How to Get from Bangkok to Koh Samui

The beautiful nation of Thailand attracts innumerable foreign visitors each year. If you visit this destination, you may very well need to travel from the capital, Bangkok, to the lovely island of Koh Samui. There will be several available options for this trip and your choice will depend on your priorities and budget. Read on to find out more and see which you prefer.

By direct flight

You will find that the quickest and easiest way of travelling from Bangkok to Koh Samui would be by taking a direct flight. However, as you might expect, this will also be the costliest way of making the trip, although you will have the opportunity to save a considerable amount of money by booking your flight early. In fact, if you book well in advance, you will find that a direct flight to Koh Samui would not be very much more expensive than the other ways of making the trip described below.

By flight and ferry

Another good option for travelling from Bangkok to Koh Samui would be by taking a flight to the city of Surat Thani from the Thai capital and then riding a bus to the pier; from here, you can board the ferry to make the crossing to Koh Samui. You will find that this would be less costly than taking a direct flight; however, the bus ride and the ferry crossing should extend the time taken for the journey by a minimum of three hours. You will be able to purchase tickets for the bus and ferry transfers at the airport at Surat Thani. An accommodation choice to consider where you could relax after your journey would be the SHA Extra+ certified Avani+ Samui Resort which may be regarded as an appealingly located resort in Koh Samui.

By train and ferry

An interesting option to consider for your journey to Koh Samui from Bangkok would be taking the train to Surat Thani and later boarding the ferry to Koh Samui. You will find that the journey on the overnight train to Surat Thani from the Thai capital would be a fun and enjoyable experience.

To travel to Surat Thani by train, you will have to board the train at Hualamphong Station in Bangkok. This train journey should take you around 8.5 to 12 hours; the exact time taken will depend on the speed of the train. After you reach the train station at Surat Thani, you will be able to board the waiting bus which will take you to the ferry terminal at Don Sak; from here, you can commence the 1.5-hour ferry transfer to Koh Samui. You will find that the ferry and bus trips will take a total of around 4 hours. For the train trip, it would be very advisable to select an overnight sleeper, which you should book well in advance.

By bus and ferry

Travelling by bus would be the cheapest way of making the journey to Koh Samui. Another advantage of this mode of travel would be that you will be able to board a bus in Bangkok quickly without having to book in advance. This would be a significant advantage if you would rather not spend a night in the Thai capital or go through the procedure of booking tickets.

The bus journey which is between 10 and 12 hours will take you to the ferry terminal at Don Sak, from where you will board the ferry to cross over to Koh Samui. You will find that the public buses which depart from Bangkok’s Sai Tai Mai Terminal would be the most reliable, cheapest and best choice. Your options would include non-air conditioned, air-conditioned and VIP buses. You will also find private buses that depart from Khao San Road, but these would be rather cramped and small; they would not be recommendable unless you happen to be staying in proximity to Khao San Road and desire to board a bus quickly.