How much is a transfer from Phuket Airport to Patong, Kata, Karon and other beaches

This page answers one question: how much does it cost and how long does it take to get from Phuket Airport (HKT) to your beach. Prices come from the airport’s own listings and the operators’ sites, ride times from the Smart Bus timetable and the OSRM road router, all checked on 13 November 2026. For arrival formalities, SIM cards and the airport’s other services, use the Phuket Airport guide.

Your beach, five ways

The AOT fare card lists only four prices, so Karon, Kamala, Bang Tao and Surin have no airport-card figure. Rawai is cheaper than Kata on the AOT card and costs the same at Phuket Airport Limousine: the two operators set their own prices. Grab and Bolt are not in the table because they show the fare in the app only, and the Smart Bus ride times are counted from the 08:15 and 09:00 departures. Road times are without traffic: rain, rush hour and high season add to them.

What each way costs and how it works

• Airport fare card (AOT). A counter at Entrance 1 of the main terminal, arrivals floor, listed as “Minibus-Taxi” with four prices per car: town 650, Patong 800, Kata 1,000, Rawai 900 baht. The airport lists it open until midnight
• Phuket Airport Limousine. A car service with counters at the domestic and international terminals. Its online prices are per vehicle by drop-off zone: a taxi for up to 3 people and a Fortuner for up to 4. The listing page says “fixed prices from 400 baht” and confirms the price when you book
• Grab and Bolt. Grab picks up at Entrance 1, ground floor, arrivals, and the airport lists the point as open until midnight. Bolt takes airport rides but has no listed pickup point. Neither price is published, and our taxi guide explains how to compare them and what to check on the screen
• Metered taxi. The airport’s transport page lists no metered taxi counter, and we found no first-hand tariff for one, so we give no meter figures
• Phuket Smart Bus. 100 baht flat to any stop, from Exit 3 of the main terminal. Pay with a contactless Visa, Mastercard or JCB card (Apple Pay and Google Pay work too), a PromptPay QR code or cash, and children under 6 ride free with a paying adult

A group or a lot of luggage: minibus for up to 10

Phuket Airport Limousine also sells a minibus for up to 10 people. Online prices on 13 November 2026, per vehicle:

Smart Bus: first and last bus to each stop

The Smart Bus runs along the west coast: Airport, Baan Khian, Cherngtalay, Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Rawai. It leaves the airport at 08:15, then at 09:00, 09:30 and every 30 minutes to 22:00, with the last two at 22:40 and 23:30. Times from the operator’s timetable valid from 16 January 2026, which was still the one on its site on 13 November 2026:

The stops are named points such as Karon Circle and Kata Palm, not hotel doors, so count a walk or a short ride at the end. The operator says times are approximate and depend on traffic, and the timetable is updated from time to time, so check its site before you travel. The airport also lists an Airport Bus express to Karon and Kata at Exit 3 of the domestic terminal, with its counter closing at 21:00, but the listing gives no fare or timetable. The Bus Terminal 2 to Patong line (50 baht) is a separate route from the town and does not start at the airport.

Which way suits you

• One or two people, daytime, a light bag, no rush. The Smart Bus, 100 baht each
• Three people. A car at 650-1,000 baht works out at about 217-333 baht each and saves roughly 20 minutes to an hour over the bus
• A family with big bags or a late flight. A car: you do not depend on the bus timetable and the stops
• A group of 4 to 10. The minibus, 1,200-1,600 baht to the west coast beaches
• Landing after 23:30. Pre-book a transfer for your arrival time, since the bus has gone and the airport listings for the counter, Grab and the limousine show closing at midnight

Common mistakes

• Quoting one price for all beaches. It runs from 650 to 1,000 baht by car
• Assuming the Smart Bus stops at your beach. It has no stop on Bang Tao Beach, and its Karon and Kata stops are called Karon Circle, Kata Night Plaza and Kata Palm
• Comparing the bus time with the car time. The bus is 100 baht against 700-1,000 baht by car, and takes from 17 minutes to over an hour longer
• Taking Rawai as dearer than Kata. On the AOT card it is 900 against 1,000 baht, and at Phuket Airport Limousine both are 1,000
• Planning an arrival after midnight without a booked ride. Counters and the bus are closed

Where to stay and where to go next

If you have not chosen a base yet, where to stay in Phuket compares the areas, and the Phi Phi tour from Phuket page has a day trip with a price. If you are arriving from Khao Lak or the north, see Khao Lak to Phuket, and for getting to the island overall, how to get to Phuket.