Bangkok to Khao Lak

About 50 flights a day leave Bangkok for Phuket, from about 06:10 until nearly midnight. Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air fly from Don Mueang, and Thai Airways, Thai VietJet and Bangkok Airways from Suvarnabhumi, where Thai AirAsia also runs some of its flights. If you've just landed at Suvarnabhumi on an international flight, book one from there and skip the 60 to 90 minutes across town to Don Mueang. Booked two to four weeks out, fares usually run ฿1,000–2,500 before bags, and December, January and Songkran push them up.

Khao Lak is 75 km from Phuket's terminal to Nang Thong and 81 km to Khuk Khak, up Highway 402 over the Sarasin Bridge, and the drive takes 80 to 100 minutes. The official taxi counter in arrivals charges a fixed ฿1,800 for a car for up to three people and ฿2,000 to Khuk Khak, a pre-booked transfer costs about the same with a driver waiting inside, and shared vans with hotel drop-off are ฿550–750 a seat. The cheap public bus north doesn't come to the airport, it starts at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 in town. A morning flight from Bangkok puts you on the beach by early afternoon.

Only if the fares are much lower. Krabi airport is about 140 km from Khao Lak, more than two hours by car, and Surat Thani airport is about 173 km, close to two hours and 40 minutes. Both drives cost more than the Phuket one, and Phuket has far more flights from Bangkok. Surat Thani is worth it only if you're stopping in Khao Sok on the way, because Khao Sok sits on the road between them.

On 9 September 2026 BKS, the state bus company also called Transport Co., started a direct route from Bangkok through Takua Pa and Khao Lak to Thap Lamu pier, the boat pier for the Similan Islands just south of Khao Lak. It's a 24-seat first-class VIP coach that leaves Mo Chit 2 at 18:35 and calls at the Southern Bus Terminal on the way out of the city, then runs down the west coast through Hua Hin, Ranong, Khura Buri and Takua Pa. The fare is ฿1,075. BKS sells it on its own website, on the BKS E-Ticket app, through its LINE account @BKS99 and at its counters, and it didn't publish an arrival time, so ask where in Khao Lak to get off when you buy.

I'd pick this coach over the private night buses. Twenty-four seats means wide recliners, and it's the one ticket I found that takes you to Khao Lak without a change of bus in the dark.

There's no railway to Khao Lak. The closest station is Surat Thani, at Phun Phin, about 178 km away. Express No. 85 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 19:50 and arrives at 06:23, and a second-class berth costs about ฿700–1,000 at the station. From the station forecourt, buses toward Phuket leave at 07:20, 09:20 and 10:20, cross the peninsula past Khao Sok and Takua Pa and drop you on the highway in Khao Lak about four hours later, for ฿370 on 12Go.

That puts you in Khao Lak around 11:30 on the 07:20 bus, about the same as the private night buses and with a proper bed for the night. It's also the natural way to stop in Khao Sok, which is two hours along the same road. Our Bangkok to Surat Thani guide has all ten trains and the fares, and Surat Thani to Khao Sok covers the stop.

Khao Lak is a 20 km string of beaches along Highway 4 rather than a town, and buses stop on the highway, not at a terminal. Tell the driver your beach, Nang Thong, Bang Niang or Khuk Khak, and you'll be let off at the nearest junction. The resorts sit a short ride down side roads toward the sea, and songthaew taxis wait at the stands in Bang Niang and Nang Thong to take you the rest of the way. The bus-and-van tickets end at hotels or a named stop, so check yours before you book. Our Khao Lak guide covers which beach suits you.

For a flight, book a car to Phuket airport the night before, about ฿1,500–1,800 from hotels and local firms, and leave three and a half to four hours before departure. Flights back to Bangkok run all day. Our Khao Lak to Phuket guide has the cars and the local bus.

By bus, the BKS coach leaves Thap Lamu pier at 17:00 and comes up through Khao Lak, so ask your hotel or BKS where to board. The private buses leave earlier. On 12Go, a bus leaves at 13:00 and reaches Bangkok at 04:50 for about ฿893, a Raja express at 14:00 arrives at 08:30 for about ฿980, and a cluster of buses and van-and-bus tickets leave between 16:00 and 16:45 and arrive around 05:00 to 07:00 for ฿900–1,150, most of them at Mo Chit.

By train, take a bus from Khao Lak to Surat Thani's station at Phun Phin, at 08:20, 09:30, 10:40, 11:30, 13:10 or 15:40, about four hours for ฿370 on 12Go. The 13:10 makes every evening train north, including Express No. 86 at 19:31 and No. 84 at 20:23, both arriving in Bangkok around 06:00 to 07:00. Our Bangkok to Surat Thani guide has the full northbound timetable.