Patong to Chalong Pier by Car

Which way to drive and how much time to allow

Patong sits in a hollow between hills, and every road out of it climbs. For Chalong Pier you have two ways. The southern one takes the pass to Karon, 15 min on the coast road, then the main road to the Chalong roundabout, west over a low hill and down to the seafront. The eastern one runs straight through Kathu towards Phuket Town with no climbs, then south along the main road to Chalong.

Which one to pick in the morning

The two routes have not been timed against each other, so choose by what you are comfortable with. The southern pass is short and steep, with tight blind bends, and every tour bus heading south uses it; in the morning you often crawl behind them up to the viewpoint. The road through Kathu has no hills but carries commuter traffic, and the Chalong roundabout, where all southbound traffic meets, stands still at rush hour. Our pages on the Patong to Karon pass and the Patong to Phuket Town road describe each one.

Whichever you take, leave with a generous margin before the boat. On the climb out of Patong in the morning you move in single file behind lorries, and the column of minibuses, taxis and cars at the pier gate turns the final approach into a slow walk. Missing a boat because of the road or the parking is an ordinary story here.

What that means for the car

Any automatic makes this trip. You do not need a crossover: the only climb is the pass out of Patong, and the pier yard is flat. Use L or B on the steep drop from the pass, where the pads overheat if you ride them.

Think about the day the car will spend without you. It stands in the sun by the sea from morning to evening, and a film of salt settles on the glass. Clear the dashboard and leave nothing valuable in sight. When you come back, run the washer before the wipers, or the salt scratches across the windscreen.

If your boat leaves early, take the car the evening before so the morning starts with the keys already in your hand. We deliver to your hotel, villa or apartment in Patong 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 Patong and car rental in Chalong cover both ends of the drive.

The early-morning departure, step by step

Most of the morning stress comes from doing things in the wrong order at the pier gate. Fix the order before you leave the hotel and the last section stops being a problem.

At the Chalong roundabout, traffic already on the ring has priority. Decide your exit before you approach and watch for scooters on both sides.

• Leave with a wide margin before the boat — the climb and the pier queue both move slowly in the morning
• Drop people and bags at the pier first — then go and look for a space without the clock running
• Park nose out — at the end of the day you drive away without reversing into the yard traffic
• Clear the dashboard and hide valuables — the car stands all day in an open yard
• Take the car the evening before — a morning delivery adds one more thing that can run late

At the pier

From the Chalong junction a straight road leads to the water, a few minutes during the day. The yard is a working area with pickups and boat trailers, so park only at the edge where visitor cars stand; the shade is at the edges, under the trees. The full layout is on our page about driving to Chalong Pier, and Phuket piers by car compares the other departure points.

The way back from Chalong Pier to Patong

After a day on the water, open all the doors for a couple of minutes before you get in and let the heat out. Clean the salt off the glass with the washer, then set off. Chalong has petrol stations, tyre shops and supermarkets along the main roads, so this is the place to fill up before Patong, where there are no stations in the centre.

The Chalong roundabout is the first test; at evening rush hour it stands still. If you go back over the hills, the pass into Patong is unlit, with blind bends and no verge, and scooters often ride without a rear light. The road through Kathu has no climbs but jams by six in the evening.

Parking in Patong

Read the kerb before you stop. Red and white means no stopping, and the tow truck clears the seafront in the evenings; yellow and white is a brief stop or drop-off; a plain kerb is parking. The roof of the Jungceylon shopping centre always has spaces and shade. From eight in the evening Bangla Road is closed and detours add fifteen minutes to any trip.

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 Chalong.

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