How to get around Thailand: routes, ferries, trains and flights
70 legs between 26 places, across 8 kinds of transport, with the time, the fare band and the operators for each. Put your stops in order below and the planner adds them up — including the part most itineraries skip, which is how many of your nights the moving actually costs.
Fares last checked 7 September 2026. They are ranges taken from operator fare boards, dated route references and booking-site listings — 11 of the 70 legs carry a figure the carrier publishes itself. Ferry and bus prices move with season and fuel and flight prices move by the hour, so treat every band as indicative and check before you buy.
Your stops, in order
Add the places you want and how many nights each gets. Every hop is priced from the leg table below the planner.
Comfortable
1 of 8 nights goes to moving — 13% of the trip, under our 22% line.
- Stops
- 3
- Nights
- 8
- Scheduled travel
- 2.5–3.3h
- One-way fares
- ฿1,200–฿7,350
| Hop | Quickest way | Time | Fare | Operators | Cheapest way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok → Koh Samui | Flight | 1h–1h20 | ฿2,000–฿6,600 | Bangkok Airways | ฿600–฿1,100 · Bus + ferry (one ticket) |
| Koh Samui → Koh Tao | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h30–2h | ฿600–฿750 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | ฿600–฿750 · Speedboat / catamaran |
Pace rule: a hop of 4 hours or more costs a day, anything shorter costs half a day, and the total is compared with the nights booked. Past 35% of the trip spent moving it reads over-ambitious; past 22%, or where a stop of under 2 nights sits behind a 6-hour journey, it reads tight. Fares are one-way per person and exclude the taxi, songthaew or pier fee at either end.
Permalink: /routes?stops=bangkok,koh-samui,koh-tao&nights=2,3,3
Where each fare in this plan comes from
Every leg we hold
The whole table, sorted by region. Each row is one way of covering one hop; where a pair has several, they appear as separate rows because the choice between a ฿300 night boat and a ฿700 catamaran is the decision, not a detail.
| Leg | Mode | Time | Fare (2026) | Operators | How often |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok → Chiang Mai | Sleeper train | 11h–14h | ฿768–฿1,038 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 9/10 and 13/14) | 4–5 overnight departures from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal |
| Bangkok → Chiang Mai | Flight | 1h10–1h20 | ฿1,000–฿3,500 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air | Roughly 25–30 departures a day split between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi |
| Bangkok → Chiang Mai | Bus | 9h40–12h30 | ฿450–฿900 | Sombat Tour, Nakhonchai Air, Sritawong Tour | Departures through the day and evening from Mo Chit (Northern Terminal) |
| Chiang Mai → Pai | Minivan | 3h30–4h20 | ฿200–฿400 | Prempracha Transport, Aya Service | Around 10 bus and minivan departures a day, first about 09:30 |
| Chiang Mai → Chiang Rai | Bus | 3h20–6h40 | ฿280–฿770 | Green Bus | Hourly or better between about 06:00 and 18:45 |
| Bangkok → Sukhothai | Bus | 6h50–9h30 | ฿400–฿900 | Win Tour, Khao San Tara Tour, Tour with Thai | Departures roughly 07:00–19:00 from Mo Chit |
| Sukhothai → Chiang Mai | Bus | 5h–6h | ฿250–฿450 | Win Tour, Green Bus | Several departures a day, concentrated in the morning |
| Chiang Mai → Phuket | Flight | 2h05–2h30 | ฿1,500–฿4,500 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Bangkok Airways | A handful of direct flights a day; the rest connect through Bangkok |
| Chiang Mai → Koh Samui | Flight | 1h45–2h05 | ฿3,000–฿6,600 | Bangkok Airways | Seasonal direct service; otherwise a connection through Bangkok |
| Bangkok → Ayutthaya | Day train | 1h15–2h | ฿15–฿20 | State Railway of Thailand (ordinary services) | Multiple ordinary departures a day |
| Bangkok → Ayutthaya | Minivan | 1h–1h30 | ฿60–฿100 | Minivans from opposite Mo Chit | Through the day, filling as they go rather than to a timetable |
| Ayutthaya → Sukhothai | Bus | 5h–6h20 | ฿280–฿450 | Win Tour, Phitsanulok Yan Yon | A few departures a day, mostly morning |
| Bangkok → Kanchanaburi | Day train | 2h30–3h10 | ฿100 | State Railway of Thailand (Nam Tok line) | Two services a day |
| Bangkok → Kanchanaburi | Minivan | 2h–2h40 | ฿100–฿150 | Minivans from Sai Tai Mai (Southern Terminal) | Sources put it anywhere between every 15–20 minutes and hourly |
| Bangkok → Hua Hin | Day train | 3h20–4h20 | ฿44–฿90 | State Railway of Thailand (southern line) | Several departures a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat |
| Bangkok → Hua Hin | Minivan | 3h–3h40 | ฿180–฿300 | Minivans from Sai Tai Mai | Roughly every 30 minutes through the day |
| Bangkok → Pattaya | Bus | 2h–3h | ฿130–฿200 | Roong Reuang Coach (from Ekkamai and both airports) | Every 30–60 minutes through the day |
| Bangkok → Koh Samet | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 3h30–5h30 | ฿350–฿700 | Phittinin Transport, PN Group, Ban Phe pier ferries | Ferries from Ban Phe roughly 06:30–15:00 |
| Bangkok → Koh Chang | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 6h40–8h | ฿895–฿1,250 | Boonsiri High Speed Ferries | One combined departure from Khao San at about 07:00 |
| Bangkok → Koh Kood | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 7h30–9h30 | ฿1,020–฿1,470 | Ko Kut Express, Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, Suvarnabhumi Burapha Bus | Morning departures; the catamarans leave Laem Sok pier around midday |
| Koh Chang → Koh KoodReduced or suspended in the June–September low season | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h30–2h30 | ฿600–฿900 | Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, Ko Kut Express | Once or twice daily depending on season |
| Pattaya → Koh Chang | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 5h–6h30 | ฿700–฿1,050 | Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, Local minivan operators | Roughly one combined morning departure |
| Bangkok → Surat Thani | Sleeper train | 11h–13h | ฿768–฿868 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 84/85) | Overnight departures from Krung Thep Aphiwat |
| Bangkok → Surat Thani | Day train | 8h40–9h40 | ฿428 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 40/41 diesel railcar) | Daily |
| Bangkok → Surat Thani | Bus | 9h–11h | ฿500–฿900 | Sombat Tour, Nakhon Si Bus | Evening departures from Sai Tai Mai |
| Bangkok → Chumphon | Sleeper train | 9h–10h20 | ฿668–฿768 | State Railway of Thailand (train 85 and others) | Several overnight southern services call here |
| Bangkok → Hat Yai | Sleeper train | 14h30–16h | ฿738–฿938 | State Railway of Thailand (trains 31/32, 35/36) | Two or three overnight departures |
| Bangkok → Hat Yai | Flight | 1h25–1h40 | ฿900–฿2,800 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air | Around 15 departures a day, mostly from Don Mueang |
| Bangkok → Phuket | Flight | 1h25–1h40 | ฿900–฿3,500 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Nok Air, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways | 30-plus departures a day across both Bangkok airports |
| Bangkok → Krabi & Ao Nang | Flight | 1h20–1h35 | ฿900–฿3,200 | Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Thai Lion Air, Bangkok Airways | Roughly 15 departures a day |
| Bangkok → Phuket | Bus | 12h–14h | ฿700–฿1,400 | Sombat Tour, Phuket Central Tour | Evening departures from Sai Tai Mai |
| Bangkok → Koh Samui | Flight | 1h–1h20 | ฿2,000–฿6,600 | Bangkok Airways | Around 20 departures a day from Suvarnabhumi |
| Bangkok → Koh Samui | 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 |
| Bangkok → Koh Tao | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 12h–13h20 | ฿850–฿1,250 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | One overnight combination a day, bus around 22:00 from Pinklao or Khao San |
| Bangkok → Koh Phangan | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 13h–15h | ฿900–฿1,400 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries, Seatran Discovery, Raja Ferry | Overnight departures from Pinklao and Khao San |
| Chumphon → Koh Tao | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h45–2h15 | ฿600–฿700 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Two departures a day, about 07:00 and 13:00 |
| Chumphon → Koh Tao | Ferry | 2h30–2h50 | ฿500–฿550 | Songserm | One departure a day, about 07:00 |
| Chumphon → Koh Tao | Ferry | 6h–8h | ฿300–฿450 | Night boat operators from Chumphon pier | Nightly, about 23:00 |
| Surat Thani → Koh Samui | Ferry | 1h30–1h40 | ฿200–฿250 | Raja Ferry | Through the day from Donsak, first sailing around 05:00 |
| Surat Thani → Koh Samui | Ferry | 1h30–1h50 | ฿250–฿400 | Seatran Discovery | Through the day from Donsak to Nathon |
| Surat Thani → Koh Phangan | Ferry | 2h30–2h45 | ฿270–฿350 | Raja Ferry | Several sailings a day from Donsak to Thong Sala |
| Surat Thani → Koh Tao | Speedboat / catamaran | 3h–4h20 | ฿800–฿1,200 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries, Seatran Discovery | Once or twice daily, routed via Koh Phangan |
| Surat Thani → Khao Sok | Minivan | 2h–2h40 | ฿200–฿400 | Shared minivan operators from Surat Thani town and airport | Several a day, timed loosely to flight arrivals |
| Surat Thani → Krabi & Ao Nang | Bus | 3h–4h20 | ฿200–฿400 | Local and tourist bus operators | Through the day |
| Koh Samui → Koh Phangan | Speedboat / catamaran | 30min–45min | ฿250–฿400 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries, Seatran Discovery | Several catamaran departures a day from Nathon, Maenam and Bangrak |
| Koh Samui → Koh Phangan | Ferry | 1h–1h30 | ฿200–฿300 | Raja Ferry, Seatran Discovery | Through the day |
| Koh Samui → Koh Tao | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h30–2h | ฿600–฿750 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | About two direct departures a day from Nathon, around 08:00 and 13:00 |
| Koh Phangan → Koh Tao | Speedboat / catamaran | 45min–1h10 | ฿500–฿650 | Lomprayah High Speed Ferries | Two departures a day on the Samui–Phangan–Tao chain |
| Koh Phangan → Koh Tao | Ferry | 3h–3h40 | ฿550–฿700 | Seatran Discovery | One or two sailings a day |
| Koh Samui → Krabi & Ao Nang | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 7h–9h | ฿800–฿1,300 | Phantip Travel, Seatran Discovery | One or two combined departures a day, morning |
| Khao Sok → Koh Samui | Bus + ferry (one ticket) | 5h–6h40 | ฿700–฿1,100 | Phantip Travel, Local minivan and ferry combinations | Usually one morning departure |
| Phuket → Koh Phi Phi | Ferry | 1h45–2h20 | ฿700 | Andaman Wave Master | Several sailings a day from Rassada pier |
| Krabi & Ao Nang → Koh Phi Phi | Ferry | 1h30–2h | ฿450 | Andaman Wave Master | Two or three sailings a day from Klong Jilad pier |
| Koh Phi Phi → Koh LantaRoughly November–April; sparse or suspended May–October | Ferry | 1h–1h40 | ฿400–฿700 | Ao Nang Travel and Tour, Chaokoh Travel Center, Lanta Petpailin | One or two sailings a day, high season |
| Krabi & Ao Nang → Koh LantaFull timetable roughly October–April; reduced May–October | Ferry | 1h30–2h10 | ฿300–฿700 | Ao Nang Travel and Tour, Lanta Petpailin | Several daily in high season, reduced May–October |
| Krabi & Ao Nang → Koh Lanta | Minivan | 2h–2h45 | ฿250–฿450 | Shared minivan operators from Krabi town and Ao Nang | Several a day, year-round |
| Phuket → Koh LantaDry season, roughly November–April | Ferry | 3h30–5h | ฿800–฿1,100 | Lanta Petpailin, Ao Nang Travel and Tour, Phi Phi Cruiser, Chaokoh Travel Center | Departures around 08:30, 11:00 and 13:30 from Rassada |
| Phuket → Koh LantaDry season, roughly November–April | Speedboat / catamaran | 1h30–2h | ฿1,350–฿1,700 | Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, Bundhaya Speed Boat | Morning departures around 08:30, 10:00 and midday |
| Phuket → Krabi & Ao Nang | Bus | 2h30–3h50 | ฿300–฿750 | Minibus 1996, RTC Transport | Frequent, roughly 06:00–22:30 |
| Phuket → Krabi & Ao Nang | Minivan | 2h40–3h20 | ฿240–฿450 | Shared minivan operators | Frequent through the day |
| Phuket → Khao Lak | Minivan | 1h30–2h10 | ฿250–฿600 | Shared minivan and airport transfer operators | Through the day, most timed to Phuket airport arrivals |
| Phuket → Khao Sok | Minivan | 3h06–4h | ฿280–฿900 | Phuket Bus and Van Travel, Kanokwan Travel, Andaman Taxi | Several shared departures a day, plus private transfers |
| Khao Lak → Khao Sok | Minivan | 1h30–2h10 | ฿300–฿600 | Shared minivan operators | One or two morning departures |
| Koh Lanta → Koh LipeDry season, roughly November–April | Speedboat / catamaran | 3h–3h30 | ฿1,700–฿1,800 | Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, Bundhaya Speed Boat | Two boats a day, both around 10:30 from Saladan pier |
| Phuket → Koh LipeHigh season, roughly November–April | Speedboat / catamaran | 5h–6h | ฿2,450–฿2,900 | Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, Bundhaya Speed Boat | One departure a day, about 08:30 from Rassada |
| Hat Yai → Koh LipeMain season roughly October–May; sailings thin in the monsoon | Speedboat / catamaran | 4h–5h30 | ฿800–฿1,000 | Jolly Travel, Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, Ploysiam Speedboat | Several combined departures a morning, 08:00–11:30 |
| Trang → Koh LipeHigh season, roughly November–April | Speedboat / catamaran | 3h–4h20 | ฿1,000–฿1,500 | Tigerline Ferry, Bundhaya Speed Boat | One departure a day in season |
| Hat Yai → Trang | Minivan | 2h–2h40 | ฿150–฿300 | Shared minivan operators | Through the day |
| Trang → Koh Lanta | Minivan | 2h30–3h30 | ฿350–฿600 | Shared minivan operators with ferry connection | One or two a day |
| Phuket → Koh Samui | Flight | 55min–1h10 | ฿2,500–฿5,500 | Bangkok Airways | One or two direct flights a day, seasonal |
Route pages by pair
From Central Thailand
From Northern Thailand
From Gulf coast & Gulf islands
From Eastern seaboard & eastern islands
From Andaman coast & Andaman islands
Four routes that work
Gulf islands, 10 days
Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui · 2/3/3/2 nights
Overnight to Chumphon, then the chain southwards so every boat is a short one and the flight home leaves from Samui.
Open this planAndaman, 10 days
Bangkok → Krabi & Ao Nang → Koh Phi Phi → Koh Lanta · 2/3/2/3 nights
Fly to Krabi rather than Phuket: the Phi Phi crossing is ฿250 cheaper and half an hour shorter from Klong Jilad.
Open this planThe north, 7 days
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Pai · 2/3/2 nights
Sleeper up, minivan over the 762 bends to Pai, fly back. Adding Chiang Rai to this makes it a four-stop week.
Open this planBangkok + islands, 14 days
Bangkok → Koh Tao → Koh Phangan → Koh Samui → Krabi & Ao Nang · 3/3/3/2/3 nights
Both coasts in a fortnight. The Samui–Krabi coach across the peninsula is the day this plan spends buying the swap.
Open this planWhat this planner does not know
Live seats and sailings. Nothing here queries an operator. A leg shown as running twice a day can be cancelled for weather, and Gulf crossings are cancelled for weather more often than Andaman ones between October and December.
The last mile. Fares are pier to pier and station to station. Rassada pier is 30–40 minutes from Patong, Donsak pier is 60–90 minutes from Surat Thani town, Chumphon's Thung Makham pier is 15km outside town, and Sukhothai's ruins sit 12km from the bus stop. Each of those is a taxi or songthaew the planner does not count.
Season. Legs marked with a season note stop or thin out for months at a time. The planner still shows them, with the note, rather than hiding a leg that will be back in November.
Where you sleep. Booking an overnight train or bus replaces a hotel night, which the travel-day arithmetic does not credit you for. On the Bangkok–Koh Tao and Bangkok–Chiang Mai runs that is a real saving the verdict ignores on purpose — it counts hours moved, not baht saved.
Where to go next
Month-by-month rain and temperature for seven of these places is on the weather pages, and the which-island comparison puts the Gulf, Andaman and eastern islands side by side with the months each coast is dry. For trips that stay inside Bangkok, the day trips guide covers Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi and the floating markets in more detail than a single leg row can, and the Bangkok itineraries fill in the days between arrivals.
Two destinations on this map carry most of Thailand's elephant tourism — Chiang Mai and Kanchanaburi — and the difference between a camp and a sanctuary is not visible from a booking page. Ethical elephant sanctuaries checks 16 sourced venues against whether riding, bathing and chains are part of the visit.
Frequently asked questions
How many stops fit into two weeks in Thailand?
Four or five, if the hops are short. Our pace rule counts any journey of four hours or more as a lost day: Bangkok to Koh Tao alone is 12–13 hours by overnight bus and catamaran, and Koh Samui to Krabi across the peninsula is 7–9. A five-stop fortnight with three of those long hops spends three of its fourteen nights moving, which the planner reads as tight rather than over-ambitious. The same five stops in ten nights crosses 35% and reads over-ambitious.
Is the sleeper train to Chiang Mai worth it over flying?
The train is 11–14 hours in a 2nd class air-conditioned berth at ฿768–1,038, or ฿1,946–2,446 for a 1st class two-berth cabin. The flight is 75 minutes at ฿1,000–3,500. Because the airport transfers at both ends eat about two hours, the plane saves roughly half a day rather than the eleven hours the timetables suggest — and the berth replaces a night's accommodation. Below about ฿1,500 the flight usually wins on both counts.
What order should I do Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in?
North to south if you are coming from Bangkok overland, south to north if you are flying home from Samui. The three hops are short — Samui to Phangan is 30–45 minutes at ฿250–400, Phangan to Tao 45–70 minutes at ฿500–650, Samui to Tao 90–120 minutes at ฿600–750 — so the order matters less than which end has your flight. Putting Phangan in the middle means never taking the long Samui–Tao crossing at all.
Which is cheaper into the Gulf islands, flying to Samui or to Surat Thani?
Surat Thani, by a wide margin. Bangkok Airways owns Samui airport and runs a near-monopoly on the route, so Bangkok–Samui sits at ฿2,000–6,600. A low-cost flight to Surat Thani plus Raja Ferry's published ฿200 Donsak–Lipa Noi crossing lands you on the same island for a fraction of that, at the cost of about three extra hours.
Do Andaman ferries run in the rainy season?
Some do, some don't. The Phuket–Koh Lipe speedboat and the Koh Lanta–Koh Lipe crossing are dry-season services, roughly November to April. Krabi–Koh Lanta keeps a full ferry timetable October to April and thins out May to October, which is why the minivan at ฿250–450 is the leg that matters in the monsoon. Phuket–Phi Phi and Krabi–Phi Phi run year-round.
How accurate are the fares on this page?
Every band is dated 7 September 2026 and tagged with where it came from. 11 of our 70 legs carry a fare published by the carrier itself — Raja Ferry's ฿200 Donsak crossing and Andaman Wave Master's ฿700 Phuket–Phi Phi among them. 27 come from dated route or rail references, and 32 from booking-aggregator listings, which show what was on sale rather than a published tariff. Treat that last group as the softest numbers here.
Sources
- seat61.com Thailand rail fares (page updated 8 July 2026) — a dated route or rail reference.
- Raja Ferry Port fare and timetable board — the carrier's own fare board or timetable.
- Lomprayah High Speed Ferries route list and journey times — the carrier's own fare board or timetable.
- Seatran Discovery route list — the carrier's own fare board or timetable.
- Andaman Wave Master published adult fares — the carrier's own fare board or timetable.
- Boonsiri High Speed Ferries route and season pages — the carrier's own fare board or timetable.
- InsideSamui Chumphon–Koh Tao ferry guide (2026 edition) — a dated route or rail reference.
- InsideSamui Bangkok–Koh Samui transport guide (2026 edition) — a dated route or rail reference.
- InsideSamui Koh Samui–Koh Tao ferry guide (2026 edition) — a dated route or rail reference.
- Thailand Boat Tickets Krabi–Koh Lanta guide — a dated route or rail reference.
- FerrySamui Bangkok–Koh Chang route page — a dated route or rail reference.
- FerrySamui Phuket–Koh Lanta route page — a dated route or rail reference.
- FerrySamui Phuket–Koh Lipe route page — a dated route or rail reference.
- FerrySamui Koh Lanta–Koh Lipe route page — a dated route or rail reference.
- FerrySamui Hat Yai–Koh Lipe route page — a dated route or rail reference.
- Bookaway Bangkok–Chiang Mai route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Chiang Mai–Pai route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Chiang Mai–Chiang Rai route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Bangkok–Sukhothai route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Bangkok–Koh Samet route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Bangkok–Koh Kood route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Phuket–Krabi route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- Bookaway Phuket–Khao Sok route listings — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
- 12go.asia route listings (band from what was on sale, not a tariff) — aggregator listings: what was on sale, not a published tariff.
All bands checked 7 September 2026. Where a source quoted US dollars we converted at ฿34 to the dollar and rounded the band outward, so those figures are softer than the baht-quoted ones. When one of these turns out wrong we will correct it here in public rather than quietly swap the number.
Related guides
All guides and tools
Arriving
Staying
Moving around
Eating & going out
Rules & safety
Best of Thailand
https://bestofthailand.org/routes
Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.