--- title: "Bangkok to Koh Samui: train, bus and flight options (2026)" description: "Bangkok to Koh Samui in 1h–1h20 by flight, from ฿600 one way — 8 options with operators, frequency and 2026 fare bands." url: https://bestofthailand.org/routes/bangkok-to-koh-samui locale: en --- # Bangkok to Koh Samui: train, bus and flight options (2026) 8 ways to make this trip, from ฿600 one way, and 1h–1h20 on the quickest, direct. Below: what each costs, who runs it, how often it goes and the pier or station it actually leaves from. Fares checked 7 September 2026 and quoted as one-way bands per adult. They move with season, fuel and demand — the flight bands move fastest of all. Our pick for time Flight 1h–1h20 · ฿2,000–฿6,600 · Bangkok Airways Our pick for budget Bus + ferry (one ticket) ฿600–฿1,100 · 10h–13h · Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus ## All options **Bangkok to Koh Samui: every option with mode, time, fare, operators and frequency** | Option | Time | Fare | Operators | How often | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flight | 1h–1h20 | ฿2,000–฿6,600 | Bangkok Airways | Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi | Direct | | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 10h–13h | ฿600–฿1,100 | Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus | Mostly overnight departures from Sai Tai Mai and Khao San | Direct | | Flight + Flight | 3h05–5h20 | ฿3,400–฿9,000 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways | 30-plus departures a day across both Bangkok airports · One or two direct flights a day, seasonal | via Phuket | | Flight + Flight | 3h40–5h55 | ฿4,000–฿10,100 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air, Bangkok Airways | Roughly 25–30 departures a day split between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi · Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok | via Chiang Mai | | Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 9h05–13h05 | ฿1,700–฿4,500 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Thai Lion Air, Bangkok Airways, Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery | Roughly 15 departures a day · One or two combined departures a day, morning | via Krabi & Ao Nang | | Day train + Ferry | 10h55–13h50 | ฿628–฿678 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 40/41 diesel railcar), Raja Ferry | Daily · Through the day from Donsak, first sailing around 05:00 | via Surat Thani | | Bus + Flight | 12h10–17h05 | ฿3,450–฿7,500 | Sombat Tour, Nakhonchai Air, Sritawong Tour, Bangkok Airways | Departures through the day and evening from Mo Chit (Northern Terminal) · Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok | via Chiang Mai | | Bus + Flight | 13h40–17h40 | ฿3,200–฿6,900 | Sombat Tour, Phuket Central Tour, Bangkok Airways | Evening departures from Sai Tai Mai · One or two direct flights a day, seasonal | via Phuket | ## Booking notes ### Flight · 1h–1h20 · ฿2,000–฿6,600 Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport and runs a near-monopoly on the route, so the floor here sits where other islands' ceilings do. Flying to Surat Thani and continuing by bus and boat is the standard way around it. ### Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 10h–13h · ฿600–฿1,100 Standard coaches sit at ฿600–800 and VIP at ฿900–1,100, both including the Donsak ferry. One ticket means one company owns the connection — worth more on this route than the ฿100 difference between operators. ### Flight + Flight · 3h05–5h20 · ฿3,400–฿9,000 Bangkok → Phuket: The most competitive domestic route in the country, which is why the floor sits under ฿1,000 outside holidays. Phuket airport is 32km north of Patong — budget an hour and ฿200–800 for that transfer on top. Phuket → Koh Samui: The only quick way to swap coasts. Everything else — coach across the peninsula, or a flight via Bangkok — costs a day or a connection. ### Flight + Flight · 3h40–5h55 · ฿4,000–฿10,100 Bangkok → Chiang Mai: The flight is 75 minutes and the airport transfers either side are longer than that, so the real saving over the sleeper is about half a day, not eleven hours. Bands move sharply around Songkran and Loy Krathong. Chiang Mai → Koh Samui: Samui airport is privately owned and Bangkok Airways runs almost all of it, which is why this leg costs more than a longer flight to Phuket. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the boat is routinely half the price. ### Flight + Bus + ferry (one ticket) · 9h05–13h05 · ฿1,700–฿4,500 Bangkok → Krabi & Ao Nang: Usually a little cheaper than Phuket and much closer to Ao Nang, Railay and the Lanta and Phi Phi piers. If the Andaman islands are the plan rather than Patong, this is the better arrival. Krabi & Ao Nang → Koh Samui: Ferry to Donsak, coach across the peninsula, arrive Krabi in the late afternoon. It's the standard way to swap coasts without flying, and it eats a full day whichever operator sells it. ### Day train + Ferry · 10h55–13h50 · ฿628–฿678 Bangkok → Surat Thani: Air-conditioned 2nd class seats, about 9 hours in daylight. Cheaper than a sleeper but it costs a full day rather than a night. Surat Thani → Koh Samui: ฿200 is Raja's own published passenger fare on the Donsak–Lipa Noi crossing, one of the few numbers on this page that comes straight off an operator's board. Donsak pier is 60–90 minutes by road from Surat Thani town. ### Bus + Flight · 12h10–17h05 · ฿3,450–฿7,500 Bangkok → Chiang Mai: VIP 24-seat coaches sit at the top of the band, 32- and 40-seat services at the bottom. The overnight bus arrives earlier than the train but sleeps worse. Chiang Mai → Koh Samui: Samui airport is privately owned and Bangkok Airways runs almost all of it, which is why this leg costs more than a longer flight to Phuket. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the boat is routinely half the price. ### Bus + Flight · 13h40–17h40 · ฿3,200–฿6,900 Bangkok → Phuket: Twelve to fourteen hours for a fare that a flight booked in advance regularly beats. It exists, it's cheap in the last-minute case, and almost nobody should choose it over the plane. Phuket → Koh Samui: The only quick way to swap coasts. Everything else — coach across the peninsula, or a flight via Bangkok — costs a day or a connection. ## Both ends of the trip ### Bangkok The arrival point for most trips and the hub every rail and bus line runs back to. Airport BKK / DMK: Two airports 50km apart on opposite sides of the city; a domestic connection between them needs 3 hours, not 1. Bangkok is driest Nov–Apr and wettest May–Oct on its own monthly rain-day normals. [Bangkok weather](https://bestofthailand.org/weather/bangkok) · [Bangkok guide](https://bestofthailand.org/guide/bangkok) ### Koh Samui The Gulf's biggest island and the only one with its own airport. Airport USM: Privately owned and served almost entirely by Bangkok Airways, which is why fares here sit well above the low-cost market. Koh Samui is driest Feb–Aug and wettest Sep–Jan on its own monthly rain-day normals. [Koh Samui weather](https://bestofthailand.org/weather/koh-samui) · [Koh Samui guide](https://bestofthailand.org/guide/koh-samui) ## Frequently asked questions **How long does it take to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui?** 1h–1h20 on the quickest option we hold — flight with Bangkok Airways. The slowest of the 8 options here takes 13h40–17h40, so the spread between them is about 14h30. Times are for the scheduled leg and exclude the transfer at either end. **How much is Bangkok to Koh Samui?** From ฿600–฿1,100 one way by bus + ferry (one ticket), checked 7 September 2026. The quickest option costs ฿2,000–฿6,600 and saves about 10h20, so the gap between them is ฿1,400 against roughly that much time. That band comes from a dated route listing rather than a published tariff, so treat it as indicative. **What is the cheapest way from Bangkok to Koh Samui?** Bus + ferry (one ticket) at ฿600–฿1,100, run by Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry, Nakhon Si Bus. It takes 10h–13h against the quickest option's 1h–1h20, and runs mostly overnight departures from sai tai mai and khao san. **Where does the Bangkok to Koh Samui service leave from, and how often does it run?** Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport and runs a near-monopoly on the route, so the floor here sits where other islands' ceilings do. Flying to Surat Thani and continuing by bus and boat is the standard way around it. Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi. ## Going the other way, or further The return trip is on the [Koh Samui to Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/routes/koh-samui-to-bangkok) page — fares are the same in both directions on almost every leg here, but the timetables are not. To string this hop into a longer trip with a pace check, use the [route planner](https://bestofthailand.org/routes?stops=bangkok,koh-samui&nights=3,4), and see the [island comparison](https://bestofthailand.org/islands) for which coast is dry in the month you are travelling. The Bangkok end of this leg starts at a station or a terminal rather than a hotel door: [getting around Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/getting-around) has the BTS, MRT and boat fares for reaching Hua Lamphong, Krung Thep Aphiwat and the two bus terminals, and [airport to city](https://bestofthailand.org/airport) covers the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang runs if the leg is a flight. ## Sources - [InsideSamui Bangkok–Koh Samui transport guide (2026 edition)](https://www.insidesamui.com/getting-here/bangkok-to-koh-samui/) — a dated route reference. - [12go.asia route listings (band from what was on sale, not a tariff)](https://12go.asia/en/thailand) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff. - [Bookaway Bangkok–Chiang Mai route listings](https://www.bookaway.com/routes/thailand/bangkok-to-chiang-mai) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff. - [seat61.com Thailand rail fares (page updated 8 July 2026)](https://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm) — a dated route reference. - [Raja Ferry Port fare and timetable board](https://www.rajaferryport.com/) — the carrier's own fare board. Checked 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page is a range, because every one of them moves. Best of Thailand https://bestofthailand.org/routes/bangkok-to-koh-samui Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.