How to get from Bangkok to Koh Tao

Koh Tao (Ko Tao) lies in the Gulf of Thailand, in Surat Thani province, and has no airport. There are two ways to reach it: overland by bus or train to the coast and then a boat, or a flight to Samui or Chumphon and then a boat. Below are timetables and fares from the carriers, SRT and the AirAsia MOVE flight listing, checked on 13 November 2026. The Lomprayah timetable comes from its 2026 PDF, the version of 25 August 2026.

All options in one table

We worked out the journey times from the timetables, from departure in Bangkok to arrival on Koh Tao, without the ride to the departure point. Lomprayah’s own PDF calls its timetable an estimate: it depends on the weather and can change without notice.

Lomprayah bus and boat from Khao San and Pinklao

Lomprayah sells tickets where the bus from Bangkok and the boat come at one price. On the sheets “from Bangkok (Khao San)” and “from Bangkok (Pinklao)”:

• By day from Khao San. Bus and catamaran at 06:00, on Koh Tao at 15:00, 1,250 baht, or 1,550 baht on the VIP bus
• At night from Khao San. Bus and catamaran at 22:00, on Koh Tao at 08:45, 1,250 baht, or 1,550 baht on the VIP bus. Bus and ferry at 21:30, on Koh Tao at 08:15, 850 baht
• From Pinklao. Bus and ferry at 21:00, on Koh Tao at 08:15, 850 baht. Bus and catamaran at 21:30, on Koh Tao at 08:30, 1,250 baht, or 1,550 baht on the VIP bus

The night ferry costs 400 baht less than the catamaran and arrives half an hour earlier than the catamaran from Khao San. You can buy a ticket on lomprayah.com or by phone on 065 350 9040 (daily 08:00-20:00, according to the site).

Boonsiri

In Boonsiri Ferry’s booking form for 14 November 2026 there are two departures from Khao San Road (Phra Sumen) to the Boonsiri pier on Koh Tao: at 05:00 arriving at 14:45 and at 22:00 arriving at 08:45. Both cost 1,250 baht, with a special price of 999 baht on that date; a child of 5-11 pays 625 baht, or 599 baht at the special price. The listing does not say what kind of bus or boat it is, and prices on other dates may differ.

The train to Chumphon and a boat

No train goes to the island, but you can cover 478 km in a carriage. The SRT timetable of 13 November 2026 for trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Chumphon:

There are other trains too: for example expresses 83 and 85 at 18:50 and 19:50 (232-1,690 baht) arrive at 02:18 and 03:43. SRT’s note says rapid 173 has run since 15 May 2026.

From Chumphon to Koh Tao on Lomprayah’s timetable:

The transfer between the pier and the station costs 150 baht, and between the pier and the airport 250-300 baht (per person per trip, on Lomprayah’s sheet). Train 39 arrives at 05:22 and the catamaran from the station leaves at 06:00: a margin of 38 minutes, and if the train is late you wait for the 12:00 sailing. Rapid trains 173 and 167 arrive at 04:02 and 04:20, which leaves between 1 h 40 min and 2 hours before the 06:00 catamaran; you can also go straight to the pier and catch the 05:45 ferry, but Lomprayah’s sheet gives no times for the station-to-pier transfer, so ask the carrier in advance whether it runs at night. The day train 43 arrives at 13:50, after Lomprayah’s last sailings at 12:00 and 13:15 (our reading of the timetable). SRT sells train tickets on dticket.railway.co.th and at station ticket offices; dticket did not open for our automated check, and the timetable comes from the SRTTimetable page.

By plane: through Samui or Chumphon

• Through Samui. In the AirAsia MOVE listing on 13 November 2026 Bangkok Airways flies from Suvarnabhumi to Samui Airport (USM) in 1 h 10 min, leaving at 07:00 and landing at 08:10: 3,149 baht on 17 November, 3,454 baht on 28 November, 2,920 baht on 9 December (the 06:10 flight, landing at 07:45). From 14 December to 2 January the fares in the listing are 5,731-5,943 baht. A Lomprayah speedboat leaves Samui Airport through Bangrak Pier at 10:00 and reaches Koh Tao at 12:15 for 850 baht with the airport transfer. Other sailings on the same sheet: at 11:00 (arriving 14:15, changing at Phangan), at 12:00 (14:30) and at 15:00 (17:00)
• Through Chumphon. Thai AirAsia flies from Don Mueang to Chumphon in 1 h 5 min, leaving at 07:25 and landing at 08:30, from 1,717 baht on most dates in the listing. From Chumphon Airport Lomprayah leaves at 09:00 and reaches Koh Tao at 15:00 for 1,000 baht: you arrive at the same time as on the bus from Bangkok at 06:00, and you pay extra for the plane

Where you leave from in Bangkok

• Khao San (Khao San Road, Phra Sumen). Lomprayah at 06:00, 21:30 and 22:00, Boonsiri at 05:00 and 22:00. From Suvarnabhumi to Khao San it is 36 km, about 33 minutes without traffic, and from Don Mueang 28 km, about 39 minutes (OSRM)
• Pinklao. Lomprayah at 21:00 and 21:30
• Krung Thep Aphiwat. All the trains to Chumphon in the table above. A Hua Lamphong → Chumphon query on the SRT timetable for 13 November 2026 returned no results
• Airports BKK and DMK. Flights to Samui and Chumphon; for getting into the city from the airports see Bangkok’s airports
• Southern Bus Terminal. We did not check buses to Chumphon from here

Where the boats arrive and how to reach your hotel

On Koh Tao Lomprayah, Songserm and Boonsiri each have their own pier, according to the station list in the Seatran Discovery booking form. A Lomprayah ticket from Bangkok or Chumphon does not take you to your hotel on Koh Tao, unlike Phangan and Samui, where there is an “Any Hotel” option. Songserm and Seatran Discovery: we found no official timetable for the route from Bangkok; the Seatran Discovery site is a booking form without a timetable, and at the address we checked for Songserm (songserm-expressboat.com) there is a placeholder page. For a day trip to Koh Tao and Nang Yuan see Koh Tao and Nang Yuan from Samui.

If you land in Bangkok late

The night departures for Koh Tao: Lomprayah at 21:00 from Pinklao and at 21:30 and 22:00 from Khao San, Boonsiri at 22:00 from Khao San, and train 39 at 22:50 from Krung Thep Aphiwat. What you can make of that:

• From Suvarnabhumi to Khao San is about 33 minutes without traffic, longer in the evening. By our estimate, landing before 19:00 leaves a margin for the 22:00 departure
• For train 39 you have to reach Krung Thep Aphiwat station: the way from the airports is described on the page Bangkok’s airports, and the margin is yours to leave
• If you have missed every evening departure, sleep in Bangkok and leave in the morning: Lomprayah from Khao San at 06:00 or Boonsiri at 05:00

Season and storms at sea

November and December are the wettest period in the Gulf of Thailand. At the nearest TMD stations (normals 1991-2020) the rainfall is:

There is no TMD station on Koh Tao. February is the driest month at both stations. In November Samui has 18.7 rain days and Chumphon 14.1. The weather affects sailings: on 19-21 November 2025, according to Pattaya Mail, sailings between Surat Thani and Koh Tao, including Lomprayah and Lotus Ferry, were stopped. Leave slack on the day before you fly home, and for Samui’s weather see Koh Samui weather.

Common mistakes

• Counting on the day train 43 the same day. It arrives at 13:50, after Lomprayah’s last boats at 12:00 and 13:15
• Leaving no slack for the change in Chumphon. From train 39 to the catamaran is 38 minutes, and if the train is late you wait for the 12:00 sailing
• Not checking the pier. Lomprayah, Songserm and Boonsiri arrive at different piers on Koh Tao
• Flying to Chumphon for speed. With the 07:25 flight from Don Mueang you arrive at 15:00, as you would on the 06:00 bus
• Booking the same night with no slack for the weather. In November and December sailings get cancelled

What next

For Samui to Koh Tao and Phangan read Samui to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. How to reach Samui from Bangkok is in Bangkok to Koh Samui, and from Hua Hin Lomprayah goes to Koh Tao at 08:30 (arriving 15:00, 1,250 baht) and at 23:30 (a ferry, arriving 08:15, 850 baht); for Hua Hin itself read Bangkok to Hua Hin. Other islands: Koh Chang and Koh Samet in the east.