How to travel to Samui from Bangkok

A delightful place to visit, Koh Samui is the second largest island of Thailand lying gracefully in the Gulf of Thailand. Blanketed in lush forest and enchantingly trimmed with white pristine beaches Koh Samui entices visitors from all over the world. With several travel options to arrive at this piece of haven from the capital city of Thailand Bangkok, you will be enjoying the journey just as much as the unique destination.

Use a direct flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui

With about 770 km from Bangkok to Koh Samui by road, the easiest and most efficient way to get to Koh Samui is by air from the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. With as many as nine flights a day between the capital city and Koh Samui from around 8.00 am to 8.30 pm, connectivity from your international flight to the domestic flight will be fast and seamless and you arrive at your destination approximately in an hour.Despite these direct ticket prices being more than the cost of other modes of travel between Bangkok and Koh Samui, if you book well in advance cheap fares can be obtained and arriving early gives you more time for things to do in Samui. This is important especially if you are spending only a few days in Koh Samui.

Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi 

Use a combination of flight, bus and ferry

If the direct flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui is out of your budget, you can still consider an alternative which is cheaper by flying to Surat Thani which is still on the mainland, the airfare is relatively cheaper and using the bus plus ferry service from there. This cheaper option is considered by visitors to hotels such as Avani+ Samui Resort when they arrive in Samui. There is no flight service from Surat Thani to Koh Samui.With over 20 flights operating between Bangkok and Surat Thani daily with many different operators doing this route, you are bound to get a competitive fare by booking early. The total travel time for this combination travel will be 5 to 6 hours. Arriving in Surat Thani, the bus ride to the ferry port at Donsak is about 1.5 hours and the ferry takes another 1.5 hours. Many websites are offering this combination of travel that you can choose from or you can purchase them from the arrival terminal in Surat Thani. The buses will be lined up to take passengers to the ferry pier.

Travel by bus to Koh Samui

This is probably the cheapest travel option to Koh Samui. It is a combination of bus and ferry service. The night bus is ideal as you can save the cost of a hotel night. The journey takes 12 hours to get to the ferry port pier Donsak by morning and you use the ferry service to Samui island which is a one-and-a-half-hour ferry ride.With a total journey time of 13.5 hours, when using this combination service book with reputed bus operators and look for combi tickets. The buses operate from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal and regular services are available.

Travelling by the night train

This is another by-road and ferry experience. Take the train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Central Station to Surat Thani which is on the mainland just before Samui. Although there are 10 trains daily from Bangkok to Surat Thani, some leaving during the day, the air-conditioned night sleeper is better to sleep in comfort saving you the cost of a hotel night and arriving fresh in the morning. Based on your budget select whether you do first-class or second-class travel. Refreshments being available on these trains is very convenient to locals and visitors on these trains.Arriving in Surat Thani, use the combination travel of a bus to the ferry pier and the ferry ride to Samui. The total travel time is approximately 15 hours.