Arguably Thailand’s premier holiday destination, Phuket is one of the most visited regions in the country. After soaking up the sun and goodtime vibes, travellers heading back to Bangkok often take the conventional route via the skies. While there’s no question flying is the fastest route, it’s nowhere near as much of an experience as taking the overland route, via an easy bus ride to Surat Thani, and then towards Bangkok onboard an overnight sleeper train.
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Travelling the other way? Check out our guide for taking the train from Bangkok to Phuket.
Route map and details
The journey begins with a comfortable bus ride from Phuket’s bus station close to the Old Town, to Surat Thani train station, taking around four hours.
From there, several trains make the journey to Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station. The journey takes around ten hours, with sleeper service available.
Timetables
Starting in Phuket, there are hourly buses departing for Surat Thani, although they will drop you off in the city centre, so you’ll need to take a Grab taxi to Surat Thani railway station.
Some of the available options are listed below from the Baolau website, although there are a couple of faster options available on the 12Go website that go directly to Surat Thank train station from Phuket.
| Phuket | Surat Thani |
|---|---|
| 07:00 | 11:30 |
| 08:00 | 12:30 |
| 09:00 | 13:30 |
| 10:00 | 14:30 |
| 11:00 | 15:30 |
| 12:00 | 16:30 |
| 13:00 | 17:30 |
| 14:00 | 18:30 |
| 15:00 | 19:30 |
Average journey time: 4 hours 30 minutes
There are ten trains per day from Surat Thani to Bangkok, all of which have Sleeper carriages apart from SP40 and SP44.
| Train number | Surat Thani | Bangkok |
|---|---|---|
| SP40 | 09:00 | 18:05 |
| SP44 | 18:25 | 03:45 |
| RP168 | 18:32 | 05:10 |
| EX86 | 19:31 | 06:10 |
| EX84 | 20:23 | 07:05 |
| RP172 | 20:55 | 07:30 |
| SP32 | 22:24 | 08:10 |
| SP38 | 22:50 | 09:05 |
| SP46 | 22:50 | 09:05 |
| RP170 | 23:28 | 10:50 |
Average journey time: 9 hours 52 minutes
How to buy tickets
Phuket to Surat Thani bus tickets
Bus tickets from Phuket to Surat Thani can be booked on the Baolau site, although you’ll need to take a Grab from the bus terminal to the train station (20 minutes).
Alternatively, 12Go also has a few services available from Phuket directly to the train station, avoiding a separate trip into town first:
Surat Thani to Bangkok train tickets
The easiest way to buy train tickets in Thailand is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.
Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the live Thai Railways booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.
Payment can be made using international credit card and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.
How much does it cost?
The journey is split into two separate legs, and it’s cheaper to book each one separately, plus you’ll have more choice.
Phuket to Surat Thani
From Phuket to Surat Thani, the bus costs around THB350 with Baolau (plus the taxi fare to Surat Thani bus terminal). 12Go’s options are about the same price, but there are fewer options to choose from.
Surat Thani to Bangkok
On the Surat Thani to Bangkok train, you have several different classes to choose from, although our recommendation is a second class berth (AC):
| Train | 1st class berth (AC) | 2nd class berth (AC) | 2nd class seat | 3rd class seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP40 | – | – | ✓ 1 | – |
| SP44 | – | – | ✓ 1 | – |
| RP168 | – | ✓ 2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| EX86 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EX84 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RP172 | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SP32 | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| SP38 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SP46 | – | ✓ | – | – |
| RP170 | – | ✓ 2 | ✓ | ✓ |
1 Air-conditioned carriages
2 Non-AC berths also available
The prices for each class are:
| Class | Cost (THB) |
|---|---|
| First class berth (A/C) | 1300 – 1600 |
| Second class berth (A/C) | 720 – 1010 |
| Second class berth (Fan) | 490-530 |
| Second class seat (A/C) | 520 |
| Second class seat | 350 – 440 |
| Third class seat | 210 – 300 |
Total cost ranges from THB600 for third-class seat and bus transfer, or THB1950 if you fancy first class. In reality, most travellers will choose a second class berth rather than sitting on a hard seat for ten hours, but even then it’s a very reasonable THB1350 for this memorable journey.
Useful reads before you go:
Top 10 tips for Southeast Asia train travel
7 reasons why you should travel by train around Southeast Asia
5 AMAZING train journeys in Southeast Asia
10 essentials experienced travellers always take on trains in Southeast Asia
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