Bangkok to Koh Tao

Overview Compare Bus via Chumphon via Surat Thani Flight To Stay

How to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao

The island of Koh Tao is a very popular diving destination located in the southeast of Thailand. It’s known as one of the cheapest locations in the world to get your PADI license and offers beautiful underwater scenery.

When travelling the 415 km distance from Bangkok to Koh Tao, you have 4 options. You can take an 11.5 to 15-hour bus ride, catch an overnight train via Chumphon for around 11.5-13 hours, board a train via Surat Thani for 20 hours, or hop on a flight for around 3-4 hours (including transfers). All options include a ferry ride from Koh Samui or the mainland to Koh Tao.

4 ways to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao

Taking the bus and ferry is the most popular option to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao. Buses depart from Bangkok at night and travel to Chumphon, followed by a ferry to Koh Tao. Total travel time can take 11.5-15 hours, including all transfers and combined costs start from 1 THB ($38.50).

Other option is taking the train to Chumphon or Surat Thani. When travelling by train, we recommend taking an overnight train via Chumphon. From there, you can take a combined van and ferry ride to Koh Tao. Total cost starts at usd 1 THB ($37.00) for an 11.5-13 hour journey to Chumphon. Travelling via Surat Thani takes much longer at 20 hours and is more expensive at 1 THB ($54.00).

Last, you can also book a flight to Koh Samui and then continue with the ferry to Koh Tao. This option is the fastest way to travel from Bangkok to Koh Samui, only taking around 3-4 hours. Keep in mind that flights to Koh Samui are quite expensive, though, and overall costs would be 2 THB ($87.00).

Where to stay in Koh Tao?

Still looking for accommodation? Don’t forget to check out our favourite places to stay in Koh Tao at the bottom of this page.

PRO TIP: Consider continuing your journey to Koh Phangan after visiting Koh Tao. Koh Phangan is not only famous for its full moon parties but it is also rich in nature. You find several yoga and meditations retreats in the northern part of the island.

Booking an overnight bus and connecting ferry to Koh Tao is the easiest way to reach this paradise island from Bangkok. With this option, both the bus and ferry are already organised for you, so you won’t have to book the tickets separately.

The combined bus and ferry option requires two transfers. The first one is by bus or minivan in Chumphon or Hua Hin, while the second transfer is to board the ferry at Chumphon Pier.

Combined tickets start from 1 THB ($38.50), and the journey can take 11.5-15 hours.

Departure and arrival station

Songserm, Montanatip, and Lomprayah buses all depart from Khao San Road, the famous backpacker street in Bangkok. For Paradive Travel, the meet-up point is at Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

After the transfer in Hua Hin or Chumphon, the bus or minivan will take you to Chumphon Pier. From here, you will take the ferry and arrive at Koh Tao Island.

Bus + Ferry schedules from Bangkok to Koh Tao

Luckily, the trips available are night buses, so you can catch up on sleep and be well-rested before you arrive. However, keep in mind that not all buses for this route offer sleeper beds, so you may have to sleep in a reclined chair instead.

When taking the train from Bangkok to Koh Tao, you can choose to go either via Chumphon or via Surat Thani.

We recommend travelling by train via Chumphon, as this province is nearer to Koh Tao. From there, it is around 3 hours to reach Koh Tao by ferry.

From your hotel in Bangkok, you will first have to go to Hua Lamphong Railway Station, which is the starting point for all trains going to Chumphon.

We recommend that you take a night train that arrives early morning in Chumphon. This way, you can immediately transfer to the only van leaving in the morning, which is at 06:00, and arrive early in Koh Tao.

The train ride to Chumphon Railway Station can take around 9-10.5 hours, depending on the train you take.

Fares start at 300 THB ($8.50) for a second-class seat. Some trains also offer first and second class berths that are more expensive, but definitely more comfortable. See our recommended train schedules below.

Train Schedule from Bangkok to Chumphon

If you want to leave at other times of the day, you can check the full schedules of trains available through Baolau.

Outside Chumphon Railway Station, vans are available to take you to the ferry terminal, where you’ll be taking the ferry to Mae Haad Pier in Koh Tao.

The last time we checked (September 2022), only Lomprayah vans are available with fares from 965 THB ($28.00). There are only 2 departures daily, which are at 06:00 and 12:00.

Travel time is around 2.5 hours, including the ferry ride to Koh Tao.

Van + Ferry Schedule from Chumphon to Koh Tao

You may want to contact your hotel beforehand for a pick-up service from Mae Haad Pier. Alternatively, you can arrange your own transport from the pier to your hotel.

When travelling from Bangkok to Koh Tao, you can also travel via Surat Thani, which is the province next to Chumphon in the south.

Koh Tao is actually a part of Surat Thani, but travelling via this province takes longer and can be more expensive than going via Chumphon.

However, we still wanted to share this option in case the option with the stopover in Chumphon doesn’t fit your itinerary for some reason.

Same as the train via Chumphon, trains to Surat Thani also depart from Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok. The journey takes longer, though, around 11-13 hours.

Since the train ride to Surat Thani Railway Station is a bit longer, you can try a sleeper berth with air conditioning for a more comfortable journey.

Ticket prices for second class sleeper berths start from 730 THB ($21.50). Below are our recommended train schedules.

Train Schedule from Bangkok to Surat Thani

From Surat Thani railway station, it is another 7 hours of combined van and ferry ride to Koh Tao.

For this route, only Lomprayah is available, and there is only one trip a day at 09:30. The combined van and ferry ride with Lomprayah costs 1 THB ($32.00).

If you miss this only van departure, you need to figure out your own transportation to Donsak Pier, which is about 79 km away from the train station.

Van + Ferry Schedule from Surat Thani to Koh Tao

If you add this van and ferry trip to the train journey, it will take probably around 20 hours of travel from Bangkok to Koh Tao via Surat Thani. It is definitely longer than the 11.5 to 13-hour trip via Chumphon, which is also about 600 THB ($17.50) cheaper than this option.

If you’d rather save time than money when travelling from Bangkok to Koh Tao, your best option is to fly via Koh Samui. With this option, you do not need to spend more than half of your day travelling.

Koh Tao doesn’t have its own airport, so you will have to take a flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui, an island that is another main tourist destination just below Koh Tao.

This option also involves a minivan ride to the pier and a ferry ride to Koh Tao. Even with the transfers, by flight is the fastest option to travel from Bangkok to Koh Tao.

There are multiple flights departing from Bangkok to Koh Samui every day. All flights are operated by Bangkok Airways.

For a 1-hour flight to Koh Samui Airport, ticket prices start from 2 THB ($59.00).

Check the ferry schedules before booking a flight (Step 3). Most ferry companies have the latest departure at 12:30 pm. This means you have to book a morning flight in order to arrive at Koh Tao on the same day.

Check Flights on Skyscanner

For more information, you can read how to go from Bangkok to Koh Samui.

Other flight options when travelling from Bangkok to Koh Tao

You also have the option to fly to Chumphon or Surat Thani and take a ferry from there to Koh Tao.

Flying from Bangkok to Chumphon or Surat Thani can save you some money, but it will also take you more time to reach Koh Samui as these ports are further from Koh Tao.

Travelling this journey to Surat Thani by night train can be a great alternative too, but in the end, the bus+ferry might be the easiest option if you want to save money.

Seatran Discovery used to include pick-up from the airport, but the last time we checked (September 2022), they haven’t resumed their operations yet. No other ferry companies include airport pick-up, so you’ll need to travel on your own from the airport to the pier.

The ferries from Koh Samui to Koh Tao depart from Mae Nam Pier and Nathon Pier. SmackOne offers van services to these Zone 2 areas for 250 THB ($7.00). There are van departures every 30 minutes from 07:00 to 21:30.

Check Minivans with BookAway

You can also take a taxi from the airport with rates starting from 400 THB ($11.50).

In Mae Nam and Nation Pier, high-speed and speed boats to Koh Tao are available. The travel time from Koh Samui to Koh Tao will take just 1.5-2 hours. Fares start from 720 THB ($21.00).

Ferry Schedule from Koh Samui to Koh Tao

Once you reach Koh Tao, you may have to arrange your transfer to your hotel by yourself. Better yet, you can ask your hotel to pick you up from the port once you arrive on the island.