How to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui
When researching for my trip online, I found there was no clear or descriptive answer for how to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui, so I’m here to fill that information gap. You can fly to Koh Samui in one hour; this is the most expensive option and the best if you are short on time, but if you are backpacking, have plenty of time, but not so much money, then this is the worst option. There is also a train you can take from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Station to Surat Thani from which you then take a ferry. There are also lots of different buses that will go to Surat Thani in about the same time as the train.
The option I chose and which I recommend most is the VIP first class bus from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal. First of all, from the city center to the bus terminal is about 120 baht; make sure they use a meter! And as far as I know, taxi is the only the way there. First class tickets are 739 ($24.83) and second class tickets are 609 ($20.30). Apparently the only difference between the two buses is that first class has a bathroom on the bus and considering its a 10 hour bus ride, we opted for a bit of luxury. The reason I recommend this ticket is because it also includes the ferry ride, just one less thing to worry about! However, I thought you could stay on the bus and board the ferry thus waking up in Koh Samui, but I was suddenly awakened at 6 am and fumbled to get my stuff together before sleepily trying to find my way onto the ferry in the dark, so bewarned! I personally found the seats very comfortable and was surprised and delighted by how far back the seat went, but we also had the front row with lots of leg room. There is also a pit stop at midnight during which you can receive some more snacks using your ticket and also buy trinkets.
Important highlights:
- Arrive early to buy your bus ticket.
- The first class bus leaves at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
- First class tickets are 739 ($24.83) and has a toilet on the bus.
- The bus makes one pit stop at midnight and several more to pick up people.
- They give you some small snacks, a bottle of water, and a blanket on the bus.
- The bus arrived at 6 am, then we transferred to a ferry, which left promptly. Because we had only our backpacks, we took our stuff with us, but many people left their luggage on the bus. If you do this, don’t leave anything valuable!
- We arrived at Koh Samui at 7:30 am.
- Get on your bus immediately (to ferry port Nathon
- Enjoy Koh Samui (but see my post about taxis)
- Total travel time ~12 hours (8pm-8 am)
Actually buying the tickets…as far as I know, you cannot buy tickets in advance. The taxi ought to drop you off in front of the Amazon Cafe, then go inside what looks like a shopping mall, just follow the signs to “Tickets,” which is on the 2nd floor. It is literally in the middle of tons of little shops and shopping stalls; I was very confused. No ticketing area in any country that I’ve been to looked like this. The signs said you can purchase any route at any window, but I still went to the one that said Koh Samui. We came early at 4 pm because it was Jan 1 so I was worried a lot of people would be traveling. At 4 pm the first first class VIP at 7 pm only had 2 seats left and we had 3 travelers so we got tickets for the nearly empty 8 pm bus. They allow you to board the bus 30 minutes prior. Ours left from port 34. It’s very easy to find, just ask someone in a uniform and they just might walk you all the way there. The Thai are very friendly people from what I’ve experienced so far.