How to Go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

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It’s a long way from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island in Thailand, about 830 kilometers (516 miles), and so you’ll want to factor in the time it takes to get there with your mode of transport.  As well as no airport there are no cars allowed here, and only a few motorbikes and scooters.  Bliss.  But be aware that this means that you’ll need to walk to your hotel when you arrive here on the ferry!  This guide covers you whether you’re going from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island or Phi Phi Island to Bangkok as you’ll need to know the best way to travel between these two destinations.  There are several options for transport between Bangkok and Phi Phi Island, but what’s the best way to go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island?  And what are the options for traveling to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok?  Here’s our guide on how to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok.

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#1 BUS + FERRY TICKET COMBO

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Easiest Way to Go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok

The easiest way to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok is to take the combined Bus + Boat ticket – all connections are guaranteed. And it’s really easy.

Book your bus + ferry tickets here

There is no airport on Koh Phi Phi Island, but you can fly a lot closer and then catch a boat across.   If you prefer not to fly, then I’ve included train and bus options too.  Koh Phi Phi is a gloriously lush green island in more than one way, as once you get there you’ll find no cars on the island, and only a few scooters.  However, it’s a small island and it’s easy to get around on foot.

We’ve spent a lot of time in Thailand in recent months, hopping between islands, figuring out the best way to get between places and so welcome to the latest in our guides on getting to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok.

Where is Phi Phi Island

Phi Phi Island is about 830 kilometers (516 miles) from Bangkok in terms of travel distance, and the quickest that you can get here is in 6 hours, but it’s likely going to take longer than that.  The group of islands known as the Phi Phi islands are in the Andaman Sea, between the island of Phuket and the Straits of Malacca.  Koh Phi Phi was made famous by the movie of the book, The Beach.

The Phi Phi Islands are about 90 minutes (40 kilometers – 25 miles) off the coast of the island of Phuket and equidistant from Krabi.

How to Go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island – Transport Options

In this guide on how to go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island, we’ll cover the fastest way to travel from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island, the easiest way to go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok, and the cheapest way to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok, as well as the most fun way to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok.  There are several routes that you can take from Bangkok to Koh Phi Phi, and travel times run from 6 hours up to about 20 hours, with planes, trains, buses, and ferries all possible as modes of transport.

How to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok

For transport to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok, then you have several options.  And by this, I mean that there are different routes that you can take, and then there are different transport modes to take.  You first need to get south of Bangkok to a place where you’ll catch a ferry to the island and you have the choice of heading south to either Phuket or Krabi and taking a ferry from there.  So I’ll split this into several pieces. 

First of all.  The easiest way to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok.  Well, that’s booking a through ticket.  This means that you can’t miss any connections and one company is responsible for getting you all the way.  Sound good?  Book a through ticket from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island here.

To split it all down into the sections of the journey you can take a train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and then a bus and a ferry.  Or you can take a bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani, then a ferry to Phi Phi Island or you can take a taxi and then ferry.  The quickest way to go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok is to start with a flight from Bangkok.   I’ll cover the details of all these options, including how to go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok via Phuket.  Keep reading.

Combined Tickets Buses + Ferries from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

The easiest way to book this trip is to book a combined bus and ferry ticket that will take you all the way from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island and just not worry about it.  There are buses available that you can catch from either Khao San road or the Southern Bus Station in Bangkok.

Buses leave Bangkok at about 19:00 and arrive at the pier on Phi Phi Island at 12:30 the next day.  These tickets do sell out and are limited, so you’ll want to book early.  I’ve included details on how to book the tickets for the separate segments of this trip later, but if you want to get a combined ticket, then book bus and ferry combo tickets from Bangkok to Phi Phi here.

If there are no combined tickets left, then you can book these segments separately.  Here’s how to do that.  First, you need to decide whether you’ll take the bus to either Krabi or Phuket.

Separate Booking Bus + Ferry Tickets (i.e. not a combo)

You can reach Phi Phi island by ferry from either Krabi or Phuket, which means you have the choice of going from Bangkok to either Phuket or Krabi.

Bangkok to Phi Phi Island via Krabi

First, you’ll need to take a bus to Krabi.

Buses from Bangkok to Krabi

The bus+transfer+ferry from Bangkok to Phi Phi via Krabi will take about 13 hours, most of which time is spent on the bus from Bangkok to Krabi bus station.   You can book a bus from Bangkok to Krabi here.

The most time-effective way to use this bus is to take an overnight bus from Bangkok to Krabi.  You will usually have the choice of leaving from Khao San or the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, there are sometimes buses from the Mochit Bus Terminal too. 

Taxi from Krabi Bus Terminal to Klong Jilad Pier

When you arrive at Krabi Bus terminal you’ll need to take a taxi from there to the Klong Jilad Pier, where the ferries leave for Phi Phi Island.  The first ferry from Krabi to Phi Phi island leaves at around 09:00, and most of the overnight buses from Bangkok to Krabi will arrive in plenty of time for this.

Ferries from Krabi to Phi Phi Island

There are usually 5 regular ferries a day from Krabi to Phi Phi Island, the first is at 09:00 and the last one of the day leaves at 15:00.  Ferries to Phi Phi Island from Krabi take about 2 hours.   There are a variety of different boats that traverse this route – from the fast boats to slow boats, ferries to longtail boats.  A speedboat will take as little as 45 minutes for this route!

You can check and book ferries and fast boats from Krabi to Phi Phi Island here.

Bangkok to Phi Phi Island via Phuket

First, you’ll need to get to Phuket.  I really DON’T advise this trip by bus as it just takes forever, so you’re better off flying from Bangkok to Phuket.

Flights from Bangkok to Phuket

There are many daily flights from Bangkok (from both DMK and BKK airports) to Phuket and they’re relatively cheap.  You’ll need to get to the airport in Bangkok of course, but this is a quick way of getting to Phuket from Bangkok.  Check and book flights from Bangkok to Phuket here.

Phuket Airport to Ferry Pier

Once you’ve arrived at Phuket Airport, then you need to get to the ferry port for Phi Phi Island.  Most of the boats from Phuket to Phi Phi island leave from Rassada Pier (see my map for details), but you can also pick up a ferry from Bang Rong, Yamu, and Sea Angel, all of which are some distance from the airport.

To get to any of these piers the quickest way is to take a taxi (use Grab, it’s probably cheaper), but the easiest way to do this journey is to buy a combined transfer and ferry ticket.  It will cost you a little more than booking separately (about 290 THB per person more), but it’s a whole lot more convenient and means that you won’t miss the connection!).

Book a combined transfer and ferry from Phuket Airport to Phi Phi Island here.

Ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi Island

Ferries from the main port, Rassada Pier on Phuket Island to Phi Phi Island take around 2 hours, although you can also take a speedboat, which takes half this time (but costs the most).  There are also tickets available from different ferry piers on Phuket, but check the departure times as they are limited.

You can check and book ferries and fast boats from Phuket to Phi Phi Island here.

Train + Bus + Ferry from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

Taking the train + ferry to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok is not the best of options for traveling to Phi Phi Island.  It takes a heck of a long time to travel to Phi Phi Island using this combination of transport. You’ll first need to take a train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and there are overnight sleeper trains available.  From the train station in Surat Thani, you’ll need to take a van or bus to Krabi.  If your van doesn’t drop you at the Klong Jilad Pier, then you’ll need to take a taxi to the pier, and then you’ll need to take a ferry to Phi Phi Island.  Sound exhausting?  Yeah, it is.  Either fly or take the bus +ferry combo ticket, it’s way easier and you will NOT save any money doing it the hard way!

Flight and Ferry from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

This is the fastest way to go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok, but don’t forget you have to factor in getting to the airport in Bangkok.  There are flights available from both Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK) airport to get you on this route.  You’ll want to fly to either Phuket or Krabi airport before you take the next part of the journey.

The best way to book a ticket if you want to fly, is to book a Flight + a separate Ferry ticket. The concept of a combined ticket doesn’t really exist, because they do NOT include a transfer between the airport and the ferry port.

Flight to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok via Krabi Klong Jilad Pier

This option – flying from Bangkok to Krabi, and then taking a transfer to the ferry port and taking the ferry from from Krabi to Phi Phi, is the fastest way to get to Phi Phi island, but you need to book your transfer AND ferry from the airport separate to the plane ticket. This is a THREE step booking process.

  1. You can check flight departures from Bangkok to Krabi here
  2. Book a Transfer from Krabi Airport to KLONG JILAD PIER (for Koh Phi Phi)
  3. Book a boat from Krabi (Klong Jilad Pier) to Ton Sai Pier (Phi Phi Island)

Flight to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok via Phuket

This option – flying from Bangkok to Phuket, and then taking a transfer to the ferry port and taking the ferry from from Krabi to Phi Phi, is another fast to get to Phi Phi island, but you need to book your transfer AND ferry from the airport separate to the plane ticket. This is SLIGHTLY easier as this is TWO step booking process.

You can book and combined TRANSFER + FERRY ticket from Phuket Airport directly to Phi Phi Island and they guarantee the connection.

  1. Book flights from Bangkok to Phuket here
  2. Book a combined transfer and ferry ticket from Phuket Airport to Koh Phi Phi here

Arriving on Koh Phi Phi

When you arrive on the ferry at Phi Phi Island, then there are plenty of signs directing you to hotels and in the right general direction.  That combined with a lack of cars means it’s pretty easy to find your way around.

Koh Phi Phi Don to call it by its correct name is the largest island of the Phi Phi group and the only populated island so you don’t have to worry about getting the ferry to the wrong one!  The island is small at just 9.73 square kilometers ( 3.76 square miles) and is easy to get around.

There is just one pier on Phi Phi Island, it’s called Tonsai Pier, which is located in Tonsai Village, which is in turn located in Tonsai Bay.

Arriving at Phi Phi Island
Arriving at Phi Phi Island

You’ll arrive on this pier and then have to pay your Green Tax of 20THB per person. It’s cash only and you need to pay before you’re allowed onto the island. Note that if you’re taking a trip to the National Park this is NOT that fee!

Green Tax Phi Phi
Green Tax Phi Phi

The quickest way to get from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

The time it will take you to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok depends on where you are staying in Bangkok.  It can take as little as 6 hours to get from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island if you get the right flight and ferry connection.  You can book flight and ferry tickets from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island here. (Check carefully, most of these tickets do NOT include a transfer between the airport and the ferry port)

The easiest way to go to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok

The easiest way to get from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island is to take a through ticketed option.  This means that you’ll buy one ticket and go with one company.  At the time of writing the only transport combination is to take a sleeper bus + ferry. 

These buses tend to run overnight, leaving Bangkok early evening, arriving at the ferry ports for the ferry transfer to Phi Phi in the early morning, so you will save on a night’s accommodation.

Book bus + ferry from Bangkok Khao San to Phi Phi Island here

The cheapest way to go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

The cheapest way to get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok is to take a bus + ferry combined ticket  – reserve your seats here.

The best way to go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

For sheer ease of travel, then the combined overnight bus and then the ferry are, after consideration, the best way to get to Koh Phi Phi from Bangkok.  You can check the bus and ferry options here.

Map of Transport Options for Bangkok to Koh Phi Phi

You can see the full map for Bangkok to Koh Phi Phi here

Map of Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

Popular Routes in Thailand

Want to know more about different forms of transport in Thailand? Our guide to Thailand transport is here. And here’s how to travel some of the popular routes around Thailand, your options, and how we did it.

Travel Tips for Exploring Thailand

Final Words on How to Go from Bangkok to Phi Phi Island

Koh Phi Phi was a popular island even before The Beach made this an even more popular place to visit, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get there from Bangkok.  You’ll need to decide if you want to fly to either Phuket or Krabi, then take a transfer and then a ferry, or if you want to take a combined bus and ferry ticket, which is a whole lot easier (and cheaper!)

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AUTHOR

Sarah Carter
Sarah Carter is an avid reader, writer and traveller. She loves hiking, sailing, skiing and exploring the world through food. She left a successful career in IT security and compliance in both the UK and US to travel the world with husband and partner in adventure, Nigel.

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