Since there still is much confusion about how to travel from Bangkok to Koh Samui, I decided to create this article.
I hope it will be a bit helpful for the tourists who are planning to visit the paradise island.
Overall, there are 4+1 choices to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui sorted by price and convenience descending.
Option 1 has the least time consumption and respective. Also, the option 4 has the most time consumption. The options are as follows.
Fast travel options
1. Direct Fly: from Bangkok to Koh Samui (1 step)
2. Fly – Bus or van – Ferry (3 steps)
Economic slow travel options
3. Train – Bus or van – Ferry (3 steps)
4. Bus – Ferry (2 steps)
Slowest, chill, and most executive travel
5. Bus to Chun Buri – Sleeping Ferry (2 steps)
Option 1: Direct Fly from Bangkok to Koh Samui Airport (1 step)
This option is about to explain the process for getting from Bangkok to Koh Samui by direct flight.
If you like this option, you don’t need to compare the ticket prices of many airlines.
Because there is only one airline flying from Bangkok and landing on Koh Samui. It is Bangkok Airway. The other airlines are not allowed to operate here.
It is fine if the convenience is your first priority. I would suggest this option for those tourists who have very limited vacation days and want to explore the island on the first day.
The flight of Bangkok Airway will start from both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports.
So, when you just arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport after your long travel from overseas, you can directly take a flight from there to Koh Samui.
Or, if you have been in Bangkok for a while and are near Don Mueang airport (Which is located very near Bangkok, while Suvarnabhumi is far away), it is also possible to depart from this airport with Bangkok Airway.
Since it is the only single airline here, the price is 2 – 3 times higher compared to other options, namely 4600+ Bath a person.
If you book the ticket about 3 months earlier, it is possible to get a promotion ticket at 2600 bath a person. The flight will normally take only an hour.
Travel time: An hour
Department schedule: able to check on the airline’s website
Department place: Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports
Destination place: Samui airport
Addition: What happens next when you arrive at Samui airport? You have to check with the hotel you have booked if there is an airport pick-up service included in your hotel package.
If you booked your vacation with a travel agency, then check with your travel agent if it has this service.
Normally, it should be so unless you have denied this service to reduce your vacation budget while you were booking the trip.
However, in case of no airport pick-up service for you, you have to make a little journey on-site from the airport to your hotel.
In the Samui airport, there are plenty of transport service desks consisting of Minibus and Airport Taxi.
The officers at the transport service desk normally put the price table on the desk.
This allows you to have a price overview and make a comparison with other desks.
The prices of them are not much different from each other because it is a highly competitive business. It is negotiable.
The price varies on the destination, type of vehicle, and time (when night, the price is higher). For example:
Minibus
- Big Buddha – Bang Rak
100 Bath a person - Chaweng
130 Bath a person - North – Middle of Lamai
170 Bath a person - South of La mai
200 Bath a person - Bo Phut
130 Bath a person - Mae Nam/Ban Tai/Bangpo
150 – 200 Bath a person - Na Thon – 4 Seasons hotel
200 Bath a person
If the minibus has just you as a customer, also no other customer, he will ask you to pay for the whole price/vehicle which should be the same price as the Airport taxi as below.
Airport taxi
(normally, a Toyota Fortuner which is able to transport 4 – 5 persons.
If you are more than 5 persons, then the desk will offer you a van that can transport up to 10 persons and the price will be added around 300 Bath from a Toyota Fortuner for each destination below)
By a Toyota Fortuner
- Big Buddha – Plai leam
500 Bath a vehicle - Chaweng
500 – 600 Bath a vehicle - Choeng Mon
500 Bath a vehicle - North Lamai
700 Bath a vehicle - Middle Lamai
800 Bath a vehicle - Bo Phut
800 Bath a vehicle - Mae Nam/Ban Tai
700 Bath a vehicle - Bangpo
800 Bath a vehicle - Na Thon
1000 Bath a vehicle - Lipa Noi
1200 Bath a vehicle - Pang Ka
1500 Bath a vehicle
If you don’t take any transport service at the airport. There is also the option outside the airport, namely the Public Taxi
The public taxi is the taxi out site the airport with red and yellow color car paintings.
The difference between airport taxis and public taxis is that there is no price table for the public taxi.
Customers need to do a negotiation with the driver before getting on the car.
Please, note that the taxis in Samui don’t have a meter like in Bangkok. When you walk into a taxi.
The driver will ask for your destination and make a quick calculation in his mind which always offers the price with expectation from discount asked by the customer.
So for this option,
Flight Bangkok – Koh Samui: 4600 Bath, 45 minutes
let’s go on with
Option 2. Fly – Bus or van – Ferry (3 steps)
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