Patong sits on Route 13 between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, and is served by public buses and shared minivans running between those two towns. There is no local transport — arriving and leaving means catching a north or southbound bus from the roadside. Express minivans between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang do not stop here; local buses do.
If you are travelling the Vientiane–Luang Prabang corridor by road, Patong is a natural stop but not a common overnight. Kasi, slightly to the south, has more accommodation options if you want to break the journey.