Has anyone ever taken a bus or train from Bangkok to Phuket VIA Surat Thani??

Question

Ive read up on the net a lil.. but would love to get someones real life experience.. is it annoying?? which would you suggest..ect

Answer 1

it is a great,cheap option to go to phuket via suratthaini.

the bus leaves from khaosan road which is abt 450 bhats n really comfortable.

phuket to khaosan road is 650 bhats.

all these prices had to be bargained.

the pros

u save the night hotel fare as your travel in the nite.

u save the taxi fare from n to the iarport which will add upto 1000 bhats!!!!!

u save money on airfare which is three times costlier.

u can see thailand in a different way.

u get up on a bus from your hotel n down there on your hotel(if booked).

u get to see two movies each time u travel.

bus seats r much more comfortable than the airplane ones.

cons

u should have a bit of time thatz what others say.but when u travel most of your journey by night then where do u waste time.

i don,t think so there is anyother con.

so ultimately,travel to phuket by bus for cheap n ultimate thailand experiance which is even more comfortable.

Answer 2

I have done it many times before...its cheap yes ..!

but get a sleeping cabin or your back gonna kill on those train seats..also when you get to surat thani it seems there is a 3-4 hour wait till minibus that goes only just outside Phuket...then you gotta get to the beach area and usually get conned into getting a taxi so you can get to Phuket ie:the main holiday beach areas and paying for that seperatley again...

get the plane s***w going through that again...for me personally anyhow

doing it the same via train and bus going to Ko samui is a complete joke and even worse ride.

Answer 3

Unless you have a reason to go to Surat Thani before going to Phuket I see no reason on taken the Train, in fact it may be a much longer trip and cost more.

Answer 4

I am not sure I understand your question. Is it that you want to stop over in Surat Thani? There is no train to Phuket so you would have to switch from train to bus at Surat Thani. I think the journey is about the same whether by train or bus. If you are not stopping over you can  save yourself some time and take a bus direct.

I travelled but I did not stop over. It took about 12 hours but I wasnt tired or anything. It was a pleasant trip. Just make sure that you take the government VIP bus and not the 'tourist' bus. You can even check out the buses before paying and on paying you can pick your seat. The seats to me are more comfy than AA economy class. They give you snacks on board, as well as bottled water. Included in the fare is lunch. There is a stop where everyone gets off and uses the voucher given to you when you purchase your ticket. It only covers food (not much) no drinks, you have to pay for your own. I fed on coke; universally recognized. I couldnt tell what the other drinks were. Fortunately for me I had a hostess..yes they have a hostess like the airlines...who was very understanding and knew a little english, so we communicated in broken english and she told me what to do.  When you get off the bus make sure that you take your valuable with you each time. Also make sure that whatever else you leave on the bus has a padlock. Your valuables MUST be with you!!

When you get to Phuket, you will be about 10 minutes outside the towncentre. Tuk tuk and bikes are available to take you to your destination. They just crowd the bus when the bus arrives. Just shout where youre going and pick one. Also decide on the rate and let him write it down when you agree to it so that it does not change when you get to your final stop. And try to have small notes to pay the driver. I think the taxicar I took cost me 100 baht which was reasonable going to the town-centre. Bikes would be less an it also depends how much luggage you have. If you are going to the beach area you can get a bus from the town to your specific beach. Let the tuk tuk drop you at the bus stop. All the beach buses are parked there so be careful which bus you get on.

There are many buses from Surat Thani to Phuket. You could check the Internet for departure times. The journey is about 6 hours. They have faster minibuses (4hr) a bit more costly.

I would go for the bus though because the train you have to book in advance to be sure of the seats you want. You can just go to the bus terminus at the time you wish to travel and get your ticket. Your vacation time is more flexible going by bus.

Don't miss the Simon Cabaret while in Phuket!