Bangkok to Koh Samui Fly direct, or go by land and sea.
The short answer: the quickest way is a direct flight of about an hour from Suvarnabhumi to Samui Airport, but it is one of the pricier domestic flights in Thailand. The cheaper ways all end on a boat: fly to Surat Thani, or take a bus or the night train, and finish with a ferry across.
Below: the four ways compared with fares from 12Go on 6 November 2026, where each one leaves from, and what changes if you are heading on to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao.
Bangkok to Koh Samui at a glance
Prices are the cheapest one-way fares 12Go listed for 6 November 2026, and they can include 12Go's booking fee. Times are door to door only for the flight; the others depend on connections.
| Option | How long | Leaves from | Price (one way) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct flight | About 1h05 – 1h35 in the air | Suvarnabhumi Airport | From about US$72 (Bangkok Airways) | Getting there fast |
| Flight to Surat Thani + bus + ferry | Most of a day | Don Mueang Airport | From about US$44 for the whole trip | Flying on a smaller budget |
| Bus + ferry | Overnight, or a long day | Khao San Road, Pinklao or the Southern Bus Terminal | From about US$25 | The lowest price |
| Night train + bus + ferry | Overnight on the train, boat in the morning | Krung Thep Aphiwat station | From about US$26 | Sleeping in a proper bed on the way |
Compare live times and prices: all Bangkok to Koh Samui options on 12Go.
Which one should you pick?
Fly direct if you have a short trip or a hotel booked for the same day. Nothing else gets you there in a couple of hours.
Fly to Surat Thani if the direct fares look too high. Budget airlines fly there from Don Mueang, and a bus and ferry take you the rest of the way. It costs less, but it turns a one-hour trip into most of a day.
Take the bus or the train if money matters more than time. The night train is the more comfortable of the two if you get a sleeper berth.
The direct flight
Only Bangkok Airways flies nonstop between Bangkok and Samui. Almost all of its Samui flights leave from Suvarnabhumi, from early morning through the day, and on 6 November 2026 most took between 1 hour 5 minutes and 1 hour 35 minutes.
Fares move a lot. The cheapest morning flights were around US$72 on 12Go, while others on the same day were US$85 to US$165. Samui Airport is privately owned by Bangkok Airways, and that is a big part of why the fares are higher than on other domestic routes.
Search sites also show flights on Thai Airways and other airlines. On this route those are connections with a stop, and they take hours longer.
Via Surat Thani: the cheaper flight
Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air fly nonstop from Don Mueang to Surat Thani in about 1 hour 15 minutes. From the airport, a bus takes you to Donsak Pier and a ferry crosses to Samui.
12Go sells the flight, the bus and the ferry together on one ticket from Don Mueang, which saves you sorting out the connection yourself. When we checked, these started at about US$44.
By bus and ferry
Most bus-and-ferry tickets leave Bangkok in the evening, from Khao San Road, Pinklao or the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), and reach Samui the next morning or around midday. On 12Go the cheapest were about US$25.
Buses go one of two ways. Most go to Donsak Pier near Surat Thani for a ferry to Samui. Others, including some of Lomprayah's, go to Chumphon instead, where you change to the Lomprayah catamaran, which stops at Koh Tao and Koh Phangan before Samui. Lomprayah also has a day bus: 06:00 from Khao San, arriving on Samui at about 16:30, from 1,450 baht.
Bring something warm. Several reviews of the night buses on 12Go complain that the air-conditioning is very cold.
By night train and ferry
Sleeper trains to the south leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat station in Bangkok. On 12Go the train-and-ferry tickets to Samui left between about 20:10 and 22:50.
The train stops at Surat Thani station, which is actually in the town of Phun Phin, about 15 km from Surat Thani city. A joint ticket includes the bus from the station to Donsak Pier, about an hour or a bit more, and the ferry. Book a sleeper berth early in high season. Our trains in Thailand guide explains the classes.
The ferry from Donsak to Samui
Three companies cross from Donsak: Raja Ferry to Lipa Noi, Seatran Ferry to Nathon (both about 1 hour 30 minutes), and Lomprayah to Nathon (about 45 minutes to an hour). Boats run through the day, starting around 05:00. If you are on a joint ticket, the right ferry is already included.
Going on to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao
If Samui is only a stop on the way, you can fly to Samui and take a boat on the same day: Phangan is about 30 minutes away and Koh Tao about two hours. See ferries between Samui, Phangan and Koh Tao.
For Koh Tao, going by land is often simpler than flying, because Chumphon is the closest mainland port. Lomprayah's 2026 timetable has a night bus from Khao San at 22:00 (Pinklao 21:30), a 07:00 catamaran from Chumphon, and arrival at Mae Haad on Koh Tao around 08:45, for 1,250 baht.
Booking Bangkok to Koh Samui on 12Go
12Go lists the Bangkok Airways flights, the flight-bus-ferry tickets via Surat Thani, the bus-and-ferry tickets from Lomprayah, Seatran, Phantip and others, and the train-and-ferry tickets on one page, so you can compare them for your date.
Joint tickets are the easy way to do the overland routes: one booking covers the bus or train, the transfer to the pier and the boat. Prices on 12Go can include a booking fee.
Bangkok to Koh Samui FAQ
How long is the flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui?
About 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes nonstop from Suvarnabhumi with Bangkok Airways.
Why are flights to Koh Samui so expensive?
Samui Airport is privately owned by Bangkok Airways, which is also the only airline flying nonstop from Bangkok. Flying to Surat Thani and taking the ferry is usually cheaper.
Can you fly to Koh Samui from Don Mueang?
Hardly: in early 2026 Bangkok Airways had only about two flights a week from Don Mueang to Samui, so plan on Suvarnabhumi. From Don Mueang the usual choice is a budget flight to Surat Thani, then a bus and ferry.
What is the cheapest way from Bangkok to Koh Samui?
A bus and ferry ticket. On 6 November 2026 the cheapest on 12Go was about US$25.
Is there a train to Koh Samui?
Not to the island itself. The night train goes to Surat Thani (Phun Phin), and a joint ticket adds the bus to Donsak Pier and the ferry.
Last checked: 6 November 2026. Flight times, fares and bus, train and ferry options from 12Go; nonstop airlines from directflightsfrom.com (May 2026) and FlightConnections (March 2026); Samui Airport ownership from Travelfish; Lomprayah day bus from SiamTickets; Koh Tao night bus from Lomprayah's 2026 timetable as published by Visit Thailand Today; Donsak ferry times from SiamTickets and 12Go. Timetables change, so check before you travel.