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Phuket is about 830 kilometres south of Bangkok by road, and no railway reaches the island. So for most people, Bangkok to Phuket means a flight: about an hour and a half, from either Bangkok airport, with around 50 departures a day. The overnight bus takes 12 to 14 hours. The train only gets you as far as Surat Thani, and you finish by road. Here’s what each option costs in 2026, which airport to fly from now that Thai AirAsia is back at Suvarnabhumi, and how to get from Phuket Airport to Patong, Kata or Phuket Town without overpaying.
Bangkok to Phuket at a glance
- Flight
- about 1 h 30 from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK); low-cost fares from about 1,200 to 1,500 baht one way when booked ahead, bags extra.
- Thai AirAsia
- back at Suvarnabhumi since 1 October 2026, with about five Phuket flights a day, and up to 15 a day from Don Mueang.
- Overnight bus
- 12 to 14 hours from the Southern Bus Terminal; about 900 to 1,300 baht for a VIP seat.
- Train
- no line to Phuket; take the overnight train to Surat Thani, then 4 to 6 hours by bus or minivan.
- At Phuket Airport
- the Smart Bus runs to Patong, Karon, Kata and Rawai for 100 baht; the taxi counter charges about 700 to 800 baht to Patong.
- Weather
- the Andaman coast is wet from May to October; November to February is dry, busy and dearer.
Bangkok to Phuket: flight, bus or train?
| Option | Journey time | One-way cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | About 1 h 30, plus 3 hours or so at the airports | From about 1,200 baht (low-cost, no checked bag) | Almost everyone |
| Overnight bus | 12 to 14 h | About 600 to 950 baht standard, 900 to 1,300 VIP | Not flying, booking late |
| Train to Surat Thani, then bus | 13 to 18 h in total | About 700 to 1,250 baht with a sleeper berth | Rail fans, a stop at Khao Sok |
| Driving | About 12 h | Fuel, plus a rental car | Road trips with stops on the way |
Bangkok to Phuket flights
This is one of Thailand’s busiest domestic routes, with about 50 flights a day from the two Bangkok airports combined. From Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Thai Airways, Thai Vietjet, Bangkok Airways and Thai AirAsia fly to Phuket. From Don Mueang (DMK), Thai AirAsia runs up to 15 flights a day, alongside Thai Lion Air and Nok Air. A Bangkok to Phuket flight takes about an hour and a half.
Over the summer of 2026, Thai AirAsia pulled its domestic flights out of Suvarnabhumi, Phuket included, from 15 July to 30 September, when jet fuel was costing two to three times its usual price, and flew them from Don Mueang only. They came back on 1 October. So which airport? Whichever is closer to your hotel, or Suvarnabhumi if you’re connecting from an international flight, because the road transfer between the two airports takes an hour or more.
Low-cost fares often start around 1,200 to 1,500 baht one way when booked a few weeks ahead. Thai AirAsia’s cheapest fare allows 7 kg of cabin baggage in total and no checked bag; adding a 20 kg bag online costs roughly 400 to 1,000 baht, and much more at the airport counter. Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways include a checked bag. Prices climb over Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, which falls on 6 February in 2027.
Phuket Airport to Patong, Kata and Phuket Town
The airport is at the northern tip of the island and the busy beaches are well to the south, so count on about an hour to Patong in normal traffic, and longer to Karon and Kata. Here’s how the options compare:
| Option | Where to find it | Cost | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket Smart Bus | Domestic terminal, Entrance 3 | 100 baht flat to Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata and Rawai | Cheapest to the beaches; slow, last bus around 11:30 pm |
| Airport Bus (orange) | Exit 3, then left | Fare by distance, about 100 baht to the old town | For Phuket Town, 8 am to 9 pm |
| Taxi counter | Arrivals hall | About 700 to 800 baht to Patong, 900 to 1,000 to Karon or Kata, 500 to 600 to Phuket Town | Easiest with luggage; fixed price |
| Metered taxi | Arrivals hall | Meter plus a 100-baht airport fee | Usually a little less than the counter |
| Grab or Bolt | Grab counter, Domestic Building 2, first floor, Gate 14 | About 380 to 450 baht to Patong on Grab; Bolt often a bit less | Our pick if your phone works on landing |
The Smart Bus takes cash, a QR payment or a tap of your bank card. For Grab or Bolt, get your Thailand eSIM working before you board in Bangkok, and pay in cash if your card adds a foreign-transaction fee.
Bangkok to Phuket by bus
Long-distance buses to Phuket leave from the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), on the Thonburi side of the river, mostly between about 5:30 and 7 pm. They arrive at Phuket Bus Terminal 2, north of Phuket Town, the next morning, 12 to 14 hours later. Standard seats cost about 600 to 950 baht and VIP seats, with more legroom and fewer seats per row, about 900 to 1,300.
The state Transport Company sells seats online up to 60 days ahead, or 90 before major holidays, and on its 1490 call centre. A Bangkok to Phuket bus only saves money when you book a flight late, and after a night in a reclining seat, you lose most of your first day on the beach. We’d fly.
Bangkok to Phuket by train, via Surat Thani
There is no Bangkok to Phuket train, whatever some booking sites suggest. The nearest you can get by rail is Surat Thani on the Southern Line, and its station is actually at Phun Phin, about 15 km outside the town. Several overnight trains leave Krung Thep Aphiwat in the evening and arrive in the early hours or around breakfast time. An air-conditioned second-class berth costs roughly 650 to 1,000 baht. From Phun Phin, buses and minivans take four to six hours to Phuket for about 230 baht.
Book the train on the State Railway’s D-Ticket site up to 180 days ahead, with your passport, and search from “Krung Thep Aphiwat”, not “Bangkok”. Only agencies such as 12Go sell a combined train and bus ticket. All in, it’s 13 to 18 hours. We’d only do it to break the trip at Khao Sok National Park, which sits on the road between Surat Thani and the Andaman coast.
Phuket or Krabi?
If you’re still choosing a base, Bangkok to Krabi is almost the same trip: flights take about an hour and a half from either airport, with around eight a day from each. Krabi and Phuket are about two hours apart by ferry, so you can fly into one and out of the other.
Weather and dates to plan around
Phuket is on the Andaman coast, where the rainy season runs from May to October and peaks in September; boat trips are often cancelled when the sea gets rough. November to February is dry and busy, and flights cost most over Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. Most Western passports now get 30 days visa-free rather than 60, and every foreign arrival needs a free Thailand Digital Arrival Card before landing in Thailand. Our best time to visit Thailand guide covers the coasts month by month.
What we would actually do
We’d fly, from Suvarnabhumi if we’d just landed from abroad and from Don Mueang if we were staying near the north of Bangkok, and we’d add the checked bag when booking rather than at the airport. In Phuket, we’d take a Grab to the hotel; with only a backpack and a daytime landing, the 100-baht Smart Bus to Patong or Kata.
Arriving in Bangkok first? Our guide to Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok covers both airports, and if you’re heading north as well, see Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Before you go, read up on Thailand currency and tipping in Thailand.
Looking for the rest? Every Thailand guide we’ve published, from the TDAC to the eSIM, is sorted by topic in our Thailand travel guide.
Want a beach without a flight? Pattaya is about two hours from Bangkok by coach. See our guide to getting from Bangkok to Pattaya.
Heading for the Gulf islands instead? Our guide to Bangkok to Koh Samui compares the Bangkok Airways flight with a low-cost flight to Surat Thani and the Donsak ferries.
Before the beach, check the Thailand laws for tourists: the vape ban, the nudity fine and the beach smoking rules.
Would Krabi suit you better than Phuket? Our Bangkok to Krabi guide covers the flights from both airports, the night bus, the train via Surat Thani and the last leg to Ao Nang and Railay.
Sources
- AirAsia Newsroom — Thai AirAsia flights to Phuket resume from Suvarnabhumi on 1 October 2026.
- AirAsia Newsroom — Don Mueang to Phuket schedule for the 2026 high season.
- Nation Thailand — Thai AirAsia’s summer suspension at Suvarnabhumi.
- Phuket International Airport (AOT) — Smart Bus, Airport Bus, taxis and Grab.
- State Railway of Thailand, D-Ticket — online train booking.
- Royal Thai Government (thailand.go.th) — train tickets on sale up to 180 days ahead.
- Transport Co. Ltd — long-distance bus seat reservations.
Data checked: 2026-10-05
