普吉岛 Transport

Phuket has no train or metro, and public transport is thin, so nearly everyone rents a vehicle or pays for rides. Distances are larger than most visitors expect: the airport sits at the northwest corner, roughly forty-five minutes from Patong and an hour or more from Rawai in traffic.

Car rental is the practical option for anyone staying outside a single resort area, with desks at the airport and offices across the island. Scooter rental is cheap and ubiquitous, but the island's road-accident rate is high, a helmet is legally required, and an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle entitlement is needed for both insurance and police checks. Rental agreements commonly ask to hold a passport, which is worth negotiating.

For rides, the metered airport taxis, the app-based services and the resort transfer companies cover most journeys, with the local songthaew trucks running fixed routes into Phuket Town at low fares but on a slow and limited timetable. The airport bus connects the terminals with Phuket Town and Patong. Rassada Pier east of Phuket Town handles the ferries and speedboats to Phi Phi, Krabi, Ao Nang, Ko Lanta and Ko Yao.