How and how to get to Koh Samui

Getting to Koh Samui even for a tourist with a complete lack of experience of independent travel will not be difficult. There are a lot of transport here, there are also many ways to get to the island, they are all well organized by carriers, and which one to choose depends only on how much money and time you are willing to spend on the road. The easiest way is, of course, to buy a ticket to the island with a transfer to Bangkok, and, preferably, without changing the airport during the transfer. But if you want to save money and you don't mind spending extra time on the road, you can get from Bangkok to Koh Samui by train, bus or ferry. Below is more information about all types of transport and methods in more detail, and if you need a specific direction, then read the articles:

• How to get to Koh Samui from Bangkok and Bangkok Airport
• How to get to Koh Samui from Pattaya
• How to get from Koh Samui to Phangan and back
• How to get to Koh Samui from Phuket and back

To Koh Samui by plane

Koh Samui is home to a small international airport, Samui International Airport (IATA code - USM). Airport website http://www.samuiairportonline.com/. Located two kilometers from the main beach of Chaweng (Samui airport on the map). There is no terminal building in it, and the arrival and departure zones are organized simply under the roof on poles. However, upon arrival, you can get a visa on arrival and go through customs control. In the future, it is planned to build another, state-owned airport, but for now we will have to be content with the one that exists.

The airport accepts flights from Thai cities, as well as from Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. The most frequent flights are operated from Bangkok (almost every hour). There are also flights from Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket,Pattaya (U-Tapao Airport). By local standards, the prices for flights are very expensive, budget airlines do not fly here.

Airlines operating flights to Koh Samui:

The disadvantage of a direct flight to the island is the high price. Prices in this direction are high due to the monopoly of companies (the airport on the island is private, owned by Bangkok airlines). But there is a way to get by plane to Koh Samui a little cheaper. There is an airport on the mainland near the island Surat Thani (Surat Thani Airport, Surat Thani Airport on the map), where flights from Bangkok from Don Mueang Airport are operated by low-cost airlines Air Asia, Nok Air, Lion Air and Thai Smile (flies from Suvarnabhumi Airport), as well as Thai Airways. Upon arrival at the airport, the island is easily accessible using a comprehensive bus and ferry transfer from 350 baht (about 2.5 hours in time), which can be purchased directly at the airport at the exit or ordered in advance using the search form below. This way you will get from Bangkok cheaper by about 1000 baht than a direct flight, but you will spend 5 hours more time. Also, Air Asia and Nok Air airlines offer ready-made compound air tickets (Joint Ticket), including flight + organized transfer by bus and ferry. For example, Nok Air offers a flight+transfer from 3000 baht round trip, and AirAsia is even cheaper. However, if you arrive at the airport and purchase a transfer to the island yourself, it will be cheaper than buying a ready-made flight + transfer ticket.

You can find and book flights to Koh Samui on the dates you need using the search form from Aviasales. The search is very flexible and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, in both directions or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 65319 ₽	2 пересадки		03.06.2026	09.06.2026
Купить от 68197 ₽	2 пересадки		13.07.2026	18.07.2026
Купить от 62179 ₽	2 пересадки		29.08.2026	15.09.2026
Купить от 58736 ₽	2 пересадки		14.09.2026	24.09.2026
Купить от 61725 ₽	2 пересадки		05.10.2026	19.10.2026
Купить от 61771 ₽	2 пересадки		23.11.2026	23.12.2026

How to get from Koh Samui Airport

From Koh Samui Airport, you can get to the hotel by airport minibus (depart by occupancy) or taxi. You can buy tickets for a minibus or taxi at the airport counter.

You can book a taxi transfer in advance through this search form, and the driver will meet you at the airport with a sign:

Fare from Koh Samui Airport in 2015:

Right at the airport you can rent a car from one of the companies Hertz, Sixth, Budget, Avis.

Koh Samui by bus

This is a great, inexpensive and convenient way to get to the island. Despite the fact that Koh Samui is an island, bus tickets are sold to the final point on the island. The crossing to the island is carried out by ferry, and its cost is included in the total ticket price (this is the so-called joint ticket, i.e. bus + ferry). Some, mostly regular buses, are delivered directly to the new Koh Samui bus station in the Lipa Noi area (they also depart from there, and you need to buy tickets for them there, not at travel agencies), some are taken to the Don Sak pier on the mainland and simply transfer passengers to the ferry.

In general, there are tourist buses and regular buses. Tourist bus flights are organized by travel companies and tickets for them are purchased in advance. Tourist buses are not very reliable, and in terms of comfort they are often much inferior to regular buses. It is recommended to use regular buses that depart from bus stations, a ticket for them can be purchased immediately before departure. You can also book and purchase tickets in advance via the form:

And there is also a branded bus carrier in the southern provinces of Thailand - http://phantiptravel.com. The company has a developed route network, its own transport, there are Join Tickets, a transfer from/to hotels is offered. Tickets can be purchased at travel agencies all over the island, at Naton Marina, as well as at the company's office at 11/4 Moo 3, Taveeradpakdee Rd, which is about 100 meters from Naton Pier, the landmark is Krungsri Bank.

Tickets of most companies can also be purchased through this search form:

• From Bangkok to Koh Samui by bus

  Buses from Bangkok depart from the southern (Sai Tai Mai) and northern (Mo Chit) bus terminals. For the schedule, see above. The bus is on the way 12-13 hours.

  Ticket purchase is available before departure, but you can book in advance by clicking on the link of the desired flight in the schedule. The cost of tickets, depending on the class of the bus, ranges from 400 to 1000 baht.

  In Koh Samui, buses from Bangkok now arrive at a new bus station near the village of Lipa Noi (Koh Samui Bus Station on the map), not to DonSak Pier on the mainland, as it was before. Thus, by boarding a regular bus in Bangkok, you find yourself on the island itself without any transfers, since the bus is ferried to by Raja Ferry. However, there is one inconvenience - the bus station is located far from the Nathon Pier, from where taxis depart along the ring road to the beaches of Chaweng and Lamai. Now from the station you can walk to the ring road literally 200 meters, and there catch a minibus to Lamai, or take it in the opposite direction to Nathon, and then transfer to Chaweng, etc. Tickets for regular buses from Koh Samui to Bangkok are sold at the ticket offices at the same bus station.

  Also from Bangkok district Khao San Road (Khao San Road)a lot of tourist buses go to Koh Samui every day, which is also, in general, a good option to get to the island, but these buses have a bad reputation, and tourists often complain about missing things in such buses and even that they are simply not taken to their destination or lost on the way.

  There is also a transfer company Lomprayah (Lomprayah) by bus + high-speed catamaran, but more on that below.

  Learn more about all the ways to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui are here...

• From Pattaya to Koh Samui by bus

  From Pattaya you can get to the island and back by bus company Roong Reuang Coach (Mukdahan), also called Yellow Bus. The bus departs from Rayong and makes a stop in Pattaya to pick up passengers. From Pattaya, the bus departs at 16:30 and 18:30 and 20:30, back at 13:30, 14:30 and 16:30. Travel time is 13 hours and 40 minutes.

  The cost of a standard class ticket is 659 baht, VIP class costs 1025 baht. Tickets in Pattaya are sold at the box office of Roong Reuang Coach (Mukdahan), located at north station of Pattaya. On Koh Samui, tickets to Pattaya are sold at the company's office near the Wat Chaeng temple.

  Tickets should be purchased in advance and be sure to specify where and at what time the boarding will be made, since it is possible that the bus will not stop at the northern station, but will pick you up on the Sukhumvit Road. You can check the schedule information on the carrier's website http://www.iloveyellowbus.com.

  If you can't get on this bus, you can buy tickets for a tourist bus at local travel agencies, however, no one can vouch for the quality of these buses here.

  More details, how to get from Pattaya to Koh Samui here...

• From Phuket to Koh Samui by bus

  Despite the short distance, almost a full day should be allocated for a trip between the islands by bus + ferry. There are no night trips between the islands, so you need to plan your departure in the morning.

  There are regular buses and tourist buses. We traditionally recommend using regular buses that depart from bus stations.

  Regular buses are the most reliable way, although not the most convenient in terms of departure and arrival locations, as well as schedules. Sometimes you have to do transplants on them. In Phuket, they depart/arrive from the new Phuket bus station (more about Phuket bus station and how to get to it here), arrive/depart from Koh Samui from Don Sak Pier on the mainland. Then from the pier on the Seatran ferry it will be necessary to sail to Koh Samui (about 1.5 hours more), while the cost of the ferry is included in the price of the bus ticket. As a result, the final destination on Koh Samui is Nathon Pier, from where you can already get to the desired location on Koh Samui by songteo minibus or just by taxi. Perhaps in connection with the commissioning of a new bus terminal in Koh Samui in 2014 (Koh Samui bus station on the map), it will soon become the end point of the route. But even in this case, it will be more convenient to get off the bus at Nathon Pier, since from there it is easier to get to the popular beaches on Songtao.

  Now about another way – the company carrier Phantip Travel. This is a well-known company with a developed route network in the south of Thailand and its own transport. This route offers a convenient transfer from 450 baht, including a ferry. Departure daily from Koh Samui at 07:30 and 09:30, from Phuket to 08:00, 09:00, 10:00. It's strange, but on the official website there are exactly 2 buses from Koh Samui to Phuket, and 3 back!?

  The ubiquitous company Lompraya also offers its transfers on the route Phuket-Koh Samui and back. Unlike Phantip, Lompraya almost never has any unpleasant surprises, transportation takes place very quickly, but the cost is also high. Part of the route from Phuket takes place by bus, and on Koh Samui by high-speed catamaran.

  For more information, how to get from Phuket to Koh Samui here...

To Koh Samui by train

Koh Samui can also be reached by train from Bangkok, Hua Hin and even from Malaysia (direct train from Butterworth, Penang Island) or from Singapore with a change of trains. Tickets need to be taken to Surat Thani station (also called Phun Pin Railway Station), which is located on the mainland near Koh Samui (Surat Thani railway station on the map).

11 trains depart here daily from Bangkok's Hualamphong Railway Station. Travel time by train is from 8 to 12 hours, depending on the type of train. The fare is from 150 (seats) to 1500 (berths in the compartment) baht. Learn more about trains of Thailand here. The schedule can be found at https://www.railway.co.th. Tickets are purchased at the station, preferably in advance. You can buy at a travel agency on the street with a small margin. Unfortunately, the sale of electronic tickets has been suspended since 2013.

Train tickets throughout Thailand while on Koh Samui can be purchased without problems at travel agencies, but with an additional commission. There is an office in Nathon, where you can buy train tickets without commission. This is the office of Phantip company at 11/4 Moo 3, Taveeradpakdee Rd, about 100 meters from Nathon Pier, landmark - Bank Krungsri.

In addition, at the station or at travel agencies in Bangkok you can purchase a combined train ticket, including a transfer (bus + ferry) to Koh Samui. It will cost about 300 baht more. If you do not buy a combined ticket, it does not matter: when leaving the Surat Thani railway station, buses will be waiting for you, on which you will get to the island for 200-300 baht, including the cost of the ferry (from Donsak pier), and about two and a half hours in time.

For more information about trains in Thailand, see the information "Trains of Thailand: traveling by train in Thailand".

Koh Samui by boat/ferry

Ferry service connects Koh Samui not only with the mainland, but also with neighboring large islands Koh Tao (Koh Tao) and Phangan (Ko Phangan). As a rule, a boat or ferry is used in conjunction with a bus, plane or train from other cities in Thailand, as mentioned above.

You can get to Koh Samui by water from several ports and various companies. Most often on the mainland they depart from DonSak Pier in Surat Thani. In fact, it is located quite far from the city (cm. Donsak Pier is on the map), but you shouldn't care much about that. Almost all ferry companies offer transfers from the city center, from Surat Thani railway station, airport, bus station. As soon as you arrive at one of these places, you will immediately be bombarded with offers to get to Koh Samui. Moreover, you should not rush to immediately buy tickets from the first one you see, but take a closer look at the price. For example, right when you get off the train at the railway station, you will be offered to get to Koh Samui for 350 baht, but once you get off the platform with buses, the price drops to 280 for the same bus + ferry. There is also a Ban Don marina in the center of Suratani (cm. on the map), where the night ferry departs from. Ferries arrive on the island at several piers. You can read about all the piers, ferries of Koh Samui and the schedule in detail here ...

And here is a brief schedule of ferries and the cost for a reference point:

Koh Samui Ferry and Bus schedules