Most visitors opt for the convenience of continuing their onward journey to Koh Samui by air and accept the cost. Flights depart Bangkok almost hourly between early morning and around 22h00 at night, and once daily from Phuket. Koh Samui Airport (USM) is an award winning private airport built by Bangkok Airways, which is still the main operator, and was for a long time the only airline with services to Koh Samui from mainland Thailand, and internationally, their daily flights from Singapore and Hong Kong. The airport is now also served by Thai Airways International from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) and more recently, by Firefly, a low cost airline serving Kuala Lumpur. As the owner’s of the airport, Bangkok Airways control prices and the landing rights of other carriers, so their prices exploit the convenience of their direct flights to derive maximum revenue from the sector. There are often special web fares available, with the price range for a one-way ticket from between ฿2000-4000.
There are several transport options from Samui airport making it’s easy enough to get to your destination, but most arrivals are faced with a set fee (฿300-500) depending on their destination resort. Taxis refuse to operate their meter, so this probably the most expensive option unless your are sharing, but there are also minibuses where the price depends on the number of people traveling. The cheapest option is to walk out of the airport and take a songthaew if you can find one, or balance yourself and your luggage on the back of a motorbike taxi. The best option is to arrange collection by Baan Bophut, making sure we have details of your flight number and ETA.
Air – ferry combination
Thai Airway, the low cost Air Asia and Nok Air from their Bangkok (Don Muaeng) hub, all fly to mainland Suratthani at much lower cost. Two main ferry companies and a couple more smaller ones connect Samui with mainland Suratthani. Don Sak is the busiest and closest to Samui, but is a 40 minute drive away from Suratthani, while there are also boats from Ao Ban Don and Tha Thong which are closer to Suratthani town. Khanom is miles away and rarely used. Passenger ferries mostly leave the mainland from the pier a short taxi ride from Suratthani town, while car ferries use the port at Don Sak. Passenger ferries arrive at Samui’s main ferry terminal in Nathon after the two hour daytime crossing, while car ferries arrive at a purpose built pier 6 km further south down the west coast, close to Lipa Noi. The price and travel time can vary hugely depending on the boat taken, but the range is from one and a half to six hours and around ฿500. If you opt for the combination train-boat or bus-boat ticket the ferry cost will be included in your fare, with someone to meet you at the station in Suratthani and arrange the shuttle transfer. There is invariable a couple of hours in total wasted from hanging around. For some visitors the journey is an important part of their holiday experience; for many on a short holiday, the hassle of a bus – flight – bus – ferry – taxi combination occupying a full day, isn’t worth the saving.
Train – ferry combination
An overnight journey taking up to 20 hours is not for everyone, but the for some, especially those who can afford to lose a couple of days from their Samui holiday making the return trip, the comfort and romance of the rail journey from Bangkok’s Hualumpong rail station to Suratthani and a ferry onward to Samui, gets their holiday off to an exotic start. A taxi or bus numbers 29 or 39 from Bangkok International Airport will get you to the station. It’s advised to buy combination tickets, which include a train to Suratthani, transfer to the pier and a boat ticket to the island. There are eleven trains daily from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong train station to Suratthani leaving at: 08h45, 13h00, 14h45, 15h15, 15h35, 17h05, 17h35, 18h20, 19h30 and 22h50 and the journey takes between 9-11 hours. First class tickets are available on the 08h05, 14h45, 15h10, and 22h05 departures. Second class air-conditioned tickets and above are recommended and prices start from around ฿600 to ฿3000 for a first class sleeper. Taking the overnight 22h50 train and travelling by first or second-class sleeper with air conditioning is recommended as the most comfortable and convenient option, except at night, one sees nothing of the countryside. The only extra comfort you get in first class is a private cubicle. Trains in Thailand are very safe, but if you’re a light sleeper 2nd class might not be suitable. These trains all stop in Phun Phin which is about 10kms west of Suratthani town, with taxis or buses always waiting to take passengers to the ferry terminals.
Bus – ferry combination
The cheapest and least comfortable option, but favoured by gap-year students and the similarly impoverished, is to take the bus. Buses depart from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal and take around 12-13 hours. It’s well worth avoiding any hassle by buying a combination bus/ferry ticket. Expect to pay around ฿800 for a VIP bus, the extra few baht worth it to make the journey a little more bearable. It’s possible to get private bus services from Khao San Road, but their reliability and quality tends to vary hugely. It’s recommended to take an overnight bus, as you may get more peace on board when the video gets switched off.
Finally, it’s worth noting that there is an alternative bus – ferry combination from Bangkok. Buses take you from Bangkok to Chumpon and from there a ferry travels to Koh Tao, stops again briefly in Koh Phan Ngan and finally to Koh Samui. The ferry operator for this route is Lompraya.
Getting there
Most visitors opt for the convenience of continuing their onward journey to Koh Samui by air and accept the cost. Flights depart Bangkok almost hourly between early morning and around 22h00 at night, and once daily from Phuket. Koh Samui Airport (USM) is an award winning private airport built by Bangkok Airways, which is still the main operator, and was for a long time the only airline with services to Koh Samui from mainland Thailand, and internationally, their daily flights from Singapore and Hong Kong. The airport is now also served by Thai Airways International from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) and more recently, by Firefly, a low cost airline serving Kuala Lumpur. As the owner’s of the airport, Bangkok Airways control prices and the landing rights of other carriers, so their prices exploit the convenience of their direct flights to derive maximum revenue from the sector. There are often special web fares available, with the price range for a one-way ticket from between ฿2000-4000.
There are several transport options from Samui airport making it’s easy enough to get to your destination, but most arrivals are faced with a set fee (฿300-500) depending on their destination resort. Taxis refuse to operate their meter, so this probably the most expensive option unless your are sharing, but there are also minibuses where the price depends on the number of people traveling. The cheapest option is to walk out of the airport and take a songthaew if you can find one, or balance yourself and your luggage on the back of a motorbike taxi. The best option is to arrange collection by Baan Bophut, making sure we have details of your flight number and ETA.
Air – ferry combination
Thai Airway, the low cost Air Asia and Nok Air from their Bangkok (Don Muaeng) hub, all fly to mainland Suratthani at much lower cost. Two main ferry companies and a couple more smaller ones connect Samui with mainland Suratthani. Don Sak is the busiest and closest to Samui, but is a 40 minute drive away from Suratthani, while there are also boats from Ao Ban Don and Tha Thong which are closer to Suratthani town. Khanom is miles away and rarely used. Passenger ferries mostly leave the mainland from the pier a short taxi ride from Suratthani town, while car ferries use the port at Don Sak. Passenger ferries arrive at Samui’s main ferry terminal in Nathon after the two hour daytime crossing, while car ferries arrive at a purpose built pier 6 km further south down the west coast, close to Lipa Noi. The price and travel time can vary hugely depending on the boat taken, but the range is from one and a half to six hours and around ฿500. If you opt for the combination train-boat or bus-boat ticket the ferry cost will be included in your fare, with someone to meet you at the station in Suratthani and arrange the shuttle transfer. There is invariable a couple of hours in total wasted from hanging around. For some visitors the journey is an important part of their holiday experience; for many on a short holiday, the hassle of a bus – flight – bus – ferry – taxi combination occupying a full day, isn’t worth the saving.
Train – ferry combination
An overnight journey taking up to 20 hours is not for everyone, but the for some, especially those who can afford to lose a couple of days from their Samui holiday making the return trip, the comfort and romance of the rail journey from Bangkok’s Hualumpong rail station to Suratthani and a ferry onward to Samui, gets their holiday off to an exotic start. A taxi or bus numbers 29 or 39 from Bangkok International Airport will get you to the station. It’s advised to buy combination tickets, which include a train to Suratthani, transfer to the pier and a boat ticket to the island. There are eleven trains daily from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong train station to Suratthani leaving at: 08h45, 13h00, 14h45, 15h15, 15h35, 17h05, 17h35, 18h20, 19h30 and 22h50 and the journey takes between 9-11 hours. First class tickets are available on the 08h05, 14h45, 15h10, and 22h05 departures. Second class air-conditioned tickets and above are recommended and prices start from around ฿600 to ฿3000 for a first class sleeper. Taking the overnight 22h50 train and travelling by first or second-class sleeper with air conditioning is recommended as the most comfortable and convenient option, except at night, one sees nothing of the countryside. The only extra comfort you get in first class is a private cubicle. Trains in Thailand are very safe, but if you’re a light sleeper 2nd class might not be suitable. These trains all stop in Phun Phin which is about 10kms west of Suratthani town, with taxis or buses always waiting to take passengers to the ferry terminals.
Bus – ferry combination
The cheapest and least comfortable option, but favoured by gap-year students and the similarly impoverished, is to take the bus. Buses depart from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal and take around 12-13 hours. It’s well worth avoiding any hassle by buying a combination bus/ferry ticket. Expect to pay around ฿800 for a VIP bus, the extra few baht worth it to make the journey a little more bearable. It’s possible to get private bus services from Khao San Road, but their reliability and quality tends to vary hugely. It’s recommended to take an overnight bus, as you may get more peace on board when the video gets switched off.
Finally, it’s worth noting that there is an alternative bus – ferry combination from Bangkok. Buses take you from Bangkok to Chumpon and from there a ferry travels to Koh Tao, stops again briefly in Koh Phan Ngan and finally to Koh Samui. The ferry operator for this route is Lompraya.