The fastest way from Phuket to Krabi is a scheduled speedboat: about 1–1.5 hours from Rassada Pier to Ao Nang, for about 975–1,300 THB per person, plus the ride to the pier. The cheapest way is a minivan from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to Krabi Bus Terminal, for about 250 THB and about 3 hours, then a 60 THB songthaew to Ao Nang. For door-to-door travel, a Smile Taxi Service private transfer from Phuket Airport to Ao Nang costs 2,200 THB per sedan (2,400 THB for an SUV, 3,000 THB for a van), tolls included, and the drive takes about 2 hours 20 minutes.
Distance and travel time overview
Phuket and Krabi are neighbouring provinces. By road the trip is about 163 km, or about 2.5 hours of driving. From Phuket Airport (HKT) to Ao Nang it is about 145 km (about 2 hours 20 minutes); from Patong it is about 173 km (about 2 hours 45 minutes).
The road route. Cars leave Phuket on Highway 402 (Thepkasattri Road) and cross to the mainland on the Thepkasattri Bridge, also called the new Sarasin Bridge. Highway 402 meets Route 4 (Phetkasem Road) in Takua Thung district, Phang Nga, and Route 4 runs south-east through Ao Luek district into Krabi. Khao Lak lies north of that junction, so it is a detour, not a halfway stop.
"Krabi" is not one place. Ao Nang is about 17 km from Krabi Town and about 28 km from Krabi Airport. Krabi Bus Terminal is about 4–5 km north of Krabi Town. Railay has no road: it is a peninsula cut off by limestone cliffs, reached only by boat.
Comparison of the options
| Option | Travel time | Approximate price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private transfer (Smile Taxi Service) | about 2 h 20 min from the airport; about 2 h 45 min from Patong | 2,200–3,200 THB per vehicle | Families, groups, luggage, airport arrivals |
| Direct speedboat | about 1–1.5 h, plus the trip to the pier | about 975–1,300 THB per person | Light luggage, Railay, the dry season |
| Minivan | about 3 h, plus a songthaew to Ao Nang | about 250 THB per person, plus 60 THB | Solo travellers on a budget |
| Boat via Koh Phi Phi | two boat trips of about 1–2 h each | about 450–1,000 THB per person for each boat, plus a 400 THB park fee | A stop on Phi Phi |
Third-party prices and times were checked in September 2026. They change often, so confirm them with the operator before you travel.
Private transfer with Smile Taxi Service
The driver meets you outside the Phuket Airport arrivals exit or at your hotel door, and drops you at your hotel in Ao Nang. Fares are fixed, per vehicle (not per person) and one way, with expressway tolls included. There is no meter, and the fare is the same for one passenger or a full car.
| Route | Sedan | SUV | Van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket Airport → Ao Nang Beach | 2,200 THB | 2,400 THB | 3,000 THB |
| Patong Beach → Ao Nang Beach | 2,600 THB | 2,800 THB | 3,200 THB |
A sedan (Toyota Camry or similar) takes up to 3 passengers with 2 bags, an SUV (Toyota Fortuner or similar) up to 5 with 4 bags, and a van (Toyota Commuter or similar) up to 7 with 5 bags. Shared by four people, an SUV from the airport (2,400 THB) costs 600 THB each.
Phuket Town, Kata, Karon, Rawai, Krabi Town, Krabi Airport, Klong Muang, the Railay boat piers and Klong Jilad pier have no fixed fare: ask for a quote on WhatsApp or LINE.
What is included and what costs extra
- Airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting, counted from the actual landing time. A member of the team checks your flight.
- Before the trip the team sends you the driver's name, the car and its plate number.
- Free 500 MB Thailand eSIM with an airport pickup, on request.
- On request: a name sign at the arrivals gate (+100 THB), a child seat (+100 THB), and stops on the way for a viewpoint or lunch (+250 THB per hour).
- Language: not every driver speaks English, but you can request an English-speaking driver when you book, subject to availability.
How to pay. You pay the driver in cash (Thai baht) at the end of the trip. The website takes no online payment and no deposit. If you can only pay by card (for example, you could not change money yet), message the team for a PayPal payment link; a 5% fee is added.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup.
- Book a sedan from Phuket Airport to Ao Nang, an SUV or a van
- Book a sedan from Patong to Ao Nang, an SUV or a van
- See all routes and fares
It is the simplest option straight off a flight, with room for suitcases and stops where you want them. For one or two people it costs more than the bus or boat.
Smile Taxi Service is rated 5.0 on Google and 5.0 on Tripadvisor, has served more than 8,000 passengers, and works with 54+ local drivers.
Direct speedboat to Ao Nang, Railay or Klong Jilad
In Ao Nang they land at Noppharat Thara pier and beach; at Railay they land at the floating pier on Railay East.
Where the boats leave from. Rassada Pier is on the east side of Phuket, near Phuket Town. Bang Rong and Laem Hin piers are in the north-east. No Krabi boat leaves from Patong or the other west-coast beaches, so you need a road transfer to the pier.
Phuket to Ao Nang (listings from September 2026):
| Operator and pier | Departs | Arrives | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Yao Sun Smile, Bang Rong | 09:30 | 11:40 | about 1,000 THB |
| Bundhaya Speed Boat, Rassada | 11:00 | 12:10 | about 1,300 THB |
| Andaman Wave Master, Rassada | 12:00 | 13:15 | about 975 THB |
| Green Planet, Laem Hin | 13:00 | 14:30 | about 1,000 THB |
| Green Planet, Bang Rong | 15:00 | 16:20 | about 1,000 THB |
Koh Yao Sun Smile, Bundhaya, Andaman Wave Master and Green Planet also sail to Railay East, taking about 1.5–2.5 hours for about 1,000–1,160 THB. For Krabi Town, Andaman Wave Master sails from Rassada at 12:00 to Klong Jilad pier (arriving at 14:00, about 1,100 THB). Klong Jilad is about 4 km from Krabi Town and has a taxi desk with posted prices. Check current times on the Phuket to Ao Nang boat timetable on phuketferry.com or at the pier.
Season. Boats run all year, but there are fewer from May to October: one booking site lists low-season sailings only on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Trips can be cancelled in bad weather, and August to October are Phuket's wettest months.
Luggage and boarding. Each passenger may bring one piece of luggage and one piece of hand luggage, 25 kg in total. Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.
Pros: the shortest time in transit and a direct landing at Railay. Cons: a separate transfer to the pier, fixed departures, rough sea at times, and little room for big suitcases.
Minivan and bus
Where to catch it. Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is the large modern terminal at the start of Thepkasattri Road, towards the airport, about 4 km north of Phuket Town. Terminal 1 is the small old terminal in town.
Minivans leave Terminal 2 about every hour, every day, and take about 3 hours to Krabi Bus Terminal, for about 250 THB per person. The state Transport Co. (Bor Kor Sor) also runs buses to Krabi; ask at the terminal where and when they leave. It sells its own tickets on the Transport Co. booking site, in the BKS app and at its counters.
Where you arrive. Krabi Bus Terminal is at Talat Kao, about 4–5 km north of Krabi Town, near the junction of Utarakit Road and Krabi Airport Road. White songthaews run to Ao Nang for 60 THB per person, about every 15–30 minutes in the daytime.
Fares in 2026. Bus and minivan fares follow diesel prices. They changed five times, up or down, between April and September 2026; the latest rise, on 15 September, was 3 satang per km per seat (about 3 THB per 100 km). Treat every fare as approximate.
From Phuket Airport by public transport. There is no direct public bus or minivan from the airport to Ao Nang. Take the Airport Bus to Phuket Town (100 THB, about hourly), get to Bus Terminal 2 for a minivan to Krabi, then take a songthaew to Ao Nang. Allow most of a day.
Pros: by far the cheapest option. Cons: you arrive outside town and need another ride, and the winding road can cause car sickness; a front seat helps.
Boat via Koh Phi Phi
The large, slower ferries do not sail straight to Krabi: they stop at Koh Phi Phi, so this route needs two tickets. From Rassada Pier to Tonsai Pier on Phi Phi, big ferries take about 2 hours for about 450–600 THB per person, and speedboats about 1 hour for about 700–900 THB per person. Onward boats from Phi Phi to Krabi's Klong Jilad, Krabi River Marina or Kong Ka piers leave between 10:00 and 15:00, take about 1–2 hours and cost about 480–1,000 THB per person.
Add the Phi Phi national park fee: 400 THB for foreign adults and 200 THB for children, not included in boat tickets. Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September and reopens on 1 October 2026. It suits travellers who want to stay on Phi Phi.
Flights and trains
There are no flights between Phuket and Krabi; the domestic flights from Krabi Airport (KBV) go to Bangkok. You can instead fly into Phuket and home from Krabi (or the reverse) and save the 2.5-hour drive back. Krabi Airport's shuttle bus costs 150 THB to Ao Nang (about 45 minutes), but it leaves only when full, which can mean waiting up to an hour.
Neither Phuket nor Krabi has a railway station; the nearest is Surat Thani. Coming from Bangkok? See how to get from Bangkok to Krabi and how to get from Bangkok to Phuket.
Grab, Bolt and airport taxis
Grab and Bolt operate in Phuket and show the fare before you book, but no typical app fare to Krabi could be confirmed. Ride-hailing apps may only use drivers with a public-transport licence, and stricter enforcement of this rule starts on 1 October 2026. At Phuket Airport, Grab picks up at a booth outside Exit 8 (international terminal) or Exit 1 (domestic terminal). Metered airport taxis charge the meter plus a 100 THB surcharge.
Practical tips for this route
- Name your exact destination. Ao Nang, Krabi Town, Klong Muang, the Railay piers and Krabi Airport are far apart, and fares are quoted per destination.
- Getting to Railay by road. Go to Ao Nang and take a shared longtail boat: about 100 THB per person, about 15 minutes, from about 08:00 to 18:00. Night trips cost more and may need a private boat. Railay West is the swimming beach; Railay East is a muddy mangrove shore, not for swimming.
- Arriving late. The last listed boat from Phuket to Ao Nang leaves at 15:00, and the shared longtails to Railay stop at about 18:00. Later in the day, go by road.
- Rainy season. From May to October, check that your boat runs on your day and keep a road plan as a back-up.
- Children. Thai law requires a child seat for children up to 6 years old in private cars. Buses and minivans do not provide them; with Smile, ask when you book (+100 THB).
- On the way. The old Sarasin Bridge, opened in 1967 and now a pedestrian bridge with viewing pavilions, is at the start of the drive.
The return journey from Krabi to Phuket
Private transfer. Smile Taxi Service charges the same fares in the other direction: Ao Nang to Phuket Airport costs 2,200 THB (sedan), 2,400 THB (SUV) or 3,000 THB (van), and Ao Nang to Patong costs 2,600 / 2,800 / 3,200 THB. A discount is available for return trips; ask by message.
- Book a sedan from Ao Nang to Phuket Airport, an SUV or a van
- Book a sedan from Ao Nang to Patong, an SUV or a van
Bus and minivan. Buses and minivans leave Krabi Bus Terminal for Phuket frequently from about 06:00 to 18:00 (as listed in September 2026; check at the terminal). For an evening flight from Phuket, leave Krabi early or book a car.
Boat. In the September 2026 listings, boats leave Noppharat Thara (Ao Nang) at 11:20 (Green Planet, to Bang Rong), 11:30 (Bundhaya, to Rassada) and 14:00 (Koh Yao Sun Smile, to Bang Rong). They take about 1–1.5 hours and cost about 1,000–1,180 THB per person.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way from Phuket to Ao Nang? A scheduled speedboat: about 1–1.5 hours from Rassada Pier, plus the trip to the pier. By car it is about 2 hours 20 minutes from Phuket Airport.
What is the cheapest way from Phuket to Krabi? A minivan from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 (about 250 THB, about 3 hours), then a 60 THB songthaew to Ao Nang.
Is there a direct ferry from Phuket to Krabi? Yes. Speedboats run direct to Ao Nang, Railay East and Klong Jilad pier. The large, slower ferries go via Koh Phi Phi.
Do the boats run in the rainy season? Yes, but fewer, and trips can be cancelled in bad weather.
How much is a private transfer from Phuket Airport to Ao Nang? With Smile Taxi Service, 2,200 THB for a sedan, 2,400 THB for an SUV or 3,000 THB for a van, per vehicle, tolls included.
How do I get to Railay from Phuket? Take a speedboat straight to Railay East (about 1.5 hours), or go by road to Ao Nang and take a longtail boat (about 100 THB, about 15 minutes, daytime only).
What is the last bus from Krabi to Phuket? Buses and minivans leave Krabi Bus Terminal until about 18:00.
To book your transfer, go to the Smile Taxi Service booking page, or ask for a quote on WhatsApp or LINE.