Thailand from Phuket to Koh Samui. Phuket - Koh Samui route by taxi and minibus. Koh Samui-Phuket to Phuket with a rental car - expenses

On the eve of the high winter season, I increasingly receive questions about how to get from Phuket to Koh Samui. I decided to write about it in a separate article.

One of the piers on Koh Samui

Let me remind you that from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. in Thailand, the main flights arrive at, and from there tourists already get to the resorts. But more and more often, good deals on air tickets to Phuket began to come across!

And more good news: from October 30, 2016 Thai Airways resumes direct flights from Moscow to Bangkok and with a connection in Bangkok to Phuket and Krabi. Hurry up to book flights, there are great deals even on New Year holidays! Tickets from 26 000 rubles! Find a ticket at the lowest price through the low price map:

If you flew to Phuket, but for some reason do not want to relax on this island, on the neighboring one or, but are planning a vacation on, then you can get from Phuket to Koh Samui in the following ways:

By plane Phuket - Koh Samui

Unfortunately, the flight Phuket - Samui is operated by only one expensive airline Bangkok Airways, a one-way ticket will cost from $ 90, and this despite the fact that the flight Phuket - Samui lasts less than an hour.

By bus and ferry

Let me remind you that the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui are located in different seas, on opposite sides of the mainland and the ferry Phuket Samui No🙂 I.e. first you need to get from the island of Phuket, which is connected by a bridge with the mainland, to the port of Donsak, and then sail away by ferry or speedboat to Koh Samui. Distance Phuket - Koh Samui is about 350 km. Companies sell Phuket Samui package tickets which include bus and ferry (or speedboat).

Bus schedule Phuket - Koh Samui:

Pantip Travel: at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00. Tickets cost 450-500 baht. Travel time 7.5 hours

Lomprayah: at 10:00, 12:30. Ticket price 1300 baht, travel time 7 hours.

Important: Pantip buses leave from bus terminal Phuket №2 (Phuket bus terminal- 2), and Lompraya from the Lomprayah office in Phuket Town. Those. you still need to get from the airport to the necessary bus stations. Unfortunately, Phuket-Koh Samui buses depart only in the morning, so in order to catch them, you need to fly to Phuket early in the morning or spend the night on the island.

If your flight arrives at Phuket airport later than 10 am and even last flight if you don’t have time to leave Lomprayi, you can use a transfer or taxi from Phuket Airport to Donsak Pier or directly to Koh Samui:

Transfer Phuket Samui

Find out the cost and book a transfer

The approximate cost of a taxi from Phuket Airport to Donsak Pier is 3,500 - 4,000 baht for a small car and 6,000 - 7,000 baht for a minivan.

On a rented vehicle

Getting to Phuket Samui is easy with a rented car. If you came to Thailand on vacation, then renting a car for a couple of weeks is ideal. On the way from Phuket to Koh Samui you can visit a lot interesting places and go to one wonderful place and on (in my opinion must see in Thailand!).

It is most convenient to rent a car right at the airport, and then return it there before departure.

Now you know how to get from Phuket to Koh Samui. And read about how to get to Koh Samui from Bangkok.

Many tourists, arriving on vacation in Thailand, sooner or later think about visiting popular tourist places to diversify beach holiday. Koh Samui is the place to go if your budget and time allow. In this article, we will consider how to get from Phuket to Koh Samui on our own, an overview of routes.

The most simple and fast way- by plane. From Phuket Airport, once a day, a Bangkok Airways plane takes off in the direction of Koh Samui, which has a monopoly on flights on the route. No other airline operates such flights.

Accordingly, the price of such a flight is not small - about 4 thousand baht, despite the fact that a flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui costs 3500 baht, although it takes longer to fly (from Bangkok 700 km, and from Phuket 300 km).

Planes depart from Phutket Airport.

But, on the other hand, you can benefit from this, additional walks around Bangkok and accommodation in one of the colorful cities of Asia.

Flights are operated by Air Asia, which arrives at Don Muang Airport, after which the tourist will need to transfer to a plane to Surat Thani.

The cost of such a flight will be about 4 thousand baht, but the price will already include a ferry from Donsak to Koh Samui.

Depending on the ferry crossing (there are two of them in Donsak), there is an option for a longer sea crossing to the island and a faster one.

Raja Ferry

Seatran Ferry

In the first case, tourists will be able to enjoy the views of Koh Phangan, which will be visible in good weather.

Despite the convenience of the flight, travelers are deterred high price and most choose bus route(cheap and not particularly angry). direct maritime traffic There are no Phuket and Koh Samui, although its opening would significantly reduce travel time, but in all likelihood would deprive Bangkok Airways of part of the income.

As said above ferry service organized through the province of Surat Thani, where you first need to get by bus, which departs from Phuket Town. We won’t tell you how to get to Phuket Town, it’s not difficult, given the developed network highways and public transport.

Buses depart daily at 8, 9 and 10 am (by the way, the same bus can take you to the ferry to Koh Phangan).

1. Single (includes transfer by bus and ferry).
2. Individual (only bus ticket).

Price single ticket 450 baht, individual 300 baht. Travel time is 4.5 hours to the ferry and about 2 hours by ferry, plus waiting time.

The bus arrives in Surat Thani at 13, 14 and 15 hours, and the ferry departs 30 minutes after the arrival of the bus (the schedule is subject to change). Tourists do not have to move anywhere from the place of arrival, the buses drive up directly to the Donsak ferry terminal, from where you just need to dive into the catamaran.

Tickets can be bought in advance via the Internet (the order can be placed manually on the website 12go.asia) or purchased on the spot. Unlike Bangkok, there should be no problems with the availability of seats, the flow of passengers is not so huge.

Second option bus travel- use the services of the Lompray company, which depart from its office. This option a little faster, due to the use of speed boats instead of catamarans.

By the way, due to the lightweight hull, these boats are sensitive to pitching, and when strong wind seasickness may develop.
The cost of a single ticket (there is no alternative) is 1200-1400 baht, saving in time is about an hour. Departure time at 10 am and 12 pm.

Taxi

Not the most economical option if you do not take a car for several people. Such a pleasure costs about 13 thousand baht, and the travel time is slightly less than by bus, about 3.5 hours.

Car rent

For lovers of driving, you can consider the option of renting a car. In principle, it will be cheaper than a taxi at least twice.

For one day of rent in Phuket, you will have to pay from 1,000 to 1,200 baht, but if you rent for more than five days, then for 700–800 baht per day.

You can return the car on Koh Samui at the airport if you do not want to organize a ride in the opposite direction.

For those who like to ride a bike, you can try to make a trip from Phuket to Koh Samui on a motorcycle. True, it is worth seriously evaluating your strengths before making such a decision, after all, an open scooter and the scorching sun of Thailand long time do not fit well, and you will have to drive longer (about 6-8 hours). Well, for the Phuket Samui ferry, the payment will be like for a car (450 baht).
The only plus of such an extreme trip is the opportunity to see and enjoy the beauties of the Asian pearl. Along the way, you will pass colorful villages and small towns with its quaint buildings and sympathetic people.

As for the extreme look movement (on foot), we will not consider it, this is definitely not about rest, but rather about self-torture.

Train

Unfortunately, getting from Phuket to Koh Samui using the train is not something to learn, for the reason that there is no railway connection with Phuket.

To Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

So, we figured out how to get from Phuket to Koh Samui, but the Koh Samui group of islands includes several more popular islets. Including Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.

It is not difficult to get to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao on your own, especially since ferries, catamarans and speedboats depart for this direction from the same marinas as on Koh Samui, but you already know how to get to Donsak or Surat Thani.

In addition, there are several options:

1. Direct route.
2. Transfer route.

Transfers to Koh Tao are carried out both on Koh Phangan and on Koh Samui. And to Koh Phangan only from Koh Samui.

The difference lies in the time of departure and the cost of tickets. To move to Koh Tao, for one person you will need to pay at least 500 baht (for comparison, 150 baht on Koh Samui).

So, despite the remoteness of Koh Samui and its nearby islets, getting there on your own from Phuket is quite realistic and not as expensive as it seems at first glance. Try, combine and experiment. And be sure to share your experience in the comments.

Anticipating a night without sleep in a cold bus, we went to the Phuket bus station for tickets to Koh Samui. But in fact, the trip turned out to be much easier than in our ideas, as it takes place during the day and takes about 5 hours. There is a direct line from Phuket bus terminal 2 bus Phuket-Samui. Tickets are sold at this bus station. We took tickets one day before the trip.

Ways to get to Koh Samui

Therefore, I will orient you on the prices for a taxi from Phuket Airport to Koh Samui, or rather to the Donsak Pier, at the prices of the service. Here is a straight line link to the transfer order form >>

Please note that if you have a large company, then it will be most profitable order a minibus. There are options for 7 people and minibuses for 10. In this case, everything just adds up and you get quite a bit per person.

By plane from Phuket to Koh Samui

The third option on how to get to Koh Samui from Phuket is to fly by plane. You can fly between the islands without transfers in just 55 minutes. Bangkok Airways fly this route. Departure from Phuket airport, arrival immediately at the airport on Koh Samui, and not in Surathani. That is, you do not have to get to the island by ferry, but simply take taxi to the hotel. Other airlines, including Air Asia, do not fly directly or fly only to Surat Thani.

You can buy Bangkok Airways tickets on Aviasales website >>

Here are 3 main ways to get to Koh Samui from Phuket - fly by plane, take a taxi or take a bus. As usual, the most budget option is bus + ferry. There are buses to Surat Thani and one morning bus to Donsak Pier from phuket bus terminal-2 several times a day. It is better to go on this one, since it is still possible to get from Suratani with a transfer to the pier. But it is possible and so, if there are not many things or did not have time for the 9 o'clock bus. For the money, that's about it.

Route on the map

Distance between islands 287 km

IN Lately in the comments to articles about Koh Samui, the question is often asked how best to get to this paradise island. All issues related to the road from Bangkok to Koh Samui were discussed in detail in the previous article, today we will talk about how you can get to Koh Samui from Phuket, another Thai resort popular with Russians. In addition, at present, Aeroflot direct flights from Moscow fly only to Phuket and Bangkok, and many travelers consider this island as a “base” for further travel in Thailand - not only to the nearby islands of the Andaman Sea, but also to more remote ones. resorts Gulf of Thailand.

Before starting to describe everything possible ways, I will clarify only one important detail: although Phuket and Koh Samui are islands, there are no direct ferries between them, and there cannot be - they are located not only in different seas, but also in different oceans (Phuket in the Indian, and Koh Samui in Quiet). And between the islands lies a thin isthmus of the Malay Peninsula, just separating the two oceans. And, if a bridge is built between Phuket and the mainland and time losses are unlikely on this section of the path, then from the mainland to Koh Samui can only be reached by ferry - the distance from the mainland pier closest to the island is about 40 km in a straight line. The total distance from Phuket to Koh Samui (from the bridge between Phuket and the mainland to the pier in Samui's Nathon) is about 300 km.

From Phuket to Koh Samui by plane

With this way of getting to Koh Samui, the situation is absolutely the same as with direct flights to Koh Samui from Bangkok. Since Koh Samui Airport was built with the money of the airline bangkok airways, then he works exclusively with her. And the airline, taking advantage of its monopoly position in this market segment, is aching for horse prices for its services. For example, a 55-minute flight Phuket-Samui will cost you 3100-3400 baht (about 6000-7000 rubles).

Other airlines from Phuket to Koh Samui fly only with a change in Bangkok, which makes the route unnecessarily cumbersome. Moreover, they do not fly directly to Koh Samui airport, but only to those closest to the island mainland airports, from where passengers are taken by bus and ferry to Koh Samui - this circumstance makes the Phuket-Samui flight any airline except bangkok airways an absolutely uninteresting undertaking - both from a financial point of view and in terms of the time and effort spent.

AirAsia low-cost aircraft at Surat Thani Airport

How to get from Phuket to Koh Samui by bus

If you want to save money, then this is the most suitable way. There are two transport companies operating in the direction of interest to us: Pantip Travel(cheaper) and Lomprayah(more expensive). Regardless of which of these two companies you choose, the price of the ticket will already include the cost of a ferry crossing between the mainland and the pier on Koh Samui.

Pantip Travel

Buses depart three times a day from Phuket Bus Terminal 2, at 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00. The ticket costs 450-500 baht per person, travel time is about 8 hours (along with the ferry to Koh Samui). If you are planning to make the journey from Phuket to Koh Samui with small children, then 8 hours by bus can be too harsh for them, in this case it is better to prefer the second method.

Lomprayah

Bus "Lompraya" departs from the office of the company once a day at 10:00, price 1000 baht, travel time about 6 hours.

How to get to Koh Samui from Phuket: transfer from a travel agency

At Phuket Airport, as well as in any street travel agency, you can purchase a transfer to Koh Samui without any problems. You will be taken in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus from andaman coast Thailand (where Phuket is located) to Donsak Pier on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand. There they will transfer to the ferry and in an hour and a half you will be on Koh Samui - at Nathon Pier or.

Transfer from Kiwi service

On the website of this well-known online service, you can pre-order a comfortable trip directly from Phuket Airport to your vacation spot - that is, to any of the Thai resorts. approximate cost transfer from Phuket airport to Koh Samui airport will be $400 for an economy class car (3-4 passengers), from Phuket Airport to Donsak Pier - $200. This method is well suited for those who travel to Thailand for the first time, do not know very well English language and is afraid to mess something up somewhere. In the arrivals hall of the airport you will be met with a sign, escorted to the car and without further ado you will be taken to where you need to go. The driver will not have to explain anything, he will already know the address. In addition, there will be no need to bargain with him - the final price of the trip will be determined already at the stage of booking a transfer on the website. This transfer from Kiwi compares favorably with those transfers offered by hotels - as a rule, their prices exceed the market prices by 20-50%.

Phuket-Samui by taxi

Same good way, but I recommend not taking a taxi right away at Phuket airport, but moving away from it or even going to the residential part of the island - in this case, the price of a trip to Koh Samui will be significantly cheaper. Usually from resort areas Phuket taxi drivers agree to take passengers to Donsak Pier for 5.5-6 thousand baht ($170-190).

Another option is that on Facebook or VKontakte there are communities of Russians and Russian-speaking people permanently living in Thailand, some of them illegally moonlight as a private driver. The price of the issue will be 10-15 percent higher than that of an ordinary taxi driver, but you can negotiate with the driver for mother tongue. In order to avoid misunderstandings, immediately specify whether tickets for the Donsak-Samui ferry are included in the price of the trip or not (a ticket costs 130 baht or $ 4 per person).

For one passenger, the cost of a trip to Koh Samui by taxi will be even more expensive than by plane, this event becomes financially meaningful only when the car is loaded from 2 people.

How to get to Koh Samui from Phuket with a rental car

This method is good if you, while relaxing in Phuket, just want to ride around Thailand, stop by Koh Samui, explore the island and then return back to Phuket.

However, you can also rent a car if you have air tickets with arrival and departure from Phuket airport, you purposefully go to Koh Samui in order to spend your holidays there. O most of your vacation and expect to move around a lot there - with public transport things are not going well on Koh Samui. In this case, by renting a car, you solve the issue of transfer to Koh Samui and back, and there will be no need to bother with a car or scooter on Koh Samui. In this case, it is better to take a car in a reputable international rental car, small street offices in Phuket are unlikely to allow you to leave the island in their car. The offices of large network companies cluster in the arrivals hall international terminal Phuket airport. If you want to book a car in advance and protect yourself from all sorts of surprises, then it is better to do it on the website Economybookings is an aggregator where you can choose from several rental cars, and the prices there will be somewhat cheaper than if you contact directly.

The rental price in different companies ranges from 850 to 4000 baht ($25-120) depending on the car class. Upon receipt of the car, an amount of about 10,000 baht will be blocked on your card, which will be “unfrozen” after the successful completion of the lease - blocking can be avoided if you take a car with extended Super CDW insurance.

If you do not plan to return back to Phuket the same way, it makes sense to look for rental cars that will allow you to rent a car to Koh Samui without additional fees - for example, Hertz provides this opportunity to its customers when renting more than 5 days. If you rent a car without such a service and then rent it in another place, then usually all rental companies withhold a certain amount from the tenant for returning the car back (4000-5000 baht or $120-150).

An important point: when going to Koh Samui by car, you need to leave as early as possible. Travel time from Phuket to Donsak Pier is about 4 hours, and the last ferry to the island leaves at 19:00, and in the midst of holiday season there can be very long queues at the pier. Boarding the ship is carried out on a first-come-first-served basis, and if you do not have time to get on board, you will have to spend the night on the shore in your car - if you leave the queue, you will have to go through everything again in the morning.

Phuket – Koh Samui is enough popular route travelers from all over the world, because these are the most popular islands in Thailand. I don’t think that the eternal question: “Which island is better, Koh Samui or Phuket?” - there is an unequivocal answer, because on each of the named islands there is something that is not on the other, and it is this factor that largely determines which island becomes a favorite vacation spot. Overcoming the route Phuket - Koh Samui or Koh Samui - Phuket, about which will be discussed below, is not difficult and is available to absolutely everyone, even during one visit to Thailand for the purpose of relaxing on both islands.

THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE (click on the link for a quick jump)

The islands of Phuket and Koh Samui differ from each other in many ways and are located in the waters of different oceans, which means that getting from one island to another is exclusively by sea impossible (unless, of course, you have your own sea yacht, on which you can overcome the Phuket Samui route, rounding Thailand, mainland Malaysia and Singapore). More approximate options for the average tourist are combinations of land and sea transport, which will be discussed in the article. I warn you right away that you should consider planning this route you need to seriously, otherwise the road can take a whole day.

Phuket - Koh Samui by plane: advantages and disadvantages

According to a long tradition, flights "Koh Samui - Phuket" and "Phuket - Samui" are the fastest and most expensive ways to get from one tropical island to another. Thanks to the presence direct flights, established by Bangkok Airways, the flight between the islands takes only 55 minutes. With the help of the search and price comparison form below for air tickets, you can always find out how much such an air flight will cost. For example, in December 2018, the most affordable airfare can be purchased for $88 one way and $184 round trip.

It is no more difficult to overcome the return route Koh Samui - Phuket. For this, it is best to purchase complex ticket by ferry + bus to Phuket. Such tickets can be bought not only at the Koh Samui ferry pier in the offices of the ferry companies, online through (direct link to the route) and in the street travel agencies of the island. In the latter case, the transfer includes delivery to the pier from your hotel, but the price is slightly higher - about 600 baht. On the other hand, public and especially taxis on the island are far from budgetary, so the overpayment is not at all large or not at all.

Where to buy bus tickets from Phuket to Koh Samui online

Of course, the most famous way to buy tickets between cities in Thailand is through ticket counters at bus terminals. But if you want to be guaranteed to buy bus or minibus tickets at desired route and at the right time, you must buy tickets in advance. This means that you must visit the bus terminal twice: to buy a ticket and to board the bus on the day of your trip. This is not very convenient, because transport in Phuket is very expensive, especially taxis. Therefore, buying bus tickets Phuket - Koh Samui - good opportunity save money and not waste your time on unnecessary trips around the island. To date, the best proven service for purchasing transport tickets in Thailand and other Asian countries is.

Phuket - Koh Samui route by taxi and minibus

Since the distance is quite decent by the standards of a taxi, the fee for a trip along the route "Phuket - Koh Samui" or "Koh Samui - Phuket" is about THB 3,500, which is comparable to the cost of direct air travel. The benefit in this case is noticeable only when moving two or three together. True, it is worth considering the fact that most likely the taxi route to Koh Samui from Phuket will end at Donsak Pier - usually taxi drivers do not want to waste time on the ferry. They are quite understandable, but in general it is not necessary. Also with the return move: most likely you will have to overcome the path to Ferry Koh Samui to the Donsak pier and already there or in Surat Thani negotiate with a taxi driver.

Using a taxi between Phuket and Koh Samui will reduce travel time by 1-1.5 hours at best compared to by regular bus. With a similar speed, a comfortable minibus will "drive" you along the route, which can depart both from Phuket bus terminal according to the schedule, and to carry out a transfer organized by one of the local travel companies. In the latter case, I advise you to immediately clarify whether a change of transport is planned on the route: often small offices “sin” by significantly “amusing” and lengthening the trip due to the need to transfer to other transport on the way.

Phuket - Koh Samui and back on a rented vehicle

Many travelers in South-East Asia have long appreciated the delights of using rented transport to move around the country. The method is far from always budgetary, but the feeling of freedom that gives or renting a car in this country can sometimes not be measured in money. Roads all the way good quality, however, do not forget that it has its own characteristics, therefore, throughout the journey, you should be careful and not distract the one who is currently driving.

The optimal route between Phuket and Koh Samui can now be laid by any mobile navigator and a regular service Google Maps, so it does not make sense to describe it in detail. It should only be taken into account that an appropriate fee is charged for transporting a motorbike or car on a ferry (see the cost table in the article). Also consider the fact at the time of renting a vehicle that not all rental offices allow you to operate their vehicles outside the island.

This is especially true on Koh Samui, where they will not let you on the ferry without the appropriate permission of the rental office (and the latter do not always issue this). Also remember that not all ferries on Koh Samui are cargo-passenger, i.e. take on board vehicles. Perhaps some of the readers, after reading the article, thought about why the article does not say anything about how to get to the mainland from Phuket and where to look schedule for Phuket ferries. However, the situation is simpler than it might seem: Phuket Island has long been connected to the mainland by a reliable road bridge, so the ferry along the route Phuket - Koh Samui not needed.