How to get to Phuket

Table of contents

1. How to get to Phuket from another country
2. How to get to Phuket from Bangkok
3. How to get to Phuket from Ko Lipe
4. How to get to Phuket from Krabi
5. How to get to Phuket from Railay
6. How to get to Phuket from Pattaya
7. How to get to Phuket from Ko Lanta
8. How to get to Phuket from Hua Hin
9. How to get to Phuket from Ko Samui
10. How to get to Phuket from Ko Pha Ngan island
11. How to get to Phuket from Ko Tao island

Phuket is the largest island in Thailand. This island is interesting for tourists because it has many large and beautiful beaches, stunning viewpoints, and a vibrant nightlife – much like Pattaya.

See also a map and description of the best beaches and other tourist spots: Phuket: the largest and most popular tourist island in Thailand

From a transport point of view, the peculiarity of Phuket is that it has an international airport – planes fly here from all over the world. Phuket is also connected to Thailand by domestic flights.

Since Phuket is an island, it is connected by water to the islands of the Andaman Sea and other sea coasts of Thailand.

In addition, Phuket is connected to the mainland by a large road bridge.

In general, as you can see, from the point of view of transport connections, Phuket is doing well.

How to get to Phuket from another country

On the island of Phuket there is a place on the beach over which planes descend to land at the airport, which is located here, behind the fence. I've been there – planes land every few minutes. This in itself is an amazing sight. But I was also impressed by the number of flights – there are a lot of them!

If you are planning to visit Thailand, namely the island of Phuket, then it is likely that there is a direct flight from your country to this wonderful place. You can find the cheapest tickets to Phuket, both direct and with transfers, using the following form:

How to get to Phuket from Bangkok

There are two main options to travel to Phuket from Bangkok:

1. By plane. Travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes. Airfare from 1800 baht.
2. By bus. Travel time is about 12 hours, the price of bus tickets is 800-1200 baht.

I think in terms of convenience and speed, the choice in favor of an airplane is obvious, since prices do not differ much.

But there may be nuances, for example, if you have a lot of luggage, then transporting it by plane will be more expensive than by bus.

The arrival points also differ: the airport is located in the northern part of the island (closer to the bridge to the mainland), and bus stations (there are two of them in Phuket) are located in the southeastern part of the island.

How to get to Phuket from Ko Lipe

Speedboats operate between Ko Lipe and Phuket.

For details, see the note: Speedboat between the islands of the Andaman Sea

The speedboat ride will take approximately 5 hours 30 minutes and cost 2,500 baht.

If you have a lot of extra time, you can take a fast boat to the mainland and from there travel to Phuket by minivan. This option will take 9.5-10 hours. But you can save a lot on the ticket price; in total, the price of all tickets for connecting flights will be approximately 1,500 baht.

How to get to Phuket from Krabi

There are three options to arrive to Phuket from Krabi:

1. By plane. There are no direct flights, but there are connecting flights within Thailand. As a result, the price is quite high, and there is practically no time gain. That is, this is not the best option.

2. By land by minivan or bus. Price starts from 320 baht. Travel time is about 3 hours. That is, this is a great way to travel from Krabi to Phuket.

3. On the water on a speedboat. Price starts from 1100 baht. Travel time is 1-2 hours. This is the fastest way to get from Rabi to Phuket.

How to get to Phuket from Railay

Railay is located next to Krabi, so you can get to Krabi and then follow the tips from the section:

• How to get to Phuket from Krabi

Alternatively, you can reach Phuket from Krabi by speedboat. Travel time 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 50 minutes. Tickets cost about 1100 baht.

How to get to Phuket from Pattaya

There is a direct bus flight from Pattaya to Phuket, travel time 18 hours, cost about 950 baht. This is a convenient option – the bus arrives in Phuket early in the morning.

There is also a direct flight from UTP Rayong Airport to Phuket. But UTP Rayong Airport is not located close to Pattaya and the cost of tickets for a single flight is about 5,000 baht. In my opinion, if you want to take a plane, then it is more rational to get to Bangkok and choose any of the many flights to Phuket.

You can check the schedule using the following form:

But in my opinion, it is more convenient to get from Pattaya to Bangkok and from there choose one of the many bus or plane flights to Phuket.

See also:

• How to get to Phuket from Bangkok

How to get to Phuket from Ko Lanta

Even though both of these places are islands, there are several ways to get from Ko Lanta to Phuket.

1. From Ko Lanta there is a direct speedboat to Phuket. The cost of the trip is 1,500 baht, the travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes – this is the fastest way to get from one island to another.

For details, see the note: Speedboat between the islands of the Andaman Sea

2. Ferry from Ko Lanta to Phuket. This route also passes exclusively by water, it takes 3-3.5 hours, tickets cost from 700 baht.

3. Finally, you can travel from Ko Lanta to the mainland and use land transportation there. The total cost of connecting flights (ferry fee and minivan fee) will be 600-800 baht. Travel time is 6-8 hours.

In general, you have a lot to choose from. You can check all options, flight schedules and their costs using the following form for any date:

How to get to Phuket from Hua Hin

There is a direct bus from Hua Hin to Phuket.

Travel time is 14.5 hours. Cost about 1000 baht.

How to get to Phuket from Ko Samui

Despite the fact that both of these places are islands, they are separated by the mainland and are located in different seas: Phuket washes the Andaman Sea, and Ko Samui washes the Gulf of Thailand, which belongs to the South China Sea.

Luckily, if you want to get directly to Phuket from Ko Samui, there are direct flights available. The flight takes only 1 hour. Tickets cost 4000-4300 baht.

If you are short on money but have plenty of time, you can use connecting flights: take a ferry to the mainland and then take a bus to Phuket. This option will cost you from 660 to 1100 baht. In time, such a journey will take from 6.5 to 8 hours.

How to get to Phuket from Ko Pha Ngan island

Ko Pha Ngan does not have an airport, but the island is adjacent to Ko Samui, which has an airport with direct flights to Phuket. If you want to take a short sea trip to the island, you can take a fast boat to Ko Samui.

And then follow the tips from the section:

• How to get to Phuket from Ko Samui

Or you can use a combination of ferry and land transport (buses and minivans). In total, it will take you 7.5-10 hours and will cost approximately 800 baht.

How to get to Phuket from Ko Tao island

There are two options to get from Ko Tao to Phuket:

1. Fast boat to the mainland and then bus to Phuket. This option will take 7.5-8 hours and cost 1600 baht.

2. Slow ferry (it goes almost all night to the mainland) and then by bus to Phuket. This method will take 15.5-16 hours. The price will be approximately 1250 baht.