Practical guide
Phuket to Koh Phangan
Across the peninsula by coach, then over to Thong Sala
Two Coasts, One Long Day
Phuket is on the Andaman Sea and Koh Phangan is in the Gulf of Thailand, so every route crosses the peninsula by road first, about 290 km to Donsak pier near Surat Thani. The tidy way is Lomprayah's one ticket. Its coach leaves Phuket at 09:30 and the catamaran lands at Thong Sala, Phangan's main pier, at 16:30 for ฿1,400, or ฿1,600 with a hotel or airport pickup. The cheaper way is a Phantip bus and ferry from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 at 08:00, also landing at 16:30, for about ฿600–900.
Check live Phuket → Koh Phangan times and seats on 12Go
The quick way is a 55-minute Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui and a 30-minute boat across, which costs several times as much but lets you leave Phuket after lunch. I'd book the Lomprayah ticket, and fly only if you're short of time.
Arriving in Koh Phangan
Where to stay in Koh Phangan
This route ends in Koh Phangan. Search Koh Phangan hotels with your dates, or narrow it to the area you're heading for. Filter for free cancellation if you want to hold a room and decide later.
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My pick at each price level in Koh Phangan
Key Facts
The bus and ferry is about ฿600–900
Phantip's 08:00 from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 lands at Thong Sala at 16:30. Its 10:00 bus meets the last car ferry and lands at 20:30.
Almost everything lands at Thong Sala
Thong Sala is on the southwest coast. Haad Rin is a 20 to 30 minute songthaew from there, and Thong Nai Pan 45 to 60.
The night boat is the fallback
A 13:40 bus from Bus Terminal 2 connects with the Surat Thani night boat, which reaches Thong Sala at about 05:00 to 06:00.
The Gulf's rough season is October to December
That's the opposite of Phuket's. Rough seas can stop the boats for a day, so leave a spare day before any onward flight.
Every Way From Phuket to Koh Phangan, Compared
| Mode | Leaves Phuket | Arrives Koh Phangan | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lomprayah coach + catamaran | 09:30 from its Wichit office | Thong Sala 16:30 | ฿1,400 |
| Lomprayah with a hotel or airport pickup | 07:30 (Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Nai Harn) or 10:00 (airport) | Thong Sala 16:30 | ฿1,600 |
| Lomprayah to your Phangan hotel | 09:30, 07:30 or 10:00 | About 17:30 | ฿1,600–1,800 |
| Phantip bus + ferry | Bus Terminal 2, 08:00 | Thong Sala 16:30 | About ฿600–900 |
| Bus + the last car ferry | Bus Terminal 2, 10:00 | Thong Sala 20:30 | About ฿600 |
| Fly to Koh Samui + boat | Bangkok Airways 09:45 to 14:15 | About 16:00–18:00 | About ฿3,900–4,600 + ฿200–500 |
| Bus + night boat | Bus Terminal 2, 13:40 | 05:00–06:00 next day | About ฿765 |
Lomprayah's times and fares from its own 2026 timetable; the bus-and-ferry tickets, the night boat and the flights from 12Go for a mid-November weekday, where the operators print none.
Phuket → Koh Phangan
Check live tickets from Phuket to Koh Phangan
12Go shows the Lomprayah, Phantip and Raja tickets with their Phuket pickups, plus the night-boat combinations, with seats for your date.
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Lomprayah's Coach and Catamaran
Lomprayah runs the whole trip on one ticket. The coach leaves its office in Wichit, just west of Phuket Town, at 09:30, crosses the peninsula to Donsak pier, and the catamaran calls at Nathon on Samui at 15:45 before landing at Thong Sala at 16:30, for ฿1,400. The hotel pickup collects you at 07:30 in Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai or Nai Harn, and the airport pickup meets you at Gates 1–2 at 10:00, both for ฿1,600.
For ฿200 more the ticket carries on to your Phangan hotel, arriving at about 17:30, which saves finding a songthaew at the pier. Lomprayah's drops cover the whole island except Thong Nai Pan. There's one departure a day, so book a few days ahead in the high season and around the Full Moon Party.
The Cheaper Bus and Ferry
Phantip's bus leaves Phuket Bus Terminal 2, north of Phuket Town, at 08:00, connects with a ferry at Donsak and lands at Thong Sala at 16:30, for about ฿600–900 depending on the seller. A 07:30 bus lands at the same time for about ฿960, and agencies sell hotel pickups in the beach towns from 07:00 for about ฿1,050–1,300. The ferries take about 2.5 hours from Donsak, against an hour on Lomprayah's catamaran, which is most of the difference in price.
If you miss the morning buses, Phantip's 10:00 meets the last car ferry of the day and lands at Thong Sala at 20:30 for about ฿600. After that, the 13:40 bus connects with the Surat Thani night boat, which leaves the riverfront in town at 22:00 or 23:00 and reaches Thong Sala at about 05:00 to 06:00, for about ฿765 on one ticket. Our Surat Thani to Koh Phangan guide has every boat from the mainland side.
Arriving in Koh Phangan
Top-Ranked Hotels in Koh Phangan
The top of my ranked list of the 10 best hotels in Koh Phangan. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#2Panviman Resort4.5 (1,679 reviews)
Refined hotel with elegant rooms, plus free breakfast, an open-air restaurant & an outdoor pool.
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#6Cookies Salad Resort4.4 (670 reviews)
Laid-back beach resort offering rustic-chic quarters, airy dining & a pool, plus free breakfast.
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#7Sabaii Bay Resort Koh Phangan4.1 (587 reviews)
A beachside resort on Koh Phangan offering relaxed island accommodation with daily reception hours.
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Flying via Koh Samui
Bangkok Airways flies Phuket to Samui six times a day, at 09:45, 11:00, 12:55, 14:15, 16:35 and 17:30, in 55 minutes, for about ฿3,900–4,600 on a November weekday and more in December. Samui's airport is five to ten minutes from the Bangrak piers, a Grab of about ฿220–280, and the boats to Thong Sala take 20 to 50 minutes for ฿200–500.
Phangan stays in reach later than Koh Tao does. Any flight up to the 14:15, landing at 15:10, connects with the Lomprayah boats from Bangrak, the last of which leaves at 17:30. Even the 16:35, landing at 17:30, can make Echo Travel's 18:30 or 20:30 speedboat to Baan Tai, or the Haad Rin Queen speedboat to Haad Rin at 18:30. Our Koh Samui to Koh Phangan guide has every pier and sailing.
Koh Phangan to Phuket
Going back, Lomprayah's 11:00 from Thong Sala reaches its Phuket office at 18:30 for ฿1,400, or ฿1,600 with a 10:00 pickup at your Phangan hotel. Songserm's 12:40 speedboat and van reaches Phuket Bus Terminal 2 at about 19:00 for about ฿1,700. The cheaper tickets leave earlier, Phantip at 08:30 with the Seatran ferry, reaching the bus terminal at about 17:00 from about ฿750, and Raja's buses and car ferries at 05:00, 08:00 and 11:00 for about ฿620–650. The night boat leaves Thong Sala at 22:00 and connects with buses that reach Phuket around midday.
To fly, Lomprayah sells a ticket from Thong Sala to Samui airport for ฿500, boat and van, roughly hourly from 07:30 to 18:00, arriving about an hour after you sail. Bangkok Airways flies back to Phuket at 08:15, 11:10, 12:30, 15:05, 15:50 and 18:15. Give the flight 2.5 hours from the boat's arrival at Bangrak, so a morning boat suits the 12:30 or anything after.
Planning the rest of the trip?
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Phuket to Koh Phangan.
Take Lomprayah's one-ticket coach and catamaran, leaving Phuket at 09:30 and landing at Thong Sala at 16:30 for ฿1,400 (฿1,600 with a hotel or airport pickup), or Phantip's 08:00 bus and ferry from Bus Terminal 2 for about ฿600–900. To save time, fly Bangkok Airways to Koh Samui and take a 20 to 50 minute boat.
Not directly. Phuket is on the Andaman coast and Koh Phangan is in the Gulf, so every ticket is a bus or coach across the peninsula to Donsak pier plus a boat, or a flight to Koh Samui plus a boat.
About 7 hours on Lomprayah's coach and catamaran (09:30 → 16:30), 8.5 hours on Phantip's bus and ferry, 55 minutes in the air to Samui plus a 20 to 50 minute boat if you fly, and about 16 hours by bus and the night boat.
Koh Phangan has no airport. Fly Bangkok Airways from Phuket to Koh Samui, six flights a day for about ฿3,900–4,600, and take a boat from Bangrak to Thong Sala for ฿200–500. Flights up to the 14:15 connect with the Lomprayah boats.
The bus and ferry from Phuket Bus Terminal 2, about ฿600–900 with Phantip at 08:00, or the 13:40 bus and night boat for about ฿765.
Lomprayah's 11:00 from Thong Sala reaches Phuket at 18:30 for ฿1,400, Songserm's 12:40 reaches Bus Terminal 2 at about 19:00, and Phantip's 08:30 reaches it at about 17:00 from about ฿750. Or take a boat to Samui and fly.
Where to stay in Koh Phangan
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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