Koh Samui is located just off the Thai mainland in the Gulf of Thailand. The distance from Bangkok to Koh Samui is about 470 miles (755 km). The most convenient way to get to the island is by flight. You can also travel by train or bus to Surat Thani and from there by ferry to Koh Samui.
Surat Thani is a city on the mainland that is about 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Koh Samui. The Surat Thani – Koh Samui ferry route connects Thailand's mainland with Koh Samui Island.
Here are the four usual ways to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui island:
Means of Transport | Travel Time | Typical Price | Advantages | Disadvantages | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Flight | 1 hour | from $125 | Easy and quick | Expensive | **** |
Flight + Ferry | 4 hours | from $48 | Still quick, but less expensive | One transport change needed | **** |
Train + Ferry | 14–19 hours | from $33 | Cheap, sleep on the train in possible | Slow, booking train tickets can be troublesome | *** |
Bus + Ferry | 11–14 hours | from $25 | Depart almost immediately | Slow, and cramped on the bus | ** |
We've rounded up detailed information about each transportation option below to help you choose the best way for you.
- Direct flight to Koh Samui
- Flight to Surat Thani and ferry to Koh Samui
- Train to Surat Thani and ferry to Koh Samui
- Bus to Surat Thani and ferry to Koh Samui
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My husband and I are planning a 3 week…
Alisa was a great listener to all the things we wanted to incorporate into our trip. We discussed everything throughly, and when I had questions, she had answers the next day. I really appreciate her responsiveness and detail with me. I feel like we are in the best hands with Alisa and Asia Highlights. More
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Very great experience our driver D was…
Very great experience our driver D was never late and always had waters and a cold towel for us and our tour guide Som was very informative and had amazing English I recommend them both highly for anyone else traveling More
Rylan Coache, Feb 2024
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Excellent guide in Siem Reap
Our recent time spent in Siem Reap was made even more memorable by our expert guide, Som Piseth. Som was knowledgeable, attentive, flexible and super helpful - we learnt so much about Siem Reap and Cambodia in our 3 days with him. His English was excellent and his knowledge of, and pride in, his country was outstanding. We would highly recommend Som for anyone wanting an excellent guide in Siem Reap! More
Sharon Townshend, Feb 2024
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Asia Highlights trip to Thailand
Our first tour guide in Bangkok, Marie, was great to tour around with. She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. Our next stop in Chang Mai we were greeted by our new tour guide, Rafael. He too was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and spoke wonderful English. He made it feel as if we were traveling around with a long time friend. Every time we arrived at a new destination, we were greeted at the airport by someone with a sign with our name making our travels easy. I would definitely recommend Asia Highlights to anyone looking for a well planned trip of a lifetime! More
Tricia, Feb 2024
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Amazing Thailand experience
The tour guides were all knowledgeable and accommodating, especially Mayuree in Bangkok- absolutely wonderful. We felt taken care of and every step of the way was catered to our needs. More
Ashley White, Feb 2024
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Private tour perfect for our times
Asia highlights organized a private tour with our requests. Everything was perfect ?? the driver Tom and the guide Ying were always on time with a smile in their face. Always willing to help and make our trip perfect. Bangkok is a very hot city so we minimized the time outside. The driver always had cold towels for us in the van and cold beverages. More
Virginia, Feb 2024
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Thailand
We loved Chiang Mai and Susie did a great job showing us several temples, taking many pictures of us with the elephants at the sanctuary (a definite highlight of the entire trip!), and making sure we were well fed, which became a running joke between us.We had a very relaxing few days in Phuket enjoying the beautiful beaches. Kai was great, answering all of our questions and giving us a nice tour of the old town. The all-day speedboat tour of the Phi Phi islands started off a little shaky as the sea was quite rough so if you’re at all uncomfortable bouncing around in a speedboat, you might want to skip that tour. Things did calm down as the day went on and some of the areas they took us to for swimming, snorkeling, etc were really beautiful. A couple of the islands were too crowded with people. More
Andrea Roberts, Feb 2024
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What a Wonderful Trip
What a Wonderful Trip! We booked with Sharon and our trip was great - guides were waiting for us at each stop, and they were all very nice and helpful. I cannot stress how amazing the guides were - they made the trip. More
Rachel, Feb 2024
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Ask for Victor!
If you are traveling to Bangkhok you need to request Victor. He made our trip amazing! My family completed bucket list items with his guidance. He knew exactly how to get us places, kept us on time, made us feel safe, educated us on history, spoke excellent English and was genuinely a nice man! Everyone we encountered was awesome- but Victor is the reason for my 5 star review! More
Sandy, Jan 2024
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Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a…
Thank you Alisa for helping us plan a wonderful trip to Thailand. We had a great time. The tour guides were wonderful as were the hotels you booked for us. We will definitely contact you to plan our next trip More
Carol Yeung, Jan 2024
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Ying was the best
Ying was the best. She was really knowledgeable and kind. Thank you Ying for wonderful experience in Thailand! More
Sylvester Yeung, Jan 2024
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Very well organized
Very well organized. Our tour guide, Ying, was amazing! She had full knowledge of every location we visited and made sure our itinerary was fulfilled as expected. She was extremely helpful for our airport experiences, and made sure we arrived at an appropriate time. More
David M. Kang, Jan 2024
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Family trip to Thailand
We were lucky to be greeted by Marie and her driver.In Marie, we have made a friend for life. She is incredibly smart and knowledgeable about her home country. From the vast number of temples to safely traversing Chinatown.She helped give us tips on our free days, locate left behind lost clothing and arrange for pickup. She even helped check us in for our flight to Chiang Mai.She prepared us ahead of time for every event we had scheduled and bonded with our kids, 3x 13 year olds. More
Justin Levenbrook, Jan 2024
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Thailand with and amazing tour guide Ying
I highly recommend Ying as a tour guide in Thailand. Her expertise in Thai culture, combined with her passion for food and genuine love for her country, made the tour an exceptional experience. If you're looking for a guide who will not only show you the sights but also immerse you in the local culture and help you discover delicious Thai cuisine, Ying is the perfect choice. More
Diana Irizarry, Jan 2024
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Asia Highlights Thailand trip
Asia Highlights provided us with a great travel trip. They made it very easy to navigate through Thailand with everything going very smoothly. From the easy transportation to the great day itinerary everything was awesome. Will definitely look to use this agency again in the future. More
Taylor Jones, Jan 2024
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Perfect 2 WK Thailand Trip for a Solo Female Traveler
Bank was our guide in Bangkok and he showed us around the city with ease and we were able to see and try things I never would have planned on my own. After Bangkok, our small group flew to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng lantern festival and that was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget! Pop was our guide in this city and she was knowledgeable, kind and caring which made our experience even more memorable. More
Tia, Dec 2023
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We recently have just returned from Thailand
We recently have just returned one from a 5 week trip to Thailand through Asia Highlights. We had a wonderful time and Asia Highlights went beyond our expectations. They truly tried their best to make sure everything went smoothly and we were taken care of! Everyone was amazing and we would definitely use them in the future!! Many thanks to everyone that helped to make this an incredible once in a lifetime experience!! More
Karen Rocque, Dec 2023
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Indochina Experience
On our 5th day of our trip with Asiahighlights. We felt well taken care of before and it hasn’t changed since we started from Bangkok to Hanoi (guide Kim was verrry knowledgeable!) to Halong Bay (spectacular scenery) to Hoi An (guide Nhieu Tran, giving great local (shopping) tips and insights). More
Stefan Eisenhut, Dec 2023
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1. Bangkok to Koh Samui by Plane — The Easiest and Quickest Way
Flying directly from Bangkok to Koh Samui is by far the easiest way of getting to the island. While it is the most expensive option, you could try to book early and get promotional tickets.
The direct flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui are operated by Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways and usually leave from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
- Cost [Jan. 2022]: currently, the one-way airfare costs from $125 to $195
- Flight time: around 1 hour
Check the sample itineraries for Thailand tours: Top 5 Thailand Itineraries for 10 Days.
2. Bangkok to Koh Samui by Plane and Ferry — A Less Expensive Way
For a cheaper trip, you can fly from Bangkok to Surat Thani and then take a 1½-hour ferry ride across to Koh Samui. Please note that there are no airlines offering a flight between Surat Thani and Koh Samui.
Low-cost airlines such as Thai Lion Air, AirAsia, and Nok Air offer multiple flights daily to Surat Thani from Bangkok's Don Muang Airport (DMK).
You save 77+ USD, but 3+ more hours and two more modes of transport are needed. The bus ride from the Surat Thani airport to the pier and the ferry across to Koh Samui require at least 3 hours.
There are many different ferries to choose from. All the different operators offer combined bus and ferry tickets, so you don't have to worry about making your way to a ferry terminal. You can buy the combo tickets from inside the airport terminal. Walk out the doors and the buses are waiting to take you to the pier.
- Cost [Jan. 2022]: the airfare costs from $40, ferry costs about $8-18 (prices may vary by season)
- Time needed: around 1 hour on a plane, 1½ hours on a bus and transferring, and 1½ hours on a ferry
3. Bangkok to Koh Samui by Train and Ferry — A Cheap and Pleasant Way
If you're not concerned about getting to the islands quickly, travel by the combination of an overnight train and a ferry is an economical and interesting option. It is not as quick as the flight, but it is much cheaper and can be a pleasant experience.
A train from Bangkok takes you to Surat Thani (11–15 hours depending on the train), and from there you take a bus to either the Don Sak or the Bangrak Seatran Pier (1–2 hours) and then a ferry to Koh Samui (1½ hours).
There are 10 direct trains per day from Bangkok to Surat Thani, leaving between 7 am and 10 pm. A daytime train is available, but an air-conditioned sleeper train is recommended as you can save the cost of a hotel for the night and have a more comfortable trip.
The trains we recommended are those leaving around 7 pm and arriving around 8 am on the next day, when is convenient to find direct connections to the island of Koh Samui. Try to book an air-conditioned 1st or 2nd class sleeper carriage for a better journey. On first-class carriages, you'll get your own private two-person cabin with your own washbasin. The second class offers open carriages with seats that convert into beds at night. Thai dishes and drinks are available on the trains.
All trains depart from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Train Station (also known simply as Bangkok Railway Station) and arrive at Surat Thani Railway Station. You can buy train tickets at the railway station in Bangkok. Alternatively, you can buy combination train/bus/ferry tickets from travel agents in Bangkok for a better price and a smoother trip.
- Cost [Jan. 2022]: $25–50 for a 1st/2nd-class sleeper and about $8–18 for a ferry (prices vary by season)
- Time needed: around 11–15 hours for the train and 3 hours for the bus and ferry
4. Bangkok to Koh Samui by Bus and Ferry — the Cheapest Way
If comfort is not a concern, you could consider taking a bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani and then taking a ferry or catamaran to Koh Samui. This is the cheapest option. The bus ride may take less time than the train (as little as 10 hours), but it can be more troublesome and tiring.
One advantage is that you can depart Bangkok almost immediately: buy a ticket, hop on a bus, and go. For a direct bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani, you'll need to go to Sai Tai Mai, also known as the Southern Bus Terminal. We advise choosing a VIP air-conditioned bus, which is modern and equipped with toilets.
The bus will take you directly to Don Sak Ferry Terminal in Surat Thani in 10–12 hours, and from there a 1½-hour boat ride will take you across the gulf to Koh Samui.
- Cost [Jan. 2022]: bus tickets are about $17–27, and ferry tickets are about $8–18 (varying by season)
- Time needed: 10–12 hours for the bus, 1½ hours for the ferry
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