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Samui Transportation
Koh Samui ( Samui Island ) is located some 80 kilometres off the coast of Surat Thani, about 560 kilometres from Bangkok. It can be easily accessible from many popular destinations in Thailand, some of which include by air from Bangkok, or by ferry boat from Surat Thani town. See Koh Samui map and transportation here. - Bangkok Bangkok Airways offer 8 direct flights daily to Koh Samui. Thai International Airways offers three flights daily to Surathani, from which you can get to Koh Samui via ferry, express boat, or hovecraft. You can also take the Bangkok - Surathani journey by train (eight departures daily ) or first-class air-conditioned coach.
- Phuket Bangkok Airways offers 2 direct flights to Koh Samui and Thai International Airways flies to Surathani daily.
- You can also travel to Koh Samui by express coach from Krabi, Phang Nga, and Hat Yai The major access to the island is still by sea, with a large car ferry running continuously from Don Sak to the west coast and passenger craft running between Surat Thani and Na Thon. Buses carry passengers over the ferry, allowing uninterrupted travel between Samui and Bangkok, or Samui and Hat Yai.
- Car Surat Thani can be most conveniently reached by car from Bangkok by taking Highway No. 4 to Chumphon via Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, and thence onto Highway No. 41 and Highway No. 401.
- Bus Air-conditioned buses, varying in 3 types, depart from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal to Surat Thani everyday at the following times:
VIP Bus: 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Standard 1 Bus (blue colour): 9 a.m., 9.30 a.m., 8 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. Standard 2 Bus (orange colour): 9.30 a.m. and 8.45 p.m. - Train When travelling from Bangkok to Samui, it is highly recommended you get a night sleeper train. These trains are more comfortable and ensure smoother bus and ferry connections. All trains run from Hualamphong Railway Station 10 times daily from 12 noon-10.50 p.m. The trip takes approximately 13 hours.
We advise that you buy a combination ticket which will include all your transport right through to Samui. Train tickets can vary greatly in price depending on the carriage class and whether the carriage is air-conditioned or fan. The last sleeper now leaves at 19.15. Train fares have increased again and are higher at weekends. When you're travelling from Samui up to Bangkok the last ferries that connect to a bus to take you to Suratthani train station leave from Nathon at 13.30, 15.00 and 15.30. The prices differ for each as they are run by different companies. There are many trains leaving every evening going to Bangkok. We advise that you book the ticket early as the better the connection will be. Try to book the train at least 4 days in advance to ensure a seat and sooner during festival periods. For further details, please call 1690, 0 2223 7010, 0 2223 7020 or visit www.srt.or.th. - Air There is only one domestic airline that flies directly from Bangkok to Koh Samui, it's Bangkok Airways. They also own and run the only one Koh Samui airport.
Thai Airways has 2 daily flights connecting Bangkok with Surat Thani, with flying time being 70 minutes. Then you can get to Koh Samui by car / bus connecting to ferry boat or via express boat directly from Surat Thani. - Ferries Three ferry companies operating from three ferry piers along the Surat Thani coast on the main land and two on Koh Samui.
Ratcha Ferry Co. Operates the vehicle and passenger ferries from the Don Sak pier to the Thong Yang pier on Koh Samui. The ferry departs Don Sak daily at 6.00 am., 7.00 am., 8.00 am., 10 am,12 noon, 2 pm., 5 pm.and 6 pm. and the crossing takes one and a half hour and costs about 95 Baht. From Samui's Thong Yang pier, there are seven daily departures at 7 am, 8 am ,10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 4 pm and 5 pm. Express Passenger Ferry Songserm Travel operates the express passenger ferries from the Tha Thong pier with 3 daily departures at 7.30 am, 11.30 am, and 2 pm. Songserm Travel also operates a slow night boat from Ban Don pier in downtown Surat Thani to Koh Samui, departing at 11 pm nightly and reaching the Nathorn pier around 5 am. Seatran Express Ferry depart from Nathon - Don Sak - Nathon daily at 5.00 am., 6.00 am., 7 am., 11.00 am., 1 pm., 2 pm., 3 pm., 4 pm., 5 pm. and 6 pm. The crossing takes 1.15 hours, costs is about 110 Baht.
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