Phuket to Koh Phi Phi Ferry

The big ferries are the default, and for most people the better ride. They take about two hours, have an air-conditioned cabin and an open top deck, stow your bags for you, and roll far less in a swell. A standard seat costs about ฿500–700 depending on the operator and where you buy it. Andaman Wave Master sells first class (about ฿1,000) and premium (฿1,300) with better seats and a quieter cabin. The ferries sail at 08:30, 08:45, 11:00, about 13:30, 13:45 and 15:00.

Speedboats save an hour and cost about ฿250 more. They leave roughly hourly from 08:30 to 15:30 and take about an hour to Tonsai, but they slam on the waves, the spray comes over the side, and luggage goes in a pile at the back. They make sense if you're short of time, want a late-afternoon departure, or are heading to Laem Tong, where a speedboat takes 1.5 hours against about three on the ferry. If you get seasick, take the ferry and sit on the lower deck in the middle.

Most boats land at Tonsai, the village on the isthmus of Phi Phi Don, where most of the hotels, bars and dive shops are and where you can walk to everything. If your hotel is at Laem Tong, the resort beach at the island's northern tip, pick a boat that goes there, because there's no road and the longtail from Tonsai is an extra trip with your bags.

Andaman Wave Master's 08:30 and afternoon ferries call at Tonsai and continue to Laem Tong, about three hours in all and about ฿800–950 for a standard seat. Its speedboats and Seatran's run direct to Laem Tong in about 1.5 hours for ฿1,000–1,300, and Phi Phi Logistic sails from Ao Po Grand Marina in Phuket's northeast at 11:30 for about ฿1,600. Andaman Wave Master asks Laem Tong passengers to confirm the return through their hotel reception the day before.

Rassada is on the east coast just outside Phuket Town, about 3.5 km from the Old Town, 18 km from Patong, 19 km from Kata and 35 km from the airport. Without traffic it's 25 minutes from Patong and the west-coast beaches, but the road over the hill is slow in the morning, so allow 40–45 minutes. From the airport, allow 40–55 minutes. The pier's own taxi counter charges about ฿700 to Patong and ฿800 to the airport, Kata, Karon and Phuket Town for a car of up to three, which is a fair guide to the fare the other way.

The cheapest way is the pink songthaew that runs from Ranong Road in Phuket Town past Bus Terminal 1 to the pier, roughly every 20–30 minutes from 06:30 to 20:00, for about ฿10–15. Many tickets include a shared van pickup from hotels in Patong, Kata, Karon and Phuket Town for a little more, and that's the easy option for a morning ferry. Be at the pier 30–45 minutes before sailing to find your operator's counter and swap the booking for a boarding pass.

At Tonsai you pay a ฿20 island fee in cash as you step off, with a receipt. There are no cars on Phi Phi Don, so you walk to hotels in Tonsai and Loh Dalum, or hire a porter with a cart to take your bags (about ฿100), and take a longtail to beaches farther out.

Maya Bay, on Phi Phi Leh, is part of the national park, and visiting it means a park fee, ฿400 for foreign adults on most 2026 reports, paid on the boat or at the park; one park listing gives ฿200 since June 2026, so check the price on the day. Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September. It reopened on 1 October 2026 with a cap on visitors an hour, and you can wade at the shore but not swim.

If you only want to see Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and the snorkeling spots, a speedboat day tour from Phuket is the efficient way. Tours with hotel pickup, lunch and snorkel gear run from about ฿1,900 to ฿6,200, with a standard speedboat trip from about ฿2,400, and take 8 to 11 hours. Some include the park fee and some don't, so check before you book.

If you want the island itself, with the viewpoint at sunset, the beaches after the day boats leave and an evening in Tonsai, take the scheduled ferry and stay at least a night. Two one-way ferry tickets cost less than most tours, and you come back on whichever boat you like.

The ferries back leave Tonsai at 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 14:30 and 15:30, and the speedboats run until about 17:00. Most land at Rassada, and a few use piers just north of it. The Phi Phi to Phuket guide has every return boat and how to get from the pier to Patong, the beaches or the airport.