Phuket By Car
A trip to Phuket can be extremely rewarding if you rent a car. Route to Phuket from Bangkok has amazing roadside views that can be fully relished by such a journey. Phuket is roughly 867 kilometers (539 miles) from Bangkok. A trip by a car takes roughly ten hours to reach Phuket Town. Your car rental options are literally wide. Bangkok has a number of internationally reputed car rental companies like Budget (visit http://www.budget.co.th) or Avis (http://www.avisthailand.com) who offer attractive car-rental packages from Bangkok to Phuket and back. There are also huge numbers of local car rental companies providing good deals. Usually these services are fully insured which is a point you need to be sure of before hiring a car.
Unlike Bangkok city, driving throughout Thailand’s other parts can be quite charming. In most of the places Thai motorways are in perfect driving condition. Roads and highways are carefully marked with Thai/English signposts. You might be little worried seeing general driving standards. But this too, is far better than many developing countries. Before renting a self-driving car keep following in mind:
Thailand’s driving is on left-side of roads (UK style).
You need a valid international/Thai driving license.
Don’t risk driving while drinking and without seat belt.
Ensure you are covered by Full Comprehensive Insurance and not Third-party insurances.
As for route to Phuket, you don’t really have many options. The usual route is along Highway 4 that originates from Bangkok. Follow this highway to connect Nakhorn Pathom, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuapkhirikan, Chumphon, Ranong and Phang Nga.