Phuket and Koh Samui sit on opposite coasts of the Thai peninsula — Phuket on the Andaman Sea side, Samui on the Gulf of Thailand side — so unlike Phuket’s short hops to Phi Phi or Krabi, there’s no direct ferry connecting them. This guide covers your real options for getting between the two, from the quickest flight to the slower overland-and-ferry route.
Quick answers
- Fastest: the direct Bangkok Airways flight, about 1 hour, with fares from 2,630 THB and six flights a day listed by flight schedule sites.
- Fastest overland: the Lomprayah bus plus catamaran ticket, 09:30 to 15:45 (6 h 15) for 1,300 THB.
- Cheapest through ticket: about 660 THB for the Raja Ferry bus plus ferry ticket (8 h), or 738 THB with Phantip from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 (7 h 30).
- There is no direct ferry: every overland route goes by road to Donsak, then crosses to Koh Samui by ferry.
Why There’s No Direct Ferry
Phuket and Koh Samui are on entirely different coastlines separated by the Thai mainland, not a short stretch of open water like Phuket’s connections to Phi Phi or Krabi. Any route between them has to either fly over the peninsula or go around and across it by road and ferry, which is why this route looks completely different from Phuket’s other island connections.
Option 1: Direct Flight
The fastest option by far is a direct flight, operated by Bangkok Airways, taking about 55 to 60 minutes. The airline’s own page lists fares from 2,630 THB one way for an adult (a 2,400 THB fare plus a 130 THB airport charge and a 100 THB ticket fee), subject to seat availability. Children aged 2 to 11 pay the adult fare on that offer, infants under 2 without a seat pay 25% of the adult fare, and the route page lists 20 kg of checked baggage, so check what your fare includes. The time saved is substantial — this is the option most visitors choose if their budget allows it, especially for a shorter trip where losing a full day to transport isn’t worth it.
| Phuket to Samui | Departs | Arrives | Samui to Phuket | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG252 | 09:45 | 10:40 | PG251 | 08:15 | 09:15 |
| PG254 | 11:00 | 11:55 | PG259 | 11:10 | 12:10 |
| PG250 | 12:55 | 13:50 | PG253 | 12:30 | 13:30 |
| PG402 | 14:15 | 15:10 | PG255 | 15:05 | 16:05 |
| PG256 | 16:35 | 17:30 | PG401 | 15:50 | 16:50 |
| PG404 | 17:30 | 18:25 | PG257 | 18:15 | 19:15 |
These times come from flight schedule sites, not from the airline’s own timetable page, so confirm them on the Bangkok Airways booking page before you buy. The same sites list extra flights from 1 December, at 07:30 and 19:55 from Phuket and at 09:20 and 19:00 from Samui, and the winter timetable can change the other times.
Option 2: Connecting Flight via Bangkok
If there is no suitable direct flight, you can connect through Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK). Bangkok Airways flies from BKK to Samui in about 1 h 10 to 1 h 20, with fares listed from 2,730 THB. The total time depends on your connection, so we do not give a single figure; factor in the airport transfer and the connection time, and look at both legs on one booking where you can.
Option 3: Overland Bus/Van Plus Ferry
The budget option is a through ticket that combines a bus or minivan from Phuket with a ferry across to Koh Samui, or a bus to Surat Thani followed by a ferry from Donsak. The bus takes about 4 to 4 h 30 to reach Surat Thani and the ferry from Donsak takes 1 h 30, and the through tickets below take 6 h 15 to 9 hours door to door, including transfers. It’s considerably cheaper than flying, but only worth it if you have the time and would rather save money than time, or if you’re combining the trip with a stop in Surat Thani or nearby national parks along the way.
Through Tickets: Bus Plus Ferry from Phuket
Several operators sell one ticket that covers the road leg and the ferry, so you never arrange the connection yourself:
| Ticket | Pickup in Phuket | Departs | Arrives | Total time | Adult fare (THB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lomprayah bus or minivan plus catamaran | Bus pickup in Phuket | 09:30 | Nathon 15:45 | 6 h 15 | 1,300 Child 650 |
| Lomprayah with hotel pickup | Your hotel | 07:30 | Nathon 15:45 Samui hotel 16:45 | 8 h 15 9 h 15 | 1,500 1,650 to a Samui hotel |
| Lomprayah from the airport | Phuket Airport | 10:00 | Nathon 15:45 Samui hotel 16:45 | 5 h 45 6 h 45 | 1,500 1,650 to a Samui hotel |
| Phantip with BusX or EZseat | Phuket Bus Terminal 2 | 08:00 | Nathon 15:30 | 7 h 30 | 738 |
| Phantip joint minivan | Phuket Bus Terminal 1 | 10:00 | Nathon 18:30 | 8 h 30 | 800 |
| Phantip from Karon | Karon Beach bus stop | 06:30 | Nathon 15:30 | 9 h | 918 |
| Raja Ferry bus plus ferry | Phuket Bus Terminal 2 | 07:30 | Lipa Noi 15:30 | 8 h | About 660 |
See the sailings and fares for your date.
Most of these tickets land at Nathon Pier on Koh Samui’s west coast, but the Raja ticket lands at Lipa Noi, so check which pier is closer to your hotel. The Phantip tickets do not include hotel pickup, and the Lomprayah tickets with pickup cost 1,500 THB. See our Koh Samui flight vs ferry guide for the Donsak crossing in detail.
Doing It Yourself: Bus to Surat Thani, Then a Ferry
You can also build the trip yourself. Booked separately, the legs cost about the same as a through ticket and take longer, so this only makes sense if you want to stop in Surat Thani on the way:
| Leg | Operator | Departures | Time | Fare (THB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket to Surat Thani | Phantip | Terminal 1 at 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 15:00, 16:00 Terminal 2 at 13:30 | About 4 h to the train station, 4 h 30 to town | 338–379 |
| Surat Thani town to Donsak pier | Phantip | 06:30, 09:30, 11:30, 12:30, 15:30 | 1 h 15 | 149 |
| Donsak to Nathon | Seatran Ferry | 04:45, then hourly from 05:00 to 19:00 | 1 h 30 | 220 |
| Donsak to Lipa Noi | Raja Ferry | Hourly from 04:00 to 19:00 | 1 h 30 | 200 |
| Surat Thani town to Nathon, one ticket | Phantip | 06:30, 08:30, 09:30, 11:30, 12:30, 15:30 | 3 to 4 h | 369 |
A Seatran Ferry ticket can be switched to another sailing on the same route and day, and if the passenger deck is full you board the next boat. Raja may add extra sailings between the end of December and the end of April when the car queue is long. The last ferry from Donsak leaves at 19:00, so plan your road leg to arrive well before.
Children, Baggage and Check-In
Rules differ by operator, so look at this before you pack:
| Operator | Children | Baggage | Arrive at the pier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lomprayah | Child fare 650 THB on the through ticket | 20 kg, then 200 THB extra | 60 minutes before |
| Phantip | Child fare not shown | Large wheeled suitcases and backpacks over 20 inches need an extra luggage seat | See your ticket |
| Seatran Ferry | Child tickets are sold at the pier | See your ticket | Between 30 and 5 minutes before; boarding closes 5 minutes before departure |
| Raja Ferry | Child fare 100 THB for 100 to 120 cm, sold at the pier | See your ticket | See your ticket |
Comparison: Getting from Phuket to Koh Samui
| Option | Total Time | Approx. Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct flight | About 1 hour | From 2,630 THB | Speed, shorter trips |
| Connecting flight via Bangkok | Depends on the connection | BKK to Samui from 2,730 THB, plus the Phuket to Bangkok flight | When there is no suitable direct flight |
| Bus/van + ferry via Surat Thani | 6 h 15 to 9 hours | 660–1,300 THB | Tightest budgets, overland travelers |
Booking Tips
Check the airline’s booking page for your date, because the fares on its promotion page are “from” prices that depend on seat availability. For the overland option, book the bus/ferry combination as a single through-ticket where possible rather than arranging each leg separately — most tour operators and hotels can book this as one package, which removes the stress of timing the connection yourself in Surat Thani.
Which Option Should You Choose
If your trip is a week or shorter, the direct flight is almost always worth the extra cost — losing the better part of a day to a bus-and-ferry combo eats meaningfully into a short trip. For longer trips (two weeks or more) or a genuinely tight budget, the overland route is a reasonable tradeoff, especially if you’re happy to treat the journey itself as part of the adventure rather than dead time. If you’re still deciding where to base yourself before making this trip, our Where to Stay in Phuket guide is a good starting point.
Combining Phuket and Koh Samui in One Trip
Many visitors split a longer Thailand trip between Phuket’s Andaman coast and Samui’s Gulf coast to see both sides of the peninsula’s beach scene, which are genuinely different in character — Phuket busier and more developed, Samui a bit more laid-back with its own distinct resort scene. If you’re planning this kind of two-island trip, book the connecting flight or direct flight in advance and treat the transfer day as a planned rest day rather than trying to pack activities around it.
Staying Near Phuket Airport Before an Early Departure
If your flight or connection is early morning, staying the night before at one of the properties in our Best Hotels Near Phuket Airport guide removes the risk of a long transfer from a west-coast beach town cutting it close on travel day, especially useful if you’re catching an early Bangkok connection to reach Samui with time to spare.
A Sample Two-Week Trip Combining Both Islands
A common way to structure a longer Thailand trip is roughly a week on Phuket’s Andaman coast followed by a direct or connecting flight to a week on Koh Samui’s Gulf coast, treating the transfer day itself as a planned travel/rest day rather than trying to schedule activities around it. This split lets you experience both of Thailand’s major beach coastlines without the fatigue of the full overland route, at the cost of the direct-flight fare.
Traveling with Kids on This Route
For families, the direct flight is generally the better choice even accounting for the higher price — a 6 to 9 hour overland-and-ferry journey with young children is a genuinely long day, while the direct flight of about an hour keeps travel disruption to a minimum. Families based at resorts in our Best Family Resorts in Phuket guide should budget the flight cost into the overall trip rather than defaulting to the cheaper overland route purely to save money.
Budgeting for the Transfer
Whichever option you choose, factor the cost into your overall trip budget rather than treating it as a rounding error — the price gap between the cheapest and fastest options on this route is larger than on Phuket’s shorter island hops. For a fuller sense of what a Phuket-based trip costs day to day before adding this transfer, see our Phuket on a Budget guide.
Find a Room on Koh Samui
Move the map to the part of Koh Samui you want and set your dates to see current room prices, and see our guide to getting around Koh Samui for how to reach your hotel from the pier.
For the main boat routes across Thailand in one place, see our Thailand ferries guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a direct ferry from Phuket to Koh Samui?
No — the two islands are on opposite coasts of the Thai peninsula, so there’s no direct ferry. You’ll need to fly or take a bus-and-ferry combination via Surat Thani.
How long does it take to fly from Phuket to Koh Samui?
A direct flight takes about 55 to 60 minutes. A connection through Bangkok takes longer and depends on the layover.
What is the cheapest way to get from Phuket to Koh Samui?
The bus plus ferry route via Surat Thani is the cheapest option, with through tickets starting at about 660 THB and a journey of 6 to 9 hours.
Does Bangkok Airways fly direct between Phuket and Koh Samui?
Yes, Bangkok Airways operates this direct route. Its promotion page lists fares from 2,630 THB one way, and availability depends on the date.
Can I do a day trip from Phuket to Koh Samui?
It’s technically possible by direct flight but not really practical given the flight schedule and distance — most visitors treat this as a one-way transfer rather than a day trip.
Is the overland bus and ferry route safe and comfortable?
Yes, it’s a well-established route used by many travelers, though it is a long day involving multiple transfers — book it as a single through-ticket where possible for a smoother experience.