Krabi to Phuket — Vans Hourly ฿200–300, VIP Bus ฿220, Speedboat via Phi Phi, Times and Drop-offs (September 2026)
Route-438 vans and Good Luck Lanta vans run Krabi to Phuket every 30–60 minutes from 06:00 for ฿200–303 and take about 3 hours; K and P's VIP bus is ฿220; door-to-door taxi-and-bus tickets from Ao Nang are ฿280–470. The speedboat via Phi Phi (฿760–950) is the scenic long way. Where each one drops you in Phuket.
Quick answer: a minivan from Krabi bus terminal — route 438 (Phuket Krabi Transport) at 06:00, 06:40, 07:20 and roughly hourly after, ฿210, or Good Luck Lanta from 10:30, ฿200 — 3 hours to Phuket Bus Terminal 2. From Ao Nang or Railay, the taxi-and-bus tickets (Siamese Trans, ฿280–470) collect at your hotel. The K and P VIP bus at 07:00 (฿220, 3 h 20) is the comfortable seat.
The route in numbers
| Krabi → Phuket | checked September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Distance | 165 km via Phang Nga on Route 4 and the Sarasin bridge |
| Minivan | 438 Phuket Krabi Transport 06:00, 06:40, 07:20 … (฿210) · Good Luck Lanta 10:30, 11:30 … (฿200) · Krabi Sea Pearl 09:30 (฿303) · Thubthim Siam 00:30 (฿480) · about 3 h |
| VIP bus | K and P Travel and Tour 07:00 → 10:20 · ฿220 |
| Taxi + bus from Ao Nang / Railay area | Siamese Trans 01:10 (฿280), 09:10, 10:10, 11:10 (฿470) · 3–3.5 h |
| Speedboat via Koh Phi Phi | Gosafe 07:50 → 09:30 (฿760) · Green Planet 08:45 → 12:40 (฿950) · to Rassada pier |
| Flight | none direct; Krabi and Phuket are 30 minutes apart by air only via Bangkok |
| Leaves from | Krabi bus terminal at Talat Kao, 5 km north of town (songthaew ฿30–50, tuk-tuk ฿100–150) · hotel pick-ups on the dearer tickets |
| Arrives at | Phuket Bus Terminal 2, 4 km north of Phuket town · some vans continue to the airport or Patong for a supplement |
Vans and buses
The Krabi–Phuket road is one of the busiest in the south and the vans reflect it: route 438 leaves Krabi bus terminal at 06:00, 06:40, 07:20 and about hourly through the day (฿210, 14 seats, 3 hours), Good Luck Lanta runs from 10:30 (฿200), Krabi Sea Pearl has a 09:30 (฿303) with Ao Nang pick-up, and Thubthim Siam an overnight van at 00:30 (฿480) for early flights. The K and P VIP coach at 07:00 (฿220, 3 h 20) has the room and the recline the vans lack.
All arrive at Phuket Bus Terminal 2 on Thepkrasattri Road, 4 km north of Phuket town: songthaews to town ฿30, taxis to Patong ฿400–500 (45 minutes), to the airport ฿500–600. Some vans will continue to Patong or the airport for a ฿100–200 supplement — ask when you board, or buy the ticket that names it.
From Ao Nang and Railay
Krabi's bus terminal is 25 km from Ao Nang, so the taxi + bus tickets from Siamese Trans (฿280 for the 01:10 departure, ฿470 for the 09:10, 10:10 and 11:10) that collect at Ao Nang hotels are worth the extra over the ฿200 van plus a ฿300–400 taxi to the terminal. From Railay, take the longtail to Ao Nang first (฿100–150, 15 minutes) and book the pick-up for the beachfront.
The sea route
For ฿760–950 the speedboats go Krabi → Koh Phi Phi → Phuket (Rassada pier): Gosafe at 07:50 arriving 09:30 direct, Green Planet at 08:45 arriving 12:40 with the Phi Phi stop. It is a way of seeing Phi Phi in passing rather than a way of getting to Phuket — three to four times the van fare, weather-dependent, and Rassada is still 40 minutes from Patong.
Which one for you
- Krabi town, any morning → route 438 van.
- Ao Nang, with bags → Siamese Trans pick-up.
- Early flight from Phuket → Thubthim Siam 00:30 van or the 06:00 438 (Terminal 2 to the airport is 30 minutes).
- Want the islands on the way → Gosafe speedboat.
Where to stay
Compare hotels and guesthouses along this route (prices change by season; check the live price on the booking page): Phuket · Krabi
Sources and last check
Checked 15 September 2026 against: 12Go listings for Krabi → Phuket (van, bus and speedboat operators, departure and arrival times, fares). Terminal-to-town fares, Patong and airport taxi prices, Railay longtail fare and van supplements are traveller-reported details, not official tariffs.