How to Get to Kata Beach & Get Around

In this article, I will show you some of the popular ways to get to Kata Beach from various locations on Phuket, like from the airport, Patong, and Phuket Old Town. I also share with you the best ways to get around this beautiful beach town.

Kata is a popular tourist destination in Phuket, so taxi, tuk tuk, and riding shares services Grab, Bolt, and InDive are widely available. You can easily get to and around the town using these types of transport. Since the town is small, it’s easy to explore on foot, especially around the main roads and beaches.

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Kata distance to other towns in Phuket on Map

4 Popular Ways to get to Kata Beach

1. By riding shares services: Grab, Bolt, InDrive

Phuket is a popular tourist destination, so you can easily use riding share services such as Grab, Bolt, and InDrive in popular places like Kata, Patong, Karon, and Phuket Old Town.

Grab is the most popular riding share services in Thailand, and many other south east Asia countries. It offers Grab taxis, bikes, and you can order food from Grab App. You can pay with both cash and card.

Bolt and InDrive are less popular but often offer cheaper prices than Grab. I prefer using InDiver because I often get the best price from this App. The downside is InDrive only accepts cash. I also prefer paying by cash as it makes me feel safer than putting my credit information into the app.

I used InDrive to several places around the island such as from Bang Rong Pier to Phuket Old town, from Old Town the Patong, and from Patong to the airport. You can request a ride from many popular towns to Kata by using ride share services.

2. By Regular Taxi

Regular taxis are easy to find all around the island. If you’d rather not use the app, you can just flag down a taxi on the street. Make sure to use a metered taxi or agree on the fare with the driver before getting in. The taxi cost in Phuket is generally more expensive than other parts of Thailand.

3. By Bus

There are bus connections between Kata to popular places such as Patong, Phuket International Airport, Karon, Rawai, or Phuket Old Town. If you travel on a budget, you can consider using the bus to get to Kata from various locations around the island.

The smart bus connects the airport to Rawai passing Kata and many other beach towns like Bang Tao, Surin, Kamala, Patong, Kata, Karon, and Rawai.

The local blue songthaews buses connect Kata with Phuket Old Town. If you need to travel from the Old Town to Kata Beach, you can use this bus route.

4. Rented scooter/ car

I rented a scooter to get around the island. It’s an affordable way to explore and also gives me the freedom to go wherever I want. I rented a scooter in Phuket Old Town for 250 baht per day and traveled to Kata and the beaches on the west coast.

If you are a confident driver, you can consider renting a scooter. Making sure you have a valid license. Also, be mindful that the roads in Phuket are very hilly and winding, so make sure you’re an experienced driver before attempting to drive there.

From Phuket Airport

Phuket International Airport is located 50km north of Kata. It will generally take 50 minutes to two hours depending on the traffic. You can use regular taxis, limousine services, Grab taxis, or smart buses to get from Phuket Airport to your hotel in Kata.

The smart bus runs every hour everyday from 08:15 a.m to 11:30 p.m. The bus ticket is 100 baht and you pay direct cash for the bus driver or pay by scanning the QR code. This is a good option for those who are traveling on a budget.

Taxi fares range from 800 to 1,200 baht, depending on traffic conditions and the type of car you choose. Taking a taxi ride is the best option if you are traveling as a group or with your family.

From Phuket Old Town

Phuket Old Town is located 15km away from Kata Beach. It will take around 30 minutes to 1 hour to travel between these two towns depending on the traffic conditions. You can use taxis, Grab, Bolt, InDrive, and local buses to get from the old town to Kata Beach.

The taxi usually costs 500-600 baht. For a cheaper price, you can use the local blue songthaews bus for 40 baht. You can catch the buses at the local bus station near Central Market in Ranong Road on Phuket Old Town. The bus runs frequently everyday from 6am to 6pm.

From Karon

Karon is located right next to Kata. The distance from Karon Circle to Kata Night market is around 3km, which takes 5-10 minutes taxi ride.

Depending on the starting and final location, you may be able to walk between two beach towns. Otherwise, you can use tuk tuk, taxi, and Grab Bike to travel between Karon and Kata easily.

From Bang Rong Pier

Bang Rong Pier is a popular arrival pier if you come to Phuket from Koh Yao Noi or Koh Yao Yai. The distance from Bang Rong Pier to Kata is around 40km and takes 45 minutes to 90 minutes drive.

You can use a taxi at the taxi counter at the pier or use riding share services like Grab, Bolt, and InDrive. It costs about the same as a ride from the airport to Kata Beach, usually between 200 and 1,200 baht.

How to Get Around Kata

Walking

Kata is a relatively small area. The main Kata Beach is about 1.5 km long, and the main road running parallel to the beach is roughly the same length. You can easily walk from your hotel on the main road to the beach, and to all restaurants, night markets, and shops on the main road.

There is a smaller beach called Kata Noi Beach in Kata. This beach is around 700m long and is located south of Kata Beach. You can take a short taxi ride between these two beaches, or if you walk it will be around 30 minutes with some uphill sections along the way.

Tuk tuk, regular taxi, InDrive, Grab, Bolt

Tuk tuk and taxis are plentiful in Kata. You can easily get these services to get around the beaches and to the night markets area. It is quite expensive when I rely on taxis and tuk tuk though.

Scooter

You can consider renting a scooter to explore the area and the whole island. This is my preferred way of traveling, it’s also the cheapest and most flexible option for getting around. The cost for renting a day is around 250-300 baht.