How to get to Koh Samui from anywhere in Thailand.

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Updated January 2026

If you are looking for an island paradise in Thailand with just the right amount of seclusion and action, look no further than Koh Samui. 

Is Koh Samui worth visiting? Oh yes, because the biggest of the three famous islands in the Gulf of Thailand (Koh Phangan and Koh Tao being the other two) is a holiday paradise. How to get to Koh Samui? Just read on!

Why travel to Koh Samui?

Dreaming of the island life and in search of beaches, scuba diving, and island adventures for your holiday? Koh Samui might just be the place for you. Together with some great 5-star hotels, idyllic local accommodation, and family resorts, there is something for each type of traveler on Koh Samui. 

Plus plenty of shopping, even a mall, great restaurants, and never-ending happy hours round up the perfect holiday destination. 

Travel to Koh Samui makes the whole experience even better because there is an airport on the island. And – don’t tell anyone – it is my favorite airport in the world! Good enough reason to check it out…

How to get to Koh Samui – By Plane

You basically have two options to get to Koh Samui with it being an island: by plane or by boat. Personally, I love flying to Koh Samui as I think it is the prettiest airport ever. It is half outdoors, half indoors, and very green. You also get shuttled to your plane with a little tram instead of a bus and all the buildings are kept in traditional Thai style. 

That said, Samui Airport has one problem: it is owned by Bangkok Airways and they hold the monopoly for domestic flights. This means that flying to/from Koh Samui is usually quite pricey compared to other destinations in Thailand as you cannot use a low-cost carrier. Bangkok Airways is free to set their prices as they see fit. 

A one-way ticket from Chiang Mai, Phuket, or Bangkok to Koh Samui will usually cost you around $100. 

However, they are a really good airline and you usually get a generous luggage allowance included in your ticket price. They also have a so-called “Courtesy Corner” at the airport with free coffee and snacks. I usually try to get my money’s worth by eating ALL the red velvet cookies I can. 

How to get to Koh Samui – by Boat

If you are coming from the other Gulf islands, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, or places like Surat Thani or Chumphon you can also take a speedboat or the ferry to Koh Samui.

Various companies offer the trip including Lomprayah, Songserm, and Seatran. They have different kinds of boats for the crossing including a highspeed catamaran, ferries of various sizes, and speedboats. What you get will depend on the season and the route. 

There are three piers in Koh Samui: Pralarn in Mae Nam, Bangrak, and Nathon. Brangrak is the closest when staying to Chaweng Beach and the airport.

When choosing a boat to get to Koh Samui you will usually choose the best departure time for your trip. However, it pays off to see which pier the boat is heading to as a transfer on the island can add quite a bit to your travel time. For example, it takes about 40 minutes from Nathon Pier to the airport. 

Also, make sure to book your transfer from/to the pier with the boat operator. Taxi prices are crazy high in Samui and if you use the shuttle vans from say Lomprayah you only pay about 150 baht. When traveling to Koh Samui you can buy your transfer on the boat. They will usually come around and sell you a transfer. Upon arrival, you will be sorted into minivans depending on the area you are going to. 

If you are leaving Koh Samui by boat ask them after you make a booking to organize a hotel pick-up. I recently did it via Facebook with Lomprayah and it was so easy. They even sent me a credit card payment link and a receipt with my pick-up time on Messenger.

How to get to Koh Samui from Bangkok

The easiest way to get from Bangkok to Koh Samui is to fly. The flight with Bangkok Airways usually leaves from Suvarnabhumi Airport and will take less than an hour. Prices will depend on the season and time of day and there are usually multiple flights each day. 

If you are really on a budget you could brave a bus/van & ferry journey. You can usually buy those on one ticket and prices start from $37 which is as cheap as it will get (unless you want to walk and swim to Samui). However, the journey will also take up to 18 hours and you usually travel overnight. 

Another option and basically a mix of the two above is to fly to Surat Thani or Chumphon and take the boat from there. I recently did that in reverse when I took the ferry from Koh Samui to Surat Thani with an airport transfer and flew from there to Bangkok. While definitely a bit more complicated you can save quite a bit both in terms of money compared to flying to Samui and in terms of time compared to taking the bus/ferry route. 

There is also a new-ish company called Seahorse Ferry that offers overnight crossings from Samui to Bangkok. They have various cabin types and some are probably equal to what you would pay for a flight. They don’t have crossings every day though. You can check the schedule here and book tickets via Line. 

How to get to Koh Samui from Phuket

Getting from Phuket to Koh Samui is pretty straightforward if you ask me. Either you take a flight with Bangkok Airways or you get a bus/ferry ticket. Travel times are not too crazy and it usually will take no longer than 7.5 hours. This includes waiting and boarding at the pier. 

Again, ask if you get a hotel pick-up in Phuket from the ferry operator. As with Samui, taxis are very expensive in Phuket.

Tip: Whenever I have flown from Phuket to Samui, I was on a small ATR. No problem whatsoever, but just know that you board from the rear. As someone who usually likes to sit in the front to get off faster, I was dismayed to learn this fun fact about the ATRs.

How to get to Koh Samui from Krabi

Yes, you can also fly from Krabi to Koh Samui however there are few flights in a day and they are quite pricey. When heading from Krabi to Koh Samui, it makes the most sense to book a bus & ferry ticket. You can get them for less than $20 and some will even get you there under 4 hours.

How to get to Koh Samui from Chiang Mai

Last year I flew from Koh Samui to Chiang Mai after carefully considering all my options and going through prices with a fine comb. Unless you want to connect via Bangkok, flying is the only viable option. Of course, this goes in both directions. Flights can go up quite a bit if there are no direct connections available though. 

However, the alternative might be a grueling one-day journey with various busses and a ferry. This option usually doesn’t guarantee connections either. Honestly, not something I would do. 

Alternatively, fly to Chumphon or Surat Thani with a low-cost carrier and take a Koh Samui ferry from there. 

How to get to Koh Samui, Thailand from anywhere else in the world

A great thing – you can also fly to Koh Samui from other countries. There are flights from/to Singapore and depending on the time of the year, to/from Hong Kong and Chengdu. And if you are traveling from overseas and don’t want to stop in Bangkok first, you can get a connecting flight to Koh Samui too. There is an immigration at the airport and your luggage will usually be checked through. 

Many international airlines will offer flights to Koh Samui that will codeshare from Bangkok with Bangkok Airways. A great option to start your Thai island holiday immediately! 

• Book a flight to Koh Samui

Where to book your ticket to get to Koh Samui?

I usually use 12Go as my go-to page. You simply put in your departure and destination city/port, date, and how many people are traveling. Et voila – there are your options. Some are recommended but of course, those might not be the best for you. It will also show you all other routes and you can sort them by price and travel time. 

This is also a great platform to book those bus & ferry combi tickets. Or you can just use it as inspiration and book directly with the operator. Especially with Lomprayah, I have had great experiences and their customer service on Facebook is very fast and friendly. 

If I decide that flying is the best option, I usually get my ticket from 12Go. While flights to Koh Samui are only operated by Bangkok Airways you can just get your plane ticket through 12Go.