The islands that lie off Thailand’s Eastern coast are some of the most visited in the world, and for good reason. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao have picturesque beaches, amazing diving, and bungalows hanging over the water, and everything else you could want from a holiday gateway.
But the journey to get there is often overlooked. Samui does have an airport; however, the other two well-visited islands do not, and the last leg of thousands of tourists’ journey starts in Surat Thani before jumping on a boat out into the Gulf.
Why You Should Slow Down in Surat Thani
When you’re travelling in Thailand, it’s easy to get caught up in the next destination, but, from my years travelling around this awesome country, I’ve come to learn that slowing down changes the whole experience. In the past, I would have booked a night bus from Bangkok, arrived in Surat Thani exhausted, collapsed in a cafe for a few hours before getting on a coach to the port and jumping on the afternoon boat, eventually arriving on Tao or Phangan exhausted.
These days I prefer to take it slow, and I think you should too… If you don’t already. Surat Thani is the perfect place to stop for a few days and recover from that overnight bus or train.
Top Attractions in Surat Thani
Riverside Talat
The busiest part of town, and the area I would recommend staying in, is around Talat–a neighbourhood that goes right up to the winding river. It’s here you’ll find the night market and Saturday market, temples, shops and big pedestrian paths along the river banks.
Night Market
Surat Thani has a couple of great night markets, with the Saturday market closer to the river and another running most evenings on the little streets around Sichaiya Alley. Both of these are some of the best night markets I have been to in southern Thailand because, yes, there are tourists, but it doesn’t feel like the whole market is catered to them.
You’ll find all the classics like fried insects (pictured below) as well as plenty of local brands selling cool drinks, puddings, and so much more.
Shrines
Wat Phothawas is a peaceful temple just off the main road in central Surat Thani. It features a large seated Buddha, detailed carvings, and shaded grounds where locals often come to pray or meditate. The temple isn’t touristy, offering a quiet look at everyday Thai Buddhism.
Nearby, the City Pillar Shrine (San Lak Mueang) stands out with its white-and-gold exterior. It houses a sacred pillar believed to protect the city, and people regularly stop by to light incense or leave offerings. Both sites are easy to reach on foot and worth visiting for their calm atmosphere.
Ko Lamphu Park
If you walk across the Sri Tapee Bridge, which you can see lit up at night below, there is another bridge on the far bank that takes you to Ko Lamphu, a quiet island park with a cycle/running track, football courts and a few little restaurants. It’s a great place for an early morning run, or a quiet afternoon eating cheap local food by the water.
Transport Tips and Tricks
With a train station on the Bangkok–Malaysia line, a big bus terminal, and a nearby port, Surat Thani is an undeniable transport hub. There are a plethora of ways to and to wherever you want to go, so here are my two cents:
Sleeper Train
I have used the sleeper train to Bangkok on two occasions; the first time I didn’t book a ticket and ended up in 3rd class sitting on a church pew opposite a grandma with a chicken in a cage for 11 hours. This was very cheap, which the poor backpacker in me appreciated, but not a fun night–and that’s coming from someone who got the 12-hour mountain bus in Nepal crushed by grandmas and sitting on sacks of rice.
The second time, I booked in advance as my partner may have left me if I subjected her to 3rd class. Having done some research (mostly here, we purposely booked the 1st class sleeper cabin in one of the newer Chinese trains. The entire experience was incredibly pleasant, with clean sheets and an attendant to fold the beds down in the evening, showers and a toilet. It cost about 1400 Bhat ($66 AUD) each–bearing in mind it is a two-person cabin, so I guess if there is just one of you, be prepared to make friends with a stranger or pay double.
The bottom line: plan ahead, check out your options and book on the Thai State Rail website. Yes, the website is weird-looking and all in Thai, as was my ticket, but it worked for us (I am not liable for your misfortune). You can also walk into any of the various agencies in town and book with cash–but I assume they take a cut.
Bus
If you are going to Krabi, Phuket, and the Andaman Islands, like Phi Phi and Lanta, then a bus is your best bet. Most of these buses are hard to book online, but you can get an agency in town to book them or just rock up at the bus station. If it’s super busy, I would buy tickets the day before–the station is super central. You can also get the bus straight from the pier to Bangkok if you want to bypass Surat Thani entirely, but that goes against our whole premise.
Buses to Bangkok will set you back around 500 to 800 bhat–a fair bit cheaper than the train, and they are pretty comfortable with reclining seats and a toilet. I have taken similar buses from Krabi to Bangkok and still prefer the train–yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but you get the privacy of a cabin, a shower, and you can walk around.
Ferries
Key information no. 1: Don’t get the night ferry to Koh Phangan–just search for it on real if you don’t believe me; it looks shit and takes 7 hours.
Key information no. 2: The ferry terminal for all of the islands is not in Surat Thani–or even that close; it’s an hour’s drive away, luckily, that bit is usually included in your ferry ticket.
Key information no. 3: Koh Tao is miles away, on the ‘normal speed ferry’ it takes about 4-hours-30.
Key information no. 4: The port on Samui is on the wrong side of the island–that is, unless you are staying around Nathon. We did not choose the hotel transfer when offered it with the ferry tickets and regretted it: there is basically no grab on Samui, and the Songthaew and taxi prices are crazy compared to the mainland.
