The best way to travel overland from Bangkok to Phuket is to take an overnight sleeper train to Surat Thani and then a direct bus service to Phuket. Bus services to Phuket depart in the morning from outside the front of Surat Thani Railway Station.
Train: Bangkok to Surat Thani
- Train times from Bangkok to Surat Thani.
| Train | Bangkok | Surat Thani | Sleeper |
| 43 | 08:05 | 16:45 | No |
| 171 | 13:00 | 00:22 | Yes |
| 31 | 14:45 | 01:23 | Yes |
| 37/45 | 15:10 | 02:00 | Yes |
| 169 | 15:35 | 03:45 | Yes |
| 83 | 17:05 | 04:24 | Yes |
| 173 | 17:35 | 05:48 | Yes |
| 167 | 18:30 | 06:23 | Yes |
| 85 | 19:30 | 07:06 | Yes |
| 39/41 | 22:50 | 08:05 | No |
- Book train tickets from Bangkok to Surat Thani.
Bus: Surat Thani to Phuket
- Travel times from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket.
| Surat Thani Station | Phuket | Cost | Company |
| 08:00 | 14:30 | 550 THB | Phantip Travel |
- Book bus tickets from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket.
Location of Bangkok Station
Trains to Surat Thani depart from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station.
Location of Surat Thani Station
Bus services to Phuket depart from in front of Surat Thani Railway Station.
Location of the Phuket Bus Stop
Phantip Travel bus services from Surat Thani terminate at Phuket Bus Terminal 2.
Travel to Phuket
There are 10 trains a day from Bangkok to Surat Thani, which is the first stage of the journey to Phuket. See below for the information you need about train travel from Bangkok to Surat Thani:
- Choosing a Train: 8 out of the 10 trains to Surat Thani have sleeper berths. The 08:05 and 22:50 departure do not have sleeper berths.
- Sleeper berths: The are three kinds of sleeper berth on Thai Trains – 1st Class (private cabin), 2nd Class A/C (shared carriage with bunk beds), 2nd Class Fan (same as 2nd Class A/C minus the air-conditioning, although on the lower bunk you can open the window).
- Train Station: Trains to Surat Thani start from Bangkok’s main railway station (Hua Lamphong) but you can also depart from Bang Sue Station in the north of the city.
2nd Class sleeper carriage on the train to Surat ThaniWhen you arrive in Surat Thani you need to go to the car park in front of the station. The car park is located to the left hand side of the ticket hall as you leave the train. There are several cafes (such as Wut Travel) on this car park. Wait there and a Phantip Travel representative will be there to guide you to the bus.
Phantip Travel Bus to PhuketThe bus trip from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket takes 4 hours 30 minutes. For most of the journey you travel along a well maintained two lane highway with pleasant views on route, with a 30 minute rest stop halfway through the journey at a roadside restaurant. The point of arrival in Phuket is Phuket Bus Terminal 2, which is the island’s main long distance bus terminal located about 5 km north of Phuket Town. For onward travel, or accommodation, the most cost effective option is to take the government run shared taxi service from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to Phuket Bus Terminal 1 (in the centre of Phuket Town). These shared taxis depart every about every 20 minutes from 06:00 to 20:00 and cost 15 THB per person. Shared taxi services depart from Platform 12 at Phuket Bus Terminal 2. Phuket Town is an interesting place with lots of historical buildings and some very good cheap hotels, such as the excellent Rome Place. There are also inexpensive shared taxi and minivans from Phuket Bus Terminal 1 to local destinations, such as Patong Beach, running frequently throughout the day.