In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Jomtien
จอมเทียน
Base in Jomtien for 2–3 nights if you want a Pattaya trip with a 5 km beach, cheaper sea-view rooms and no bar-street pressure; skip it if you want nightlife on your doorstep.
Jomtien is the beach suburb immediately south of Pattaya, in the same municipality but a calmer one: a 5 km seafront with a shaded walkway, no beachfront high-rises, more expat retirees than party crowds, and room rates below Pattaya's for the same sea view. It works as a base for beach days, seafood and day trips, with Pattaya 10 minutes away by baht bus when you want it. Two or three nights covers the beach, the market and one day trip; add nights only if you are here for the winter.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- จอมเทียน
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (dry, 30–32 °C days)Nov–Feb (dry, 86–90 °F days)
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hottest), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ฿2,000–4,000 excl. bed · High ฿4,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Thai noodle or rice dish at a street stall | ฿50–80 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿70–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Coffee or espresso | ฿50–90 |
| Beach chair and parasol, per day | ฿100–200 |
| Foot massage, one hour | about ฿300 |
| Baht bus ride on the beach route | ฿10 |
| Motorbike taxi, Jomtien to Pattaya | about ฿100 |
| Seafood dinner for two, Thai-style | ฿600–1,200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BKK · Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok)
- 389 government bus runs hourly 07:00–21:00 to the Jomtien terminal, 143 baht, roughly 2 h; book a day ahead in high season389 government bus runs hourly 7:00 AM–9:00 PM to the Jomtien terminal, 143 baht, roughly 2 h; book a day ahead in high season
- UTP · U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya
- Closest airport to Jomtien; few flights, so most travellers arrive via Bangkok
Typical fares
- Suvarnabhumi → Jomtien, 389 bus
- 143 baht, hourly 07:00–21:00, roughly 2 h143 baht, hourly 7:00 AM–9:00 PM, roughly 2 h
- Baht bus on the beach road
- ฿10 flat, pay even money
- Motorbike taxi Jomtien → Pattaya
- about ฿100
- Chartered baht bus
- from ฿150 depending on distance
Get around
The beach-road baht bus (songthaew) is the backbone: 10 baht per person flat, both directions, north to Thappraya Rd and on to South Pattaya. Drivers loop back where they like going south, so ask before boarding if you are heading past Chaiyapruek Rd. Motorbike taxis cost about 100 baht to Pattaya, 10 baht for a short hop up a soi. To reach Jomtien 2nd Rd, ride the beach bus to the right soi and walk the 400 m. Chartering a baht bus starts around 150 baht.
See and do
Known for
- Jomtien Beach and Dongtan Beach
- Beach Road baht bus (10 baht flat)
- Rompho and Thepprasit markets
- Seafood and European expat restaurants
- Underwater World aquarium
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pattaya | Beach-road baht bus north, then Thappraya Rd | 10–20 min |
| Underwater World | Baht bus or taxi to Sukhumvit Rd | 15–20 min |
| Pattaya Floating Market | Taxi or baht bus via Sukhumvit Rd | 20–30 min |
| Sattahip and Na Jomtien beaches | Baht bus south along the beach road, or taxi via Sukhumvit Rd | 20–40 min |
| Ko Samet | Bus or taxi to Ban Phe pier, then ferry | 2.5–3.5 h |
| Ko Sichang | Taxi to Sriracha, then ferry | 2–3 h |
Sleep
- Jomtien Beach Road (Jomtien Sai Nueang Rd)
- Sea-view rooms at lower prices than Pattaya; the baht bus runs the length of it. No hotels sit directly on the sand.
- Thappraya Road
- The link road to South Pattaya: condos, restaurants, money changers and the Jomtien Complex. Good if you split time between the two towns.
- Jomtien 2nd Road
- One block back from the beach, around Rompho market and its beer-bar complex; cheaper, no sea view, 400 m walk to the sand.
- Na Jomtien (Sattahip side)
- South of the beach, quieter and further out; many hotels here use "Jomtien" in the name but transport runs via Sukhumvit Rd. Only book if you have your own wheels or want resort isolation.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Stop here, please | จอดที่นี่jot tee nee |
| Not spicy | ไม่เผ็ดmai pet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Baht bus fares are flat 10 baht on the beach route: pay with even money and don't ask for change.
- Motorcycle taxis are fast and risky; helmets are not always offered.
- Hotels in Na Jomtien are in Sattahip municipality, not Jomtien: check the map before booking a "Jomtien" address.
- The old Soi Chaiyapruek bus terminal is closed; the working Jomtien terminal is the car park of the shopping precinct opposite Pan Pan on Beach Rd.
- Jomtien is spelled Chom Tien or Chom Thian on some road signs.
Jomtien is a low-drama beach suburb and the usual Thai beach rules apply: swim inside the buoyed lanes, keep valuables off the sand, and treat the water as the main risk rather than crime. Traffic on Beach Road and Thappraya Rd is the other hazard; baht buses stop without much warning.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Jomtien yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Jomtien Beach and Dongtan Beach
- Beach Road baht bus (10 baht flat)
- Rompho and Thepprasit markets
- Seafood and European expat restaurants
- Underwater World aquarium
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Wikivoyage: Jomtien, revision 5240654 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240654
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Jomtienจอมเทียน
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Jomtien; most countries keep embassies in Bangkok, with honorary consulates in Pattaya.
Baht bus fares are flat and paid in cash; keep small notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/jomtien). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.