 195–205 km · 2 h–2 h 30 (N) | Mittraphap Road (Highway 2) | Train or bus to Pak Chong | Khao Yai Taxi |
| Hua Hin | About 200 km · 2 h 30–3 h (N) | About 200–220 km · 2 h 30–3 h 30 (N) | Phetkasem Road (Highway 4) | Train (southern line), bus or van | Hua Hin Taxi |
| Ban Phe pier (Koh Samet boats) | About 200 km (N) · 2 h 25 without traffic (O) | About 200 km · 2 h 30–3 h (N) | — | Bus from Ekkamai | Bangkok to Ban Phe pier |
| Sai Yok (River Kwai resorts) | About 200–215 km · 3 h–3 h 30 (N) | About 220–240 km · 3 h 30–4 h (N) | M81 motorway, then Highway 323 | Train to Nam Tok station | Bangkok to Sai Yok |
| Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) | About 250 km · 3 h–3 h 30 (N) | About 267 km · about 3 h 30 (N) | Highways 1 and 2 (Mittraphap Road) | Train or bus | Bangkok to Korat |
| Koh Chang ferry pier (Ao Thammachat, Trat) | About 310 km · 4 h–4 h 30 (N) | About 320 km · 4 h–4 h 30 (N) | — | Bus to Trat, then ferry | Koh Chang Taxi |
| Sukhothai | About 440 km · 5 h 30–6 h (N) | About 460–470 km · about 6 h (N) | — | Flight to THS or PHS, or bus | Bangkok to Sukhothai |
| Khon Kaen | About 440 km · 5 h 30–6 h 30 (N) | About 457 km · about 6 h (N) | Via Korat, Highway 2 | Flight to KKC, train or bus | Bangkok to Khon Kaen |
| Udon Thani | About 565 km · at least 7 h (O) | About 585 km · at least 7 h 25 (O) | Via Korat and Khon Kaen | Flight to UTH, train or bus | — |
| Ubon Ratchathani | About 605 km · at least 7 h 40 (O) | About 610 km · at least 7 h 55 (O) | — | Flight to UBP, train or bus | — |
| Chiang Mai | About 685–696 km (O, P) · at least 8 h 35 (O) | About 700 km · 8–9 h (N) | — | Flight to CNX or overnight train | Chiang Mai Taxi |
N = published by the transfer operators or the September 2026 research round; O = road routing without traffic (a minimum, rounded); P = the Chiang Mai provincial office's figure. Pre-booked fares are per vehicle, one way, tolls included, and are shown on each operator's page.
How long are the drives between Thai cities, not via Bangkok?
Short answer: most onward legs on a first trip are 1 to 5 hours. Ayutthaya to Sukhothai is the longest here (about 370 km, 4.5 to 5 hours); Korat to Phimai and Udon Thani to Nong Khai take about an hour.
| Leg | Distance | Typical drive | Road and notes | Pre-booked car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayutthaya – Sukhothai | About 370 km | 4 h 30–5 h | — | Ayutthaya to Sukhothai |
| Sukhothai – Chiang Mai | About 320 km | 4–5 h | Route 1 via Lampang; hill sections on a divided highway | Sukhothai to Chiang Mai |
| Ayutthaya – Khao Yai | About 112 km to Pak Chong; 120–140 km to Thanarat Road hotels | About 2 h | Figures are estimates | — |
| Ayutthaya – Kanchanaburi | About 144 km | About 2 h | West via Suphan Buri; does not go through Bangkok | — |
| Korat – Phimai Historical Park | About 60 km | About 1 h | Highways 2 and 206 | Korat to Phimai |
| Korat – Khon Kaen | About 190 km | 2 h 30–3 h | Highway 2, no tolls | Korat to Khon Kaen |
| Khon Kaen – Udon Thani | About 115–120 km | Under 2 h | Highway 2, no tolls | Khon Kaen to Udon Thani |
| Udon Thani – Nong Khai | About 55 km | 50–60 min | Nong Khai sits at the Friendship Bridge to Laos; Thai taxis stop at Thai immigration | Udon Thani to Nong Khai |
| Ubon Ratchathani – Khong Chiam | About 81 km | About 1 h 20 | Via Warin Chamrap and Phibun Mangsahan; Pha Taem is roughly 15–20 km further | Ubon to Khong Chiam |
| Kanchanaburi town – Sai Yok | About 60 km to the Resotel pier (River Kwai Jungle Rafts); 62 km to Sai Yok Noi waterfall and Nam Tok station; 82 km to Hellfire Pass; 100 km to Sai Yok National Park | About 1 h; 1 h; 1 h 20; 1 h 45 | Highway 323, measured from the Kanchanaburi bus terminal | Kanchanaburi to Sai Yok |
| Damnoen Saduak – Kanchanaburi | About 92 km | About 1 h 30 | Via Bang Phae and Ban Pong | — |
| Damnoen Saduak – Hua Hin | About 140 km | About 2 h 15 | Highways 35 and 325, then Phetkasem Road | Damnoen Saduak to Hua Hin |
| Pattaya – Ban Phe pier | About 80 km | Not published | Figure is an estimate | — |
| Ban Phe pier – Koh Chang ferry pier | About 180–185 km | 2 h 30–3 h | Highway 3 through Chanthaburi | Ban Phe to Koh Chang pier |
A dash means no fixed-price route page exists for that leg yet; the operators quote such trips by message.
What should I know before a long drive in Thailand?
Short answer: allow more than the typical time on Friday and Sunday afternoons and holiday weekends, plan a break every couple of hours on the long runs north and north-east, and budget separately for ferries, national-park fees and temple tickets, which no transfer fare includes.
- Tolls: every fare on the Smile Taxi Service network is per vehicle, one way, with expressway tolls included.
- Not included: boats and ferries (Koh Samet, Koh Chang, the river-only Sai Yok resorts), national-park and historical-park entry, attraction tickets.
- Weekend traffic: on the Hua Hin road, Friday afternoons southbound and Sunday afternoons northbound are slower; allow 4.5 to 5 hours on holiday weekends.
- Islands: Koh Samet has no road access, and Koh Chang transfers end at the mainland ferry pier; you board the boat on foot.
- Day trips: Damnoen Saduak is a morning market, so private day trips from Bangkok usually leave at 06:00–07:00 and are back by 13:00–14:00.
- Driving yourself: Thailand drives on the left.
Stops and detours on a pre-booked transfer are quoted by message before the trip. For the airport end of a trip, see Suvarnabhumi transfer options; for trains, buses and flights between cities, see getting around Thailand. The network's operator is Smile Taxi Service; its 22 regional sites are listed in the resources directory.
Transparency: Smile Taxi Service and the regional transfer sites linked on this page are affiliated with Asia Travel Forum. Everything we say about them comes from the operator's published terms.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Chiang Mai from Bangkok by road?
About 685 to 700 km, depending on the start and end points; the Chiang Mai provincial office gives 696 km. Road routing without traffic needs at least 8.5 hours, and transfer operators quote 8 to 9 hours from Suvarnabhumi, so most travelers fly or take the overnight train.
How long is the drive from Bangkok to Sukhothai?
About 440 km and 5.5 to 6 hours from central Bangkok, or about 6 hours from Suvarnabhumi. The alternative is a flight to Sukhothai (THS) from Suvarnabhumi or to Phitsanulok (PHS) from Don Mueang, then about an hour by road.
Can I drive from Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi without going back through Bangkok?
Yes. The road runs west via Suphan Buri, about 144 km and about 2 hours, which is shorter than returning to Bangkok and driving out again.
Are tolls included in a private transfer price?
On the Smile Taxi Service network, yes: fares are per vehicle, one way, with expressway tolls included. Ferries, national-park fees and attraction tickets are never included.
How long does it take to get from Bangkok to Pattaya?
About 2 to 2.5 hours from central Bangkok (about 145 km) and 1.5 to 2 hours from Suvarnabhumi (about 115 km), which lies on the Pattaya side of the city.
Sources
- N: published route data of the Smile Taxi Service network sites (Ayutthaya, Ratchaburi, Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi, Ban Phe, Korat, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon, Sukhothai, Khao Yai, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, Chiang Mai and Pattaya sites), checked 27 Sep 2026
- N: regional research round of 27 Sep 2026 for the new network sites, using route planners (Rome2rio), transfer-operator route data and OSRM routing, with each figure tagged by confidence; figures from a single source are shown with "about"
- O: Project OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data, queried 27 Sep 2026 from Democracy Monument (Bangkok) and the Suvarnabhumi terminal; free-flow times, rounded to 5 km and 5 minutes
- P: Chiang Mai province (Thai), citing the Chiang Mai Provincial Office: 696 km — Wikipedia, checked 27 Sep 2026
- Cross-check: Hua Hin district (Thai): 196 km, 2.5–3 hours by road — Wikipedia, checked 27 Sep 2026
- The Department of Highways' inter-province distance table could not be used: its data page returned an error on 27 Sep 2026.