Many travelers follow the logic route and decide to visit Koh Tao from Bangkok after their first stop in Thailand. Traveling from the capital to the Turtle island is easy but there are many options to consider depending on your budget and your schedule preferences. In the following page, you’ll find all the information to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok. Do not miss the trip and chill after the chaotic capital in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
As you can expect, there are many options fo get from Bangkok to Koh Tao. You will always end up taking a boat to get to the island, but there are different options to get to the closest pier mainland or even you can fly to Koh Samui, the closest airport to Koh Tao. Come with us, leave the traffic jams and the chaotic capital and find some relax and diving at Koh Tao.
Flying to Koh Tao from Bangkok is always the fastest way to get to the island but the most expensive one very often. If you decide to take a plane to reach the Gulf of Thailand, you can do it by flying to three different airports.
Koh Samui is the closest one, but you’d need to buy an expensive flight ticket from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi airport) with Bangkok Airways and then you need to take a boat to reach Koh Tao in about 2-3 hours. Boat ticket and transfer to the pier can be easily purchased at Koh Samui airport.
You can also take a cheap flight with AirAsia to Surat Thani. The main advantage of doing this would be the price because you’ll have multiple options for the plane. However, the ferry options from Surat Thani are limited compared to Koh Samui and Chumphon, so you’ll need to make sure that the transfer from the airport to the pier and to Koh Tao is within your interests.
And the third airport you can fly to from Bangkok to get to Koh Tao is Chumphon. This airport is quite small, but AirAsia flies there, so the ticket price would be cheap. However, there are fewer flights landing at this airport so the options are more reduced. Good news is that the ferry takes less time from Chumphon and you have many more options because it’s the closest pier in the mainland to Koh Tao.
Another good option and comfortable one is choosing the train to get to Koh Tao. This good is the preferred options for those traveling overnight and willing to do it so in a comfortable way. The journey could be a bit longer than with the plane, but it’s very convenient and affordable. You can buy your train ticket from Bangkok Train Station and depart at 7 pm in an overnight train. By 5 am you’ll arrive in Chumphon and you can take the 7 am ferry to be on the island at 9 am. Therefore, in about 14 hours you can reach easily the island spending the night in a comfortable bed in your wagon. It would be also a unique experience sharing the journey with other travelers across Thailand.
Remember that you should buy your train ticket to Chumphon. In any agency you can also buy the combined ticket with the bus transfer from the train station to the pier, so you don’t miss your ferry.
You can check all the schedules and prices for the train from Bangkok to Koh Tao here.
Finally, the last option to get to Koh Tao from Bangkok is by bus. This is, of course, the cheapest way to get to the island, but it will take longer. However, if you decide to travel overnight, you can send one-night hotel while getting to the island and take the most of your time, leaving Bangkok in the afternoon and arriving in Koh Tao in the morning. Buses depart from Mo Chit station in Bangkok and you’ll need to take the bus to Chumphon.
Here you can find all the bus schedules from Bangkok to Chumphon:
As you can see, there are many options depending on your budget and your time. Probably the easiest way would be using the overnight train, so you’ll leave Bangkok at 7 pm and arrive in Koh Tao at 9 am. You’ll only miss a night and in the morning you’ll be enjoying the transparent waters of Thailand best island.
The price would depend on the transportation method you choose. Flying to Koh Samui and taking the ferry to Koh Tao is the most expensive way to get to the island from Bangkok, whereas using the bus to Chumphon would be the cheaper way. You can expect to pay from 1000 baht (around 30€) for the bus ride to 5.000 baht (around 150€) for the flight to Samui airport.
Timing varies depending on transportation. The flight from Bangkok to all the neighboring airports take around one hour. Then you’ll need to add up 2-3 hours ferry depending on your pier. If you decide to take the overnight train or bus, you can get to Koh Tao in about 14-16 hours, but you’d travel overnight.