The nearest airport to Cha Am is in Hua Hin, which has its own small domestic airport servicing daily flights from Thai budget carrier, Nok Air. Although flight schedules change often to tiny destinations like Hua Hin, Nok Air normally operates three flights daily on a 12-seat Cessna caravan 208. The flight takes less than an hour to go from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua Hin.

Not many travellers opt for the flight, however, because it is almost easier and certainly cheaper to hire a private taxi or jump on a shared minibus to get to Cha Am directly from Bangkok. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is the kingdom’s main international airport, handling hundreds of daily flights from all over the globe. It is easy to rent a car at the airport and drive to Cha Am or take a taxi into the city for buses or trains to Cha Am.

Cha Am is well-serviced by land transport such as trains and private long-distance coaches. Trains are a scenic way to reach Cha Am (or Hua Hin), and depart from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong Railway Station several times a day. The train ride takes four hours. A slightly faster way to reach Cha Am is by bus. Five daily buses depart for Cha Am each day from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Dai), and you can always catch a bus to Hua Hin every 20 minutes between 5.00 and 22.00.

Another popular way to travel to Cha Am is by shared mini-bus, which can be arranged at any Bangkok travel shop. If you rent your own car, simply follow Route 35 southwest from Bangkok. It runs straight through Cha Am. Taxis can be hired at the airport or through any travel agency in Bangkok for just a little more than the cost of the bus.

Tiny Cha Am has a single beachfront road, Ruamchit Road (or Beach Road), which follows the shore and contains virtually all of Cha Am’s hotels, restaurants and shops. You can walk to most places around your hotel, or hop in a tuk-tuk, motorcycle taxi, red shared truck taxi (songthaew) or trishaw (samlor) to get around town. Most of these forms of transport will also take you out of town to nearby towns such as Hua Hin. Cars can be rented at some of the major hotels in Cha Am.