Where am I again?
Region: Southern Thailand> Province: Phuket> Location: Phuket Town

Getting There and Away

Air

Phuket International Airport
There are 12 minivan departures daily to the airport, costing 100B, starting at 05:30 and taking one hour. They all start at the bus station on Phang Nga Road, but there are nine pick-ups along the way -- get a schedule at the bus station to find the one near you or call (076) 232 371 or (01) 415 2211. The 05:30 doesn't run on weekends and public holidays.

Bus

Since there are no trains in this neck of the woods, Phuket is all about the buses.

Bangkok
The most expensive, and comfortable, way to get to Bangkok is on one of the VIP buses. The small (24-seat) bus costs 970B, and there are seven departures between 07:30 and 18:00. The big (36 seat) bus costs 644B, seven departures daily, between 07:00 and 18:00. Tickets can be bought at any one of three VIP ticket booths in and around the bus station.

Regular air-con buses also leave from the bus terminal, 12 departures daily between 06:00 and 19:30. The ones that pass through Ranong cost 501B, and the trip takes 14 hours. The ones that pass through Surat Thani take the new highway, so the trip is faster and cheaper -- costing 487B and taking 12 hours. None of these buses have toilets.

Chumphon
There are only three daily departures to Chumphon, at 08:10, 11:50 and 14:00, costing 320B, taking 6 hours 20 minutes, but we can't recommend you take the bus unless you're connecting to another bus headed north or south. These buses stop at the new bus station on Petchakasem Road (Highway 4) which is 10 km from the centre of Phuket town. There's no regular songthaew service to and from the station, and a tuk-tuk or motortaxi will cost about 100B. A better option is to hop on a Bangkok bound bus and get off at Ranong (230B), then it's a 10B songthaew ride to the market, and a short walk to where the minivans depart for Chumphon (100B, 2 hours). They drop you off right in the centre of town.

Hat Yai
There are six, second class buses departing daily between 06:25 and 20:30, 298B (no toilets), and the trip takes 8 hours. There are eight first class buses between 07:30 and 21:30, 346B, 7 hours. There's one 24-seat VIP 'sleeper' bus leaving at 21:45, 535B, 7 hours.

Krabi
The cheapest way to get to Krabi is to plan to catch the fan bus leaving at 11:25 or 15:50, 80B, takes 4 hours. There are three 2nd class departures mid-day, 115B, 3 1/2 hours, and hourly first-class buses, 146B, 3 hours.

Ko Samui
Fortunately for the travel agents, most travellers don't know this, but you can buy a bus/boat combo ticket at the bus station to get you to Ko Samui directly from Phuket -- 375B, leaves at 10:00, takes 8 hours total.

Surat Thani
There are eleven fan buses leaving for Surat Thani daily, between 04:45 and 15:30, 195B, takes 6 hours. First class buses leave at 7:30 and 9:00, 210B, 5 hours. There are also six minibus departures, between 07:00 and 17:00, 260B, 4 1/2 hours.

Takua Pa
You'll be headed here if you're planning a trip to the Similan Islands. There are ten departures between 06:20 and 18:00, 66B, fan bus only. The trip takes 3 hours.

Trang
Only one fan bus leaving from Phuket -- 12:25, 115B, 6 hours. Second class buses cost 190B, leaving six times a day from 06:00 until 15:20. First-class costs 241B, departures roughly every hour between 07:00 and 18:30, and the trip takes 5 hours.

Songtheaws to the Beach

The songthaews clog Ranong Road along the market, just west of the roundabout, in front of the Phuket Backpacker. They leave regularly from 06:30 to 17:00. The last one back from most beaches leaves at around 17:30, but don't miss it, because a tuk-tuk or taxi will cost between 200 and 400B.

Beach to Beach Travel

Any time you see a songthaew that goes to more than one beach -- say, Kata and Karon -- you can catch it to go from beach to beach, which is the cheapest way to go. There are tuk-tuk rates for beach to beach travel fixed by the TAT and published on the back of the bus schedules, available at the bus station in Phuket Town and many travel agencies and tourist information centers. But the tuk-tuk drivers ignore these fares, and even if you show them the TAT brochure, they won't take you for the legally-mandated rates. Here are some examples we picked up in Patong by bargaining with many tuk-tuk drivers just as hard as ever we could.

From Patong
Karon Beach (TAT Fare)100B Reality 150-200B
Kata Beach (TAT Fare)150B Reality 300B
Nai Harn Beach (TAT Fare)190B Reality 400B
Kamala Beach (TAT Fare)120B Reality 250B
Surin Beach (TAT Fare)150B Reality 300B

But it should never cost more than 55B to get from beach to beach in Phuket during day-light hours. All you have to do is take a songthaew to Phuket Town, and catch another to the beach you're headed for. Convenient, eh?

Getting Around

Bus
There's a public microbus service that runs along two routes -- the Big C to Saphan Hin route will be the one most useful to tourists. Maps can be picked up at the bus station. Costs 10B.

Taxi and Tuk Tuks
A motortaxi should only charge 20B for destinations within Phuket Town itself, and they usually do. Tuk tuks and songtheaws will try to charge much more, so bargain hard.

Car and Motorbike
There are numerous places to rent cars and motorbikes around town, but people seem to be pretty happy with Pure Car Rent (75 Rasada Rd. T: (076) 211 002)

If you're getting around on foot Phuket Town is easy-enough to navigate, but the second you get into a car or onto a motorbike, it becomes the embodiment of the phrase "You can't get there from here". To ease traffic flow, most all of the the streets at the centre of town are one-way. While this keeps things moving nicely, it also means that you often have to travel a very long distance in order to go a short distance properly. Studying the map of town will help a little, but mostly you'll just have to feel your way around, and if you find yourself thinking "This can't be the quickest route," rest assured, it probably is.