Chai yo! Passengers arrive in Pattaya happy after a train ride from Bangkok.
Traveling to Pattaya usually means taxis, buses and cars. But the Tourism Authority of Thailand says visiting the city by train can be a fun, alternative way to see the sights.
Almost 170 Thai tourists left Bangkok’s Hua Lam Pong rail station Oct. 23 for a whirlwind tour of Pattaya, including the Four Regions Floating Market and Naklua’s Sanctuary of Truth. The journey was one of four “Hugging the Bolster” tours TAT organized with Thailand’s state railway authority during October to showcase tourist attractions in Pattaya, Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin and Saraburi.
TAT Pattaya office director Niti Kongkrut said the tour introduced travelers to local Thai artistic and cultural attractions and showcased rail travel, which is often overlooked in favor of cars and buses.
The limited trains held between 150 and 170 people and, during October, visited the Ayutthaya Floating Market, King Naraesuan Monument, Huay Monkol Temple, Hua Hin Hill Vineyard and Saraburi Dairy Farm, among other attractions.
