Your Travel Guide to Thailand
All information & tips to prepare your trip in Thailand
Transport to go to Koh Samui / leave Koh Samui
To go to Koh Samui ?
Koh Samui has its own airport. It belongs to the company Bangkok Airways which has a monopoly on flights that land there. A monopoly that allows it to charge much higher prices than on lines with competition for the same distance traveled. Bangkok Airways offers direct flights to Samui from the 2 airports in Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang), Krabi, Pattaya, Chiang Mai or Phuket. The prices are rather expensive compared to the average price of domestic flights in Thailand. However, the more in advance you book, the lower the price will be unless there is an exceptional promotion that would allow you to have an even better rate. Otherwise, you can reach the island by boat from Surat Thani (well, Donsak is a 1h30 drive from Surat Thani) accessible by plane, train (from Bangkok, I recommend a sleeper on a night train because the journey is long, you can book your train tickets to Surat Thani here) or bus. There are bus + boat packages from Bangkok, some of which leave from the Khao San Road district (book online HERE) and take the ferry to Chumphon. But these are quite long trips. Otherwise, you can create your own flight combinations to Surat Thani (the most common with the most boat departures), Nakhon Si Thammarat or Chumphon then ferry to Ko Samui. This is a good compromise to reach the island without a too long journey (count 5-6 hours of travel) while escaping the high price of direct Bangkok Airways flights. There are transfers to the Donsak pier from Surat Thani station, from the city or from Surat Thani airport, it's up to you to choose the most convenient for you.
Beware of thefts in the luggage in the bus's hold during the ferry crossing or the night bus journey.
Otherwise from the neighboring islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, between the different companies, you have the choice mainly between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. Lomprayah, Seatran and Phantip offer bus + boat packages to Samui departing from Krabi, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta or Khao Lak in particular.
Please note that the direct flight Chiang Mai - Surat Thani by Air Asia changes schedule regularly and is not always on an arrival time that allows you to follow up with a ferry to Koh Samui. So check your dates.
Domestical flights to Koh Samui
Buses and minivans to Koh Samui
WARNING: many buses can only be booked 30 days before depature tops. They won't be displayed in the results on our transportation booking partner's website if not bookable yet.
Boats and ferries to Koh Samui
Leave Koh Samui ?
To leave Koh Samui, the faster way is obviously by plane. There are direct flights to Bangkok"s both airports (Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang), Krabi, Pattaya and Phuket. Otherwise, you can take a boat to the mainland, Chumphon or Surat Thani and from there continue by bus, plane or train depending on your final destination and the budget that you are willing to spend. If you take a bus + ferry formula via Surat Thani or Chumphon (online booking HERE) be carefull valuable things are often stolen from the luggage in the bus during the ferry tripDomestical flights from Koh Samui
Buses and minivans from Koh Samui
WARNING: many buses can only be booked 30 days before depature tops. They won't be displayed in the results on our transportation booking partner's website if not bookable yet.
Boats and ferries from Koh Samui
Transportation in Thailand
Travelling by train in Thailand
The train is the cheapest way to travel in Thailand especially in 3rd class. This is also where the contact with the population is the most interesting and incredible...
Domestic flights in Thailand
Taking the plance to travel in Thailand is often not that much more expensive than the bus especially with the numerous specials offers and it is so much faster !
Travelling by bus in Thailand
The train does not go everywhere in Thailand. It does not serve some destinations tourists love. But by bus you can get almost anywhere in Thailand...
Boats to the islands of Thailand
Thailand has many many islands with beautiful beaches and except for Koh Samui and Phuket, the boat is the only option to get on the islands.
