How to get to and from Koh Samui?

How to get 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.

Leaving from 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 trip

Transportation in Thailand