Practical guide
Phuket to Krabi
Road or sea — and the sea route drops you at Railay.
- Logistics
- Easy
- Updated
- 29 Aug 2026
The Honest Answer: Van by Default, Boat if Railay's the Goal
Phuket to Krabi takes about 3 hours by minibus or van from Phuket's Bus Terminal 2 (฿245–320, roughly hourly, 06:30–16:50), the cheapest way across. The fastest is a shared speedboat over Phang Nga Bay in about an hour (฿1,040–1,140). A private taxi is ฿2,500–4,000 for 2.5–3 hours door to door, and the 08:30 Ao Nang Princess ferry from Rassada pier (฿900) is the one option that lands you at Railay directly, reaching Ao Nang at 11:45. It's about 160 km by road but only 42 km by sea, which is why the boat deserves a look before you default to the road, as long as you know the May–October monsoon fine print. Here's the full comparison.
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Key Facts (2026)
Cheapest: minibus from Terminal 2, ฿245–320
Roughly hourly 06:30–16:50, about 3 hours to Krabi's bus terminal at Talat Kao, 4–5 km north of town (฿50 songthaew onward). Hotel-pickup vans are ฿300–650, but they add an hour of collection rounds.
Fastest: shared speedboat, about 1 hour
฿1,040–1,140 from Rassada and a couple of east-coast piers. It's bouncy and wet in swell, so re-confirm on the day from May to October.
Ferry: Ao Nang Princess, 08:30 from Rassada pier
Check-in 08:00, Railay's floating pier around 11:00, Ao Nang's Nopparat Thara pier 11:45. ฿900 adult, ฿600 child. High season (roughly November–April) adds a 13:30 sailing.
Taxi / private transfer: ฿2,500–4,000
2.5–3 hours door to door, and the quiet winner for families and groups of three or more. Split three ways it costs about what the speedboat does, with no pier logistics.
Distance: 160 km by road, 42 km by sea
Phuket and Krabi face each other across Phang Nga Bay. There's no train and no direct flight between them, so every option is road or boat.
Monsoon May–October: boats can cancel
The ferry drops to the single morning sailing and rough-sea days cancel outright. Buses and vans run regardless. If you're relying on a boat, I'd keep a buffer day before flights.
Phuket → Krabi: All Options Compared (2026)
| Mode | Duration | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minibus / VIP minibus (Terminal 2) | ~3h | ฿245–320 | Roughly hourly, 06:30–16:50 |
| Van with hotel pickup | 3–4h with pickup rounds | ฿300–650 | Patong/Kata pickups; drops at Ao Nang hotels |
| Ao Nang Princess ferry (Rassada pier) | 08:30 → Railay 11:00 → Ao Nang 11:45 | ฿900 (child ฿600) | High season adds a 13:30 sailing |
| Speedboat (Rassada / other piers) | ~1h crossing | ฿1,040–1,140 | Weather-exposed May–Oct |
| Private transfer / taxi | ~2.5–3h | ฿2,500–4,000 | Door to door; wins for groups of 3+ |
Prices checked August 2026. Terminal check-ins sometimes charge ~฿100/bag in cash for extra luggage — normal practice, budget for it.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Phuket → Krabi: departure times you can book now
Every departure currently on sale through 12Go for this route, by class. Fares are the spread across the classes shown; the exact price for a seat and date is on the booking page.
Bus
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| VIP Minibus | 06:30, 08:20, 10:40, 11:30, 12:20, 13:15, 14:15, 15:40, 16:50 |
| Bus + Van | 06:30, 08:20, 10:40, 11:30, 12:20, 13:15 |
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Bus + Van | 06:30, 08:20, 10:40, 11:30, 12:20, 13:15 |
Minivan
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Shared Van 10 Pax | 06:30, 07:00, 08:00, 09:15 |
| Van 9pax | 15:00, 16:00 |
| Regional 13pax | 11:00, 12:00 |
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Van 9pax | 15:00, 16:00 |
| Regional 13pax | 11:00 |
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Van + Ferry | 06:30, 07:00, 08:00, 09:15 |
| Shared Van 10 Pax | 06:30, 07:00, 08:00, 09:15 |
Ferry & speedboat
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Ferry | 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00 |
| Speedboat | 15:00 |
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Ferry | 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30 |
| Van + Ferry | 07:15 |
| Speedboat | 09:30, 11:00, 15:00 |
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Ferry | 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30 |
| Van + Ferry | 07:15 |
| Speedboat | 09:30, 11:00, 15:00 |
Flight
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Economy | 06:30, 07:30, 09:45, 09:50, 10:25, 11:45, 11:50, 13:20, 13:40, 14:40, 15:50, 16:05, 17:10, 19:40, 20:40, 21:55, 22:30 |
Times and fares as sold on 12Go, refreshed daily. Services sold only locally — ordinary trains, weekend excursion trains, walk-up pier tickets — are not listed; see the table above for those. Sponsored link: we may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.
Phuket → Krabi
Check live times & seats: Phuket → Krabi
12Go lists the vans, buses, ferries, and speedboats on this route side by side with live availability and instant e-tickets. It's the easy way to see whether the boat is running on your date before you commit to the road.
Sponsored link — we may earn a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Phuket to Krabi by Bus or Minivan: Hourly, ฿245–650, About 3 Hours
The default — just mind the pickup-round tax
From Phuket Bus Terminal 2, Minibus 1996's air-con services leave roughly hourly from 06:30 to 16:50 at ฿245–320 and reach Krabi's bus terminal in about three hours. Vans from Terminal 1 (from about ฿206) cover the same ground. It's unglamorous and completely reliable, the workhorse of the route.
Hotel-pickup vans (฿300–650 depending on your pickup zone and drop-off) sound more convenient and often are, but budget four hours or more once the van has done its collection loop around Patong's sois. If you're near a terminal, I'd take the terminal departure: it's usually faster door-to-door. Krabi-side, remember the bus terminal sits at Talat Kao, 4–5 km north of Krabi Town. A ฿50 songthaew or short Grab finishes the trip to town or Ao Nang.
Phuket to Krabi by Boat: The Railay Ferry vs the 1-Hour Speedboat
And the speedboats for when time beats money
The Ao Nang Princess leaves Rassada pier (check-in 08:00, departure 08:30) and crosses Phang Nga Bay to arrive at Railay's floating pier around 11:00 and Nopparat Thara pier in Ao Nang at 11:45. It's ฿900 for adults, ฿600 for kids. In high season (roughly November–April) a second 13:30 sailing is added. In the monsoon months it drops back to the single morning boat, and rough-sea days can cancel it outright. If you're staying at Railay, reachable only by boat, this ferry is the one option on the whole route that delivers you directly, and it turns the transfer into a scenic cruise past the karsts.
Shared speedboats (from Rassada and a couple of east-coast piers, around ฿1,040–1,140) cut the crossing to about an hour. They're the time-is-money pick in calm season and a bouncy, wet proposition in swell, so from May to October, hold them loosely and re-confirm on the day. Private transfers (฿2,500–4,000, 2.5–3 hours door to door) quietly win for families and groups of three or more. Split three ways, the car costs about what the speedboat does, with none of the pier logistics.
My rule of thumb: if you're staying in Ao Nang or Krabi Town, take the hourly van and keep it simple. Staying at Railay? Take the 08:30 ferry, it's the only direct delivery. Three or more people with bags, price a private car before anything else.
Sorted the crossing? Plan the Krabi end:
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