Patong to Bang Tao by Car

How long it takes and which road

Allow about half an hour from Patong to Bang Tao. The hard part comes first: north out of Patong over the pass, a long ascent with two sharp bends and a viewpoint at the top, then down into Kamala, 15 min from where you started. From Kamala the 4025 runs north to Surin and on to Bang Tao, 10 min for each stretch, flat and without bends, the calmest road on the west coast.

Where it slows down

Almost all the lost time is on the pass. Overloaded pickups and tour vans crawl on the ascent, and there are places where overtaking looks possible and is not. Scooters ridden by first-timers drift into the middle of the lane. After rain, water lies on the inside of the bends; slow down before the corner rather than in it.

The other slow spot is at the far end. On market evenings at Boat Avenue the car parks fill and the road around them slows to a crawl.

What that means for the car

The engine only works hard for the first few minutes. An automatic takes the pass without fuss; on the descent into Kamala select L or B and let the engine do the holding. After that the drive is long and level, and a cold cabin matters more than horsepower. Turn the air conditioning on while the car is still parked, and on the coast road you will arrive fresh rather than sticky.

Bang Tao is flat but spread out. The beach runs for 6 km, and people there drive between its ends rather than walk. A car you are happy to park and restart ten times a day, compact and with good air conditioning, suits the area better than a big SUV.

If you are staying in Bang Tao, Laguna or Patong, we deliver the car to your hotel, villa or apartment at any hour: automatic, first-class commercial insurance, refundable deposit, the total for your dates fixed in chat. Send the dates on WhatsApp or through the booking form; car rental in Bang Tao and car rental in Laguna describe those areas, and car rental in Patong covers the other end of the trip.

Getting into Bang Tao and the gated quarters

Much of Bang Tao is made up of gated quarters with barriers and security posts. Laguna is the largest of them, a gated complex at the northern end of the bay with a security post at the entrance and speed humps on its internal roads. Navigation apps understand these quarters imperfectly and will happily lead you to a closed gate.

For shops, cafés and fuel outside the gates, Cherng Talay is the nearest cluster.

• Set navigation to the hotel or residence name — a pin on Laguna as a whole leads to the wrong gate
• Slow down well before the barrier — every entry goes through the security post
• Take the speed humps at walking pace — the internal roads are full of them
• Fill up in Cherng Talay — it is the nearest fuel to the gated quarters

Where to park in Bang Tao

After Patong, parking in Bang Tao feels generous. It is free and roomy almost everywhere, including at the shopping centres. Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket stand within walking distance of each other, so leave the car at one and walk to the other.

The exception is the Boat Avenue market evening. The car parks fill, the road slows to a crawl and the free spaces disappear at once. Come early, or park at Porto de Phuket and walk over. For the beach, drive to the stretch you want: with 6 km of sand, parking at the wrong end means a long walk in the sun. Our page on west coast beaches by car compares the bays along this road.

The way back from Bang Tao to Patong

Main roads in Bang Tao are wide and lit; the lanes between the residences are neither. Drive them slowly, with full beam where nobody is coming. From there the 4025 south is easy as far as Kamala, though in the evening the coast road is dark and in places unmarked, with unlit scooters on the bends.

The pass back into Patong is the part to respect at night. The hill road is unlit for its entire length, with blind bends, no verge, oncoming main beam on the climb and scooters often without a rear light. Our guide to driving at night goes into more detail. If you have been drinking, the car stays in Bang Tao and you take a taxi: insurance does not work at all in that case.

Parking back in Patong

Read the kerb. Yellow and white is for a quick stop or drop-off only, and a plain kerb is ordinary parking. Beach spaces are paid and full by lunchtime in high season. The roof of the Jungceylon shopping centre always has spaces and shade, with Bangla Road ten minutes on foot; the side streets closer to the hill above Rat-U-Thit are free but narrow.

Seven seats for the run back from Patong

For a group staying in Bang Tao, seven-seater hire in Bang Tao puts everyone in one car for the evening drive back from Patong. With a full load, keep a low gear on the descent from the pass.

Renting a car for this drive

What a car costs for this trip depends on the class and on how long you keep it: see the price per day in Phuket, and the search gives the total for your dates. We deliver the car to your hotel or villa at any hour, and a refundable deposit is taken at handover, its size depending on the model. First-class commercial insurance is included, and every car we deliver is an automatic, since manual cars are rare in Phuket. Booking, payment and return are explained in how renting a car with Kolesio works. Starting from Patong? See car rental in Patong. Car rental near the end of the drive: cars for rent in Bang Tao.

Also useful before you book: can you rent without a deposit?.