We are often asked what the best way is to get to your accommodation in Phuket from the airport. This can depend a lot on where you are staying and how many passengers and bags you need to transport.
It is always nice to have someone waiting for you when you arrive in a foreign country to guide your way, but is it always necessary to pre-book a driver in Phuket?
We will take you through here all of the transport options so you can decide which will suit your family best when you arrive in Phuket
Table of Contents
Taking An Airport Taxi
We have always found the pricing of the standard airport taxis to be quite reasonable. You can pay inside the airport at any of the service counters (even if they’re separate companies/counters, the prices we have found are all the same) and wait outside for your taxi to be called up.
There is no guarantee as to the exact quality of your vehicle. Whilst taxis are regulated, and your driver will have their license displayed, vehicles are not standard and come in varying ages and qualities.
Standard car or SUV? This may depend on how much luggage you have in addition to people. When I have flown with my 3 children, I have found a standard car adequate to fit us with 4 small suitcases.
If you have more than 4 small or two large pieces of luggage or more than 4 passengers in total, you will need an SUV or minivan.
In our experience, taxis have all been fitted with seatbelts and can accommodate car seats. Although this isn’t always the case when using the third row in an SUV especially we’ve found seat belts jammed or stuck.
Don’t be afraid to ask your driver for help with seatbelts to ensure you’re all travelling safely.
You can also catch a metered taxi from the airport, though this is less common.
Reforms are currently taking place (as at July 2023) to the way taxis can operate from HKT, so watch this space, we will update if we see the system has changed!
A Private Transfer With Your Accommodation
We always ask our hotel to quote for the transfers too, as a price comparison. Often (not always!), a hotel will have a nicer quality car for you, plus you have the knowledge that someone will be there waiting for you.
This can be especially important if you are onward connecting to an island, for example. If you’re running late, this is something your driver will communicate onwards.
It’s certainly a “nice to have”, but you can bargain on it costing at least a few hundred baht more than an airport taxi.
- Recent examples – A 4 seater car from the airport to Surin 700 THB; 4 months earlier, I paid $27 for my hotel to arrange this to Laguna – over 900 THB.
Hire Your Own Driver
Once you’ve been to Phuket a few times, you’ve no doubt caught your fair share of taxis and Grabs and may have a favourite you like to call upon.
We encourage you to drop their names and numbers in the comments below; there are so many drivers who would appreciate this! But please, they MUSt be licensed green plate taxis.
Is There Public Transport From Phuket Airport?
There is the Phuket Smart Bus which leaves Phuket and stops at all the major coastal villages all the way to Rawai.
At 100 THB per person (over 7 years old), this is a great deal with a small group, but may not be so cost-effective for a group, and will take you much longer than a private car or a taxi.
As far as we are aware, the local Songthaew buses do not operate as far as the airport.
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