Short answer
Phuket to Krabi is 176 km by road and takes about 3 hours by bus from Phuket Bus Terminal 2, at 140 baht in a Phuket 101 guide updated in February 2023. By sea there is no direct boat on the timetables we read: you go to Phi Phi (2 hours) and change for Krabi (another 2 hours), and the connections are poor. Our Krabi speedboat tours, from $35 per person, start in Ao Nang and do not pick up in Phuket, so move to Krabi first or choose a Phuket tour.
Phuket to Krabi is 176 km by road
Wikivoyage's Krabi Province page gives the road distance from Phuket as 176 km, along Highways 402 and 4. Phuket is joined to the mainland by the Sarasin Bridge, according to Wikivoyage's Phuket page, so every road trip off the island starts by crossing it. The distance alone says this is a half-day move, not a quick hop.
It also matters which Krabi you mean. Krabi Town, the provincial capital, is where buses arrive. Ao Nang, the resort beach where most island tours start, is about 15 km from Krabi Town, according to Wikivoyage's Ao Nang page. If your hotel is in Ao Nang, count one more leg after the bus, and ask any driver you book for the hotel, not the town, as the drop-off.
The bus takes about 3 hours and cost 140 baht in 2023
The cheapest way is the long-distance bus from Phuket Bus Terminal 2, on the road to the airport. A Phuket 101 guide, last updated on 10 February 2023, lists Phuket to Krabi at 140 baht and 3 hours. The guide warns that visitors must name Bus Terminal 2, or they may end up at the local-bus terminal in the middle of Phuket Town. It also says the fare is the same whichever ticket counter you buy from.
In Krabi the bus arrives at the bus terminal at Talad Kao, about 5 km north of Krabi Town, according to Wikivoyage. For Ao Nang it lists a white songthaew, a shared pick-up truck, at 60 baht, but that figure is undated, so ask before you board. Treat the 2023 bus fare as a guide only: we found no current official fare or timetable, so check at the terminal.
By sea you change at Phi Phi, and the boats barely connect
Wikivoyage's Phuket page says ferries connect Rassada Port with Ko Phi Phi and with the Krabi mainland. The timetable pages of the ferry company Andaman Wave Master, which we read on 29 October 2026, tell a more precise story: Phuket to Phi Phi takes 2 hours, leaving Rassada at 08:30 and 13:45, and a separate boat runs from Tonsai Pier to Klong Jilad Pier near Krabi Town in 2 hours for 450 baht.
The two timetables do not meet well. The morning Phuket ferry arrives at Tonsai at 10:30, the same minute the Krabi boat leaves, and the next Krabi departure is at 15:30, arriving at 17:30. The 13:45 Phuket ferry arrives after that boat has gone. So a sea route means a wait of about five hours or an overnight stop on Phi Phi, and the ferry company says its schedules can change without notice.
A private car or minivan is faster to your door, with no official price
The road is the practical route for most people, and the door-to-door option is a private car or a minivan transfer booked through a hotel or an agency. We found no official fare table for it, and online listings disagree, so we give no price. For a 176 km trip, agree the total before the car moves.
Ask five things when you book: the total for the whole vehicle, the exact pick-up and drop-off, the pick-up time, the number of bags the vehicle takes, and whether tolls and waiting time are included. If you want to go on a Krabi islands tour the next morning, ask for a drop-off at your Ao Nang hotel the evening before, so that the boat pickup at about 7:30 to 8:40 am starts from where you sleep.
Why a Krabi islands day cannot be a day trip from Phuket
The sums rule it out. A bus of about 3 hours each way adds up to roughly 6 hours on the road, before you even reach the pier. Our Krabi 4 Islands and Hong Islands tours collect guests from hotels in Ao Nang and the Krabi area between about 7:30 and 8:40 am, and the speedboat leaves a private pier at about 9:00. We do not pick up from Phuket, Koh Lanta or Phi Phi.
A same-day round trip would mean leaving Phuket in the dark and returning after dark. The 4 Islands tour is back at about 2:00 pm and the Hong Islands tour at about 3:30 pm, so the road home would take most of the evening. We would not sell that day, and we do not recommend it.
If you stay in Phuket: Phi Phi is in Krabi Province
If you want a limestone-island day while based in Phuket, the shortest answer is Phi Phi, which belongs to Krabi Province. Our Phi Phi and Maya Bay speedboat tour is from $75 per person, with hotel pickup in Phuket between about 7:00 and 8:30 am and a return to the marina at about 5:30 to 6 pm. The route and the choice between ferry and tour are in our guide to going from Phuket to Phi Phi.
If the limestone towers and caves of Phang Nga Bay appeal more, our James Bond Island tour is also collected from Phuket hotels. Our comparison of Phi Phi and James Bond Island sets out which day suits which traveller. Neither replaces Krabi's own beaches, but they give you a full island day without a long drive.
If you move to Ao Nang: when the Krabi tours make sense
Once you sleep in Ao Nang, our Krabi tour is an easy day out of about 6 to 8 hours. The 4 Islands day is from $35 per person and the Hong Islands day from $40. Both include hotel pickup in Ao Nang and the Krabi area, a Thai picnic lunch, a mask, snorkel and life jacket, and accident insurance. The national park fee is paid in cash at check-in: 200 baht per adult and 100 per child on the 4 Islands tour, and 300 and 150 on the Hong Islands tour.
Choose by what you want: the 4 Islands or Hong Islands comparison explains the difference. Note that the Tup sandbar appears only at low tide, fins are not provided, and the tour is not recommended for infants under 4, pregnant women or people with back or neck problems. The ferry company also warns that from July to October the offshore sea can be choppy, so plan wet-season dates with some flexibility.
Practical checklist
- Choose your Krabi base first: Krabi Town and Ao Nang are about 15 km apart.
- For the bus, go to Phuket Bus Terminal 2 and check the current fare and timetable at the counter.
- Do not plan a sea route unless you can spend a night on Phi Phi; the boats connect poorly.
- For a private car, agree the total, the pick-up time and the exact hotel drop-off before the car moves.
- Book a Krabi islands tour for the morning after you arrive in Ao Nang, not for the day you travel.
- Keep cash ready for the national park fee on the tour day.
Questions and answers
How far is Phuket from Krabi?
Wikivoyage's Krabi Province page gives 176 km by road along Highways 402 and 4. Krabi Town is the bus destination, and Ao Nang is about 15 km further on.
How long is the bus from Phuket to Krabi?
About 3 hours, with a 140 baht fare, according to a Phuket 101 guide last updated on 10 February 2023. The bus leaves from Phuket Bus Terminal 2. Fares and times may have changed, so check at the terminal.
Is there a direct ferry from Phuket to Krabi?
Not on the timetables we read on 29 October 2026. The ferry company lists Phuket to Phi Phi in 2 hours and a separate Phi Phi to Krabi boat, also 2 hours, so the sea route needs a change at Tonsai Pier.
Can I do a Krabi islands tour as a day trip from Phuket?
Not with our tours. Our Krabi 4 Islands and Hong Islands tours pick up only in Ao Nang and the Krabi area, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00. With about 3 hours each way by road, a same-day trip is not sensible.
Where does the bus from Phuket stop in Krabi?
At the Krabi bus terminal in Talad Kao, about 5 km north of Krabi Town, according to Wikivoyage. For Ao Nang you need a further songthaew or taxi.
What is a good Phuket alternative to a Krabi island day?
The Phi Phi Islands belong to Krabi Province. Our Phi Phi and Maya Bay speedboat day is collected from Phuket hotels and is from $75 per person; the national park fee is paid in cash on the tour.