How to get to Koh Samui: flights, ferries and the transfer to Bophut

Here is how to get to Koh Samui: fly to Samui Airport, which is on the island itself. From Europe we found no non-stop flight, so expect at least one change, usually in Bangkok. The slower alternative is to fly to Surat Thani on the mainland, then take a bus and a ferry from Don Sak. Both routes work. The right choice depends on your dates and on how many transfers you accept.

This guide is for people who plan to view, buy or own a home on Koh Samui, so it ends in Bophut, where The Astra Samui is. We checked the airline, ferry and aviation-authority pages listed under Sources on 24 October 2026. Some airline sites blocked our requests, and where we could not read a page we say so. Timetables change by season and sometimes at short notice, so check each one before you book. We quote no fares. They change daily, and we found no official price list to quote from.

At a glance

• By air: Samui Airport is on the island itself. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand lists it among the airports operated by Bangkok Airways. According to the airline’s own blog, Bangkok Airways flies from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi several times a day, in about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• From Europe: we found no non-stop flight. A change in Bangkok is the straightforward option, so leave enough time to connect.
• By ferry: boats to Samui leave from Don Sak on the mainland. Raja Ferry, Seatran and Lomprayah list routes there. Lomprayah’s site gives a general range of about 45–90 minutes for high-speed ferries, so check your own sailing.
• To The Astra Samui: 7.3 km from Samui International Airport, according to the developer.
• Check the season: for example, a trade report from June 2026 says Bangkok Airways will pause its Koh Samui to Singapore flights from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027.

Flying to Samui: the main routes

Samui Airport is operated by Bangkok Airways, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which lists Samui among the airports the airline operates. Bangkok Airways flies to Samui from Bangkok. Its blog describes that flight from Suvarnabhumi. Other routes to Samui exist, for example from Singapore, and they change with the season.

There are four ways to put a trip together.

A flight to Samui avoids the extra transfers, so it is the simplest. The mainland route makes sense when no suitable Samui flight is available on your day, or when you want to bring a car across on a vehicle ferry.

Check the entry rules for your passport before you book any route. They depend on your nationality and can change, and we do not cover them here.

Via Bangkok

For flights to Koh Samui from Europe, the simplest change is usually Bangkok, where Bangkok Airways flies to Samui. The airline’s own blog says its Samui flights leave from Suvarnabhumi Airport, run several times a day and take about 1 hour 30 minutes. The blog is dated 7 November 2025, so check the timetable for your date.

Three points help you avoid a missed connection:

• One ticket or two. Book the long-haul flight and the Samui flight on one ticket where you can. If the first flight is late, the airline is then usually responsible for rebooking you, subject to its fare conditions. On separate tickets that risk is yours, so leave a long gap.
• Two airports. Bangkok has Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. The Bangkok Airways blog describes the Samui flight from Suvarnabhumi, while Thai AirAsia lists its Surat Thani flights from Don Mueang. Check the airport on each ticket, because moving between the two is a separate road journey.
• Baggage. Allowances differ by airline and fare. The Bangkok Airways blog mentions up to 20 kg of checked baggage as a general benefit, not as a rule for your fare. Compare your own fare with your long-haul allowance before you pack.

Via other hubs

Samui also has flights from cities other than Bangkok, but we could not confirm a current list. The Bangkok Airways website, where the route pages would show it, blocked our requests. Treat a route you see on a search site as unconfirmed until you have opened the airline’s timetable for your month.

Singapore shows why. A May 2025 report by the travel blog MainlyMiles says Scoot began Singapore to Koh Samui flights on 13 May 2024 and that Bangkok Airways also flew the route. On the Bangkok Airways side, the German aviation site Aerotelegraph reported on 3 June 2026, in an item marked as a company announcement, that the airline would suspend Koh Samui to Singapore from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027. It is one of two routes dropped from the 2026/27 winter schedule, and the item gives no reason. We could not confirm the dates on the airline’s own site, and Scoot’s site blocked our requests, so check both airlines. Neither report says what Scoot will fly in winter 2026/27.

From Europe, a change in Singapore can be another one-stop option. It only helps if the Samui leg runs on your dates, so check that leg first and then look for a long-haul flight that connects to it.

By ferry from the mainland

Don Sak Pier, on the mainland in Surat Thani province, is the departure point for the routes below. In a December 2020 item, the Tourism Authority of Thailand told visitors who want to reach Koh Samui from Surat Thani to take the ferry from Don Sak Pier. Three operators list Don Sak routes on their own websites, which we read on 24 October 2026.

Lomprayah’s website gives a general range of about 45–90 minutes for high-speed ferries and 90–120 minutes for vehicle ferries, and adds that schedules may vary. It is not a timetable for one crossing. Lomprayah publishes its 2026 timetable as a PDF flipbook, so open it for your date. For Raja Ferry and Seatran, confirm the sailing times and the Samui pier when you book.

The pier matters. Nathon and Lipa Noi are on the west side of the island, while Bophut is on the north coast, so expect a road journey around the island to reach it. We found no official distance from either pier, so ask the operator or check a map for your route.

Getting to Don Sak

To reach Don Sak you can fly to a mainland airport and transfer. According to its website, Thai AirAsia flies direct from Bangkok’s Don Mueang to Surat Thani, with flight times listed at about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. The page names Thai Lion Air as another direct carrier, and Nok Air lists Surat Thani as a destination too. From the airport, the bus and ferry options in the table take you on to Samui.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s item also mentions reaching Surat Thani from Bangkok by train or by road. Raja Ferry lists the railway station and the bus terminal among its Surat Thani pick-up points.

Each combination adds transfers, so ask the operator for the total journey time on your day and for the last departure. Sea conditions can delay crossings, so avoid a tight connection with a flight on the same day. Seatran’s booking page also sets a rule on large luggage, so read it before you travel with big suitcases.

From the airport to Bophut

The Astra Samui is 7.3 km from Samui International Airport, according to the developer. The developer does not say whether that is a straight line or a road distance, so we do not turn it into a driving time.

We could not source taxi or shuttle fares from the airport. We found no official tariff, so we quote none. Ask the price before you get into any vehicle, or ask your hotel to arrange a pickup. If you plan to drive, check that your licence and insurance cover you before you hire a car.

If you arrive by ferry, the pier decides the rest of your trip, as described above. Our guide to living in Bophut covers getting around the island, and where to live on Koh Samui compares the road distance from the airport for each area.

Planning a viewing trip

These points keep the travel simple on a short viewing trip:

• Fly to Samui if you can. If you use the mainland route, do not plan to catch the last boat on the day you arrive.
• Leave a buffer. Keep a spare day before any flight home, so that a missed ferry or a cancelled flight does not cost you that flight.
• Book early. Flights and boats can fill up at busy times, so book ahead and check the timetable again a week before you travel.
• Decide where to stay by what you want to see. According to the developer, The Astra Samui is about 300 m from Bophut Beach and 850 m from Fisherman’s Village. Our Bophut location page shows the area.
• Ask what can be seen on the day. The project is sold off plan, with handover planned for December 2028, according to the developer. That is a target date, not a guarantee, so what you can see on site depends on the stage the work has reached. Ask for the plan for the day in writing before you pay for non-refundable travel.

We at Varsovia Estate, the sales agent for The Astra Samui, have an office in Maenam on Koh Samui, so we can meet you on the island and show you the area. Prices start from THB 3,687,000 (about €98,000, NBP average rate of 23 October 2026). Browse the apartments, or book a call with our team to plan your visit.