Bangkok to Phuket Bus and Train+Bus Tickets

Bangkok to Phuket by bus takes 11 hours 20 minutes to 14 hours from the government terminals and 16 to 19 hours on the Khao San agency coaches. Three choices decide the trip: which Bangkok terminal you leave from, whether you go by day or by night, and which Phuket stop you get off at.

The route at a glance

Checked on 12Go on 8 November 2026 for buses on 20 November 2026.

Southern Terminal, Mochit or Khao San

The government-terminal buses are the quick ones. Lignite and Phuket Travel run from the Southern Terminal, Transport Co and Wonderly Travel from Mochit, and all of them land in Phuket 11 to 14 hours later. The Khao San coaches pick up from agency offices near the backpacker strip, which saves crossing the city to a terminal, but the journey stretches to 16 to 19 hours. The Montanatip coach from Hualamphong station is the longest listed at 19 hours.

Several tiers are listed: plain buses, Express, and VIP 24 coaches from Lignite (Mochit, 16:00), Phuket Travel (17:50) and Andaman Sea Tour and Transport (17:50, 12 hours 10 minutes).

Day bus or night bus

Only two departures are in the morning: Transport Co at 06:45 from Mochit and Lignite at 07:40 from the Southern Terminal. A 07:40 bus on the 11 hour 40 minute Thalang run arrives around 19:20, so you spend the daylight watching the country change and land with the evening still to eat in. The 17:30 Lignite bus from the Southern Terminal is the overnight alternative: the 11 hour 30 minute Muang Mai run puts you in Phuket around 05:00.

Which Phuket stop

Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is the default drop-off, and the slowest: Lignite lists 12 to 14 hours there. The same Lignite buses also stop further north. Muang Mai (11 hours 30 minutes), Thalang (11 hours 40 minutes) and Ban Tha Ruea (11 hours 50 minutes) all come earlier in the run. Transport Co from Mochit shows the same pattern: 14 hours to Terminal 2, 11 hours 30 minutes to Thalang.

If your hotel is at Mai Khao or Nai Yang, the airport-area stops cut the ride by up to two and a half hours. For Phuket Town and the southern beaches, Terminal 2 is the stop to book, and the last leg to your hotel is still ahead of you.

Train or flight instead

No railway reaches Phuket. The rail version is the sleeper from Bangkok to Surat Thani with a connecting bus on the Andaman side, the same first leg as our Bangkok to Koh Samui page. The 12Go route page also lists flights next to the buses, so you can compare the two before you pick.

After you arrive

Our Phuket guide covers the beach areas. If you land by air instead, the Phuket Airport guide, airport transfer and fast-track immigration pages cover HKT. Carrying on to the islands, the Phuket to Koh Phi Phi ferry page picks up from Rassada Pier.

Insider Tip: If you are staying near the airport, choose a Thalang or Muang Mai drop-off when you book. Lignite lists 11 hours 30 minutes to Muang Mai against up to 14 hours to Terminal 2.