Phuket to Krabi & Ao Nang: ferry options (2026)

Bus · 2h30–3h50 · ฿300–฿750

86km by road around the bay. The bus is the one most people take; the ferry between the two takes five hours and stops at Phi Phi, so it's a sightseeing route rather than a transfer.

Minivan · 2h40–3h20 · ฿240–฿450

Cheaper than the bus and it will pick up at hotels and the airport. The trade is the usual one: nine people, one aisle, no luggage hold.

Flight + Flight · 3h30–5h45 · ฿1,800–฿6,700

Phuket → Bangkok: The most competitive domestic route in the country, which is why the floor sits under ฿1,000 outside holidays. Phuket airport is 32km north of Patong — budget an hour and ฿200–800 for that transfer on top.

Bangkok → Krabi & Ao Nang: Usually a little cheaper than Phuket and much closer to Ao Nang, Railay and the Lanta and Phi Phi piers. If the Andaman islands are the plan rather than Patong, this is the better arrival.

Speedboat / catamaran + Ferry · 3h45–6h40 · ฿1,650–฿2,400

Phuket → Koh Lanta: Half the time of the ferry for close to double the fare. In choppy water the speedboat is the rougher ride, not the smoother one.

Koh Lanta → Krabi & Ao Nang: Klong Jilad pier to Saladan. High season is roughly October to April; through the monsoon the minivan is the leg that keeps running.

Ferry + Ferry · 4h–6h50 · ฿1,150

Phuket → Koh Phi Phi: ฿700 adult is Andaman Wave Master's own published fare. Rassada pier is 30–40 minutes from Patong by road, which people routinely forget when timing the last boat.

Koh Phi Phi → Krabi & Ao Nang: ฿450 adult, published by the operator — ฿250 less than the same crossing from Phuket, and shorter. If Phi Phi is the target, arriving at Krabi airport beats arriving at Phuket's.

Ferry + Minivan · 6h15–10h15 · ฿1,050–฿1,550

Phuket → Koh Lanta: Three and a half to five hours, usually with a Phi Phi stop where you change boats. Dry-season service; November to April is when the timetable is full.

Koh Lanta → Krabi & Ao Nang: Runs whatever the sea is doing, which is the whole argument for it. Our source still describes two short vehicle-ferry crossings on the way in; bridge work has been under way on that link, so check on the day rather than assuming either version.

Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 8h40–12h40 · ฿3,300–฿6,800

Phuket → Koh Samui: The only quick way to swap coasts. Everything else — coach across the peninsula, or a flight via Bangkok — costs a day or a connection.

Koh Samui → Krabi & Ao Nang: Ferry to Donsak, coach across the peninsula, arrive Krabi in the late afternoon. It's the standard way to swap coasts without flying, and it eats a full day whichever operator sells it.

Bus + Flight · 14h05–18h05 · ฿1,600–฿4,600

Phuket → Bangkok: Twelve to fourteen hours for a fare that a flight booked in advance regularly beats. It exists, it's cheap in the last-minute case, and almost nobody should choose it over the plane.

Bangkok → Krabi & Ao Nang: Usually a little cheaper than Phuket and much closer to Ao Nang, Railay and the Lanta and Phi Phi piers. If the Andaman islands are the plan rather than Patong, this is the better arrival.