Bangkok to Koh Samui in 2026: Direct Flight, Surat Thani Combo or Train and Ferry

Bangkok to Koh Samui is a flight of about an hour and ten minutes, and only one airline flies it. Bangkok Airways owns Samui’s airport, so there’s no cheaper carrier to switch to, and one-way fares start at about 2,500 baht only when there’s a sale. The usual workaround is a low-cost flight to Surat Thani on the mainland, then a minivan and a ferry across to the island. It takes three or four hours longer and normally costs less. Trains and buses work too, if you don’t mind a night on the road. Here’s what each route costs in October 2026, how the three Donsak ferry companies differ, what the Gulf monsoon does to the boats between October and December, and how to get from Samui Airport to Chaweng or Lamai.

Bangkok to Koh Samui: the options compared

Bangkok to Koh Samui flight: Bangkok Airways only

Bangkok Airways flies from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) at close to hourly intervals through the day, and from Don Mueang (DMK) on about 22 flights a week as of October 2026. Thai Airways flew the route from 2008 and stopped on 2 September 2018, and we found no Thai-operated flights to Samui this year. If a booking site shows another airline for Bangkok to Samui, it’s a connection through a third city. The nonstop is Bangkok Airways.

The airline owns the airport, which is why the route has stayed a monopoly. Its homepage advertises Samui flights from 2,500 baht, and that’s a sale fare. A more usual one-way price is 3,500 baht or above, and booking sites showed up to about 6,600 baht on busy dates in 2026. Fares rose on 1 April 2026, when Bangkok Airways put domestic prices up by roughly 15 to 20% after jet fuel costs nearly doubled; it said a morning Samui seat that used to sell at 2,000 baht would have to cost more. The new fares still sit within the ceiling set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.

Bangkok Airways states a 20 kg baggage allowance on its website, so a suitcase doesn’t add to the fare the way it does on the low-cost route below. That narrows the price gap more than the headline fares suggest.

Surat Thani to Koh Samui: the low-cost flight, then bus and ferry

Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai Vietjet all fly Bangkok to Surat Thani (URT), in about an hour and a quarter, with one-way fares that often start near 1,000 baht. Thai AirAsia returned to Suvarnabhumi on 1 October 2026, but only on its Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi routes, so its Surat Thani flights still leave from Don Mueang. Check the airport code before you pay. Our Bangkok to Phuket guide explains the Suvarnabhumi comeback.

Low-cost fares usually mean hand baggage only. Thai AirAsia’s cheapest fare allows two cabin items totalling 7 kg and no checked bag, and a 20 kg bag added at booking costs roughly 400 to 1,000 baht, much more at the airport. Add it when you buy.

Surat Thani Airport is about 21 km west of the town, and the Donsak piers are farther east, 1 h 30 to 1 h 45 away by minivan. Lomprayah, Seatran and Raja Ferry all sell a minivan and boat ticket together, and Lomprayah says it connects from the airport, the train station and the piers. Booking sites put the whole trip from landing to Samui at 3 to 5 hours. Buy it as a single ticket, which booking guides advise to protect the connection if your flight runs late, and check the last sailing before choosing an evening flight.

The Koh Samui ferry from Donsak: Lomprayah, Seatran and Raja

Three companies cross from Donsak, on the mainland coast, to the west side of the island. They don’t land at the same pier.

Nathon is the main pier on the west coast, and Lipa Noi is further up the same coast. Bangrak, by the Big Buddha, and Maenam on the north coast are mostly for boats to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, and Maenam is where Lomprayah’s Chumphon catamaran docks. None of the piers is on the east side. Chaweng and Lamai are a taxi or songthaew ride across the island, and you should plan on roughly half an hour or more.

Raja Ferry lists 220 baht a person on its own site, with a 5 am sailing from Donsak. Booking sites show Lomprayah’s fast boat at around 450 baht. They also put the first boats at about 5 am and the last at about 7 pm, but timetables change with the season, so confirm your date on the operator’s site. All three also sell the mainland minivan with the boat ticket, and Raja Ferry sells bus and boat tickets from Bangkok as well.

Bangkok to Koh Samui by train, minivan and ferry

Southbound trains leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, not Hua Lamphong. Several run to Surat Thani every day, the journey takes 9 to 11 hours, and most arrive between 1 and 7 am. The station is at Phun Phin, about 15 km from the town. In an August 2025 timetable, an air-conditioned second-class berth on Special Express 31, which has the newer sleeper cars, cost about 900 baht for an upper bunk and 1,000 for a lower one. Older trains charge less, so check the fare for your date.

From Phun Phin, a minivan takes 1 h 30 to 1 h 45 to Donsak, then comes the boat, for 13 to 17 hours in all. Lomprayah sells connections from the train station, which spares you finding the minivan at dawn. Train tickets go on sale up to 180 days ahead on the State Railway’s D-Ticket site; search from “Krung Thep Aphiwat” rather than “Bangkok”, and have your passport number ready. Our Bangkok to Chiang Mai guide walks through the booking.

Chumphon is the other railway option. Lomprayah’s catamaran from its Chumphon pier to Maenam takes around 4 h 30, with one sailing in the early morning and another in the early afternoon. A second-class berth to Chumphon on train 31 cost 820 to 920 baht in 2025. We’d choose this route only to stop at Koh Tao on the way; for Samui alone, Surat Thani is simpler.

Bangkok to Koh Samui by bus and ferry

Long-distance buses leave from the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) on the Thonburi side of the river, mostly in the evening. The state Transport Company sells seats on its website up to 60 days ahead, or 90 before major holidays, and on its 1490 call centre. For Samui, though, a combined ticket is easier. Lomprayah sells VIP bus and boat packages from Khao San Road and Pinklao, and Raja Ferry sells tickets from Bangkok too.

Expect 11 to 14 hours, and about 800 baht for a standard bus and ferry, up to around 1,500 for a VIP seat or Lomprayah’s catamaran version. Many buses reach the Surat Thani area in the small hours, before the first boats at around 5 am, so you may wait at the pier. We’d take this route when the flights are dear and the sleepers are full.

Koh Samui Airport to Chaweng and Lamai

Samui Airport is in the northeast of the island, between Bophut and Chaweng. Chaweng is 5 to 10 minutes away and Lamai 25 to 35. There’s no public bus. Taxis don’t use meters here; you buy a fixed fare at the transport desk in the arrivals hall. One independent airport guide lists 400 baht for a car to Chaweng and 700 to Lamai, while taxi-price trackers quote about 300 and 500, so budget 300 to 400 for Chaweng and 500 to 700 for Lamai. A shared minivan costs 100 to 150 baht a person, but it leaves only with five passengers, and the wait can run 15 to 30 minutes.

Flying into Thailand from abroad first? The Bangkok to Samui leg is domestic, and the arrival card belongs to your international landing, which our Thailand Digital Arrival Card guide covers. Changing planes at Suvarnabhumi? See Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok for both airports.

Prefer the Andaman side? Our Bangkok to Phuket guide also covers the train to Surat Thani.

Looking for the rest? Every Thailand guide we’ve published, from the TDAC to the eSIM, is sorted by topic in our Thailand travel guide.

Taking the train to Surat Thani? Buses run on from the same town to the Andaman coast, and our Bangkok to Krabi guide explains that route, the flights and the night bus.

Data checked: 2026-10-05