After spending a few days or weeks relaxing on the tropical island of Koh Samui, most travellers have to return to reality and begin planning their trip back to the capital city, Bangkok. Although it might be tempting to use the island’s airport and fly back, by far the most interesting way to travel is via ferry, bus, and overnight sleeper train.
Travelling the other way? Check out our guide for taking the train from Bangkok to Koh Samui.
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Route map and details
The first leg is a combination of ferry/speedboat from Koh Samui to the mainland, and then a bus to Surat Thani’s train station. From there, a selection of overnight sleeper trains make their way sedately to Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station.
In total, the journey takes about sixteen hours (four hours from the island to train station, some time to make the connection, and then ten hours to Bangkok).
Timetables
Koh Samui to Surat Thani train station
It’s a very well-established operation to move tourists from Koh Samui to the mainland and most companies offer a combined ticket from the island to Surat Thani railway station. They’ll also probably try to sell you a through ticket, but it’s often cheaper to book each leg yourself, and you’ll have more choice and control over your journey.
Some of the available options are listed below, although you’ll see many more to choose from when you’re on the 12Go website.
| Koh Samui | Surat Thani train station |
|---|---|
| 06:00 | 10:00 |
| 07:00 | 11:00 |
| 09:00 | 13:00 |
| 10:00 | 14:00 |
| 11:00 | 15:00 |
| 12:00 | 16:00 |
| 13:00 | 17:00 |
| 14:00 | 18:00 |
Average journey time: 4 hours (some more expensive options on the 12Go site only take 2 hours and 30 minutes)
Surat Thani to Bangkok
There are ten trains per day from Surat Thani to Bangkok, all of which have Sleeper carriages apart from SP40 and SP44.
| Train number | Surat Thani | Bangkok |
|---|---|---|
| SP40 | 09:00 | 18:05 |
| SP44 | 18:25 | 03:45 |
| RP168 | 18:32 | 05:10 |
| EX86 | 19:31 | 06:10 |
| EX84 | 20:23 | 07:05 |
| RP172 | 20:55 | 07:30 |
| SP32 | 22:24 | 08:10 |
| SP38 | 22:50 | 09:05 |
| SP46 | 22:50 | 09:05 |
| RP170 | 23:28 | 10:50 |
Average journey time: 9 hours 52 minutes
How to buy tickets
The easiest way to buy train tickets in Thailand is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.
Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the live Thai Railways booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.
Payment can be made using international credit card and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.
For bus and ferry tickets, Baolau is still an option but they tend to have fewer services on offer than 12Go. If you see a service that suits your schedule on Baolau, it’s best to book with them, as they have a much better user-interface, but 12Go is perfectly fine to use as well.
How much does it cost?
The journey is split into two separate legs, and it’s cheaper to book each one separately, plus you’ll have more choice.
Surat Thani to Koh Samui
Continuing on to Koh Samui from Surat Thani, the fares for the combined bus and ferry vary from around THB400 to THB900, depending on the mode of transport.
| Class | Cost (THB) |
|---|---|
| Minivan and speed boat | 900 |
| Bus and slow ferry | 400 |
The more expensive tickets involve a minivan transfer from the train station to the ferry terminal and then a speedboat. The cheaper tickets are via bus and slow ferry.
Bangkok to Surat Thani
On the Surat Thani to Bangkok train, you have several different classes to choose from, although our recommendation is a second class berth (AC):
| Train | 1st class berth (AC) | 2nd class berth (AC) | 2nd class seat | 3rd class seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP40 | – | – | ✓ 1 | – |
| SP44 | – | – | ✓ 1 | – |
| RP168 | – | ✓ 2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| EX86 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EX84 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RP172 | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SP32 | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| SP38 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SP46 | – | ✓ | – | – |
| RP170 | – | ✓ 2 | ✓ | ✓ |
1 Air-conditioned carriages
2 Non-AC berths also available
The prices for each class are:
| Class | Cost |
|---|---|
| First class berth (A/C) | 1300 – 1600 |
| Second class berth (A/C) | 720 – 1010 |
| Second class berth (Fan) | 490-530 |
| Second class seat (A/C) | 520 |
| Second class seat | 350 – 440 |
| Third class seat | 210 – 300 |
Total cost ranges from THB2000 for first class berth and fastest transfer, down to THB700 for a third class seat and slower transfer.
Useful reads before you go:
Top 10 tips for Southeast Asia train travel
7 reasons why you should travel by train around Southeast Asia
5 AMAZING train journeys in Southeast Asia
10 essentials experienced travellers always take on trains in Southeast Asia
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