Hua Hin to Phuket

There are 2 parts to the journey by train from Hua Hin to Phuket:

• Train service from Hua Hin to Surat Thani.
• Connecting bus service from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket.

Part 1: Train from Hua Hin to Surat Thani

There are currently 10 train services a day from Hua Hin to Surat Thani to choose from for the first part of the journey by train from Hua Hin to Phuket.

• Buy train tickets from Hua Hin to Surat Thani.

Part 2: Bus from Surat Thani to Phuket

There are currently 9 bus and minivan services a day from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket to choose from for the second part of the journey by train from Hua Hin to Phuket.

• Buy bus tickets from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket.

Location of Hua Hin Train Station

Read more about Hua Hin Train Station.

Location of Surat Thani Train Station

Read more about Surat Thani Railway Station.

Location of Phuket Bus Terminal 2

Read more about Phuket Bus Terminal 2.

About Train Travel to Phuket

Depending on the connection times between the train from Hua Hin arriving and the bus to Phuket departing, it takes 13 to 15 hours to travel by train from Hua Hin to Phuket. By direct bus service the same journey takes from 10 to 14 hours, which is slightly faster, however, for many people it’s difficult to sleep sat upright in a bus during long overnight bus journeys. Travelling by train is a far more comfortable option if you book a sleeper berth in advance.

Sleeper Berths on Thai Trains

There are 3 types of sleeper berths available on Thai trains:

• 1st Class A/C Sleeper
• 2nd Class A/C Sleeper
• 2nd Class Fan Sleeper

For more information about the different type of sleeper berths on Thai trains see our guide to Seat Types on Thailand Trains.

Please note: Not all types of sleeper berths are available on all trains from Hua to Surat Thani. There are no sleeper berths of any kind available on Train #39 departing at 02:09 or Train #43 departing at 10:36.

Train Journey to Surat Thani

By train the journey from Hua to Hin to Surat Thani is scheduled to take from 5 hours 41 minutes to 6 hours 53 minutes depending upon which train you take.

On this particular journey the fastest train, Train #39, isn’t the best one to take because the only seat type available is 2nd Class A/C Seat. A better option is to take Train #85 departing from Hua Hin at 23:47, because both 1st and 2nd Class A/C Sleeper berths are available, and also because the arrival time of 06:23 allows for a 6 hour period of bed rest during the journey.

Arrival in Surat Thani

Bus services to Phuket depart from a car park located to the left as you exit from the ticket hall at Surat Thani Railway Station. This car park is easy to find. It has a row of small cafes, the most prominent of which is Wut Travel, which are open early in the morning to coincide with the arrival of overnight trains. Travel agency staff also wait on the train platform to guide passengers to their connecting bus services.

When you arrive at Surat Thani Railway Station we recommend that you show your onward bus ticket to the travel agency staff waiting on the platform or to the staff at one of the small cafes and you will be directed to the right place to wait for your bus service.

Arrival in Phuket

Bus services from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket terminate at Phuket Bus Terminal 2. Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is the island’s long distance bus station and it’s located about 5 km to the north of Phuket Town.

The only public transport available at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is a shared taxi service which departs every 20 minutes from platform 12 at Phuket Bus Terminal 2. The final stop for this shared taxi service is Phuket Bus Terminal 1, which is located in the centre of Phuket Town. From Phuket Bus Terminal 1 you can take inexpensive shared minivan and bus services to most of the popular holiday spots on the island, including Patong Beach.

Whilst Phuket Town does not have a beach it is one of the more interesting places to visit in Phuket. The town has a long history with pre-dates mass tourism coming to the island. In particular the old quarter of Phuket Town features many impressive and unusual European and Chinese influenced buildings built in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century by Chinese immigrants and their descendants. If you are travelling on holiday to Phuket it’s well worth spending a day in Phuket Town to explore the town’s old quarter.

How useful was this page?