How to Get from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui: Flight, Train, Ferry (2026)

Fly. Bangkok Airways runs one direct flight a day between Chiang Mai (CNX) and Koh Samui (USM), 1h45 in the air, with typical fares of 6,000-9,000 THB (~171-257 USD) and cheap dates from about 2,700 THB (~77 USD). Overland takes 25 hours or more and costs 1,900-3,500 THB (~54-100 USD), so the train only makes sense on a tight budget. Fares and times were checked on 1 October 2026.

Key takeaways

• Direct flight: PG242 leaves Chiang Mai around 11:30 and lands about 13:15, daily on the winter schedule listed from 25 October 2026. The only non-stop option.
• Cheapest by air: Thai AirAsia flies Chiang Mai to Surat Thani on some days (from about 1,700 THB), then a 550-850 THB bus-and-ferry ticket finishes the trip in 6-7.5 hours.
• Via Bangkok: adds 2-4 hours and rarely saves money, since Bangkok to Samui costs 2,300-6,600 THB (~66-189 USD) by itself.
• Overland: overnight train to Bangkok, a second train to Surat Thani or Chumphon, then a ferry. About 25 hours, with no direct bus.

Is there a direct flight from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

Yes. Bangkok Airways flies PG242 from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui and PG241 back, once a day, on an Airbus A319. Flight time is 1h45 to 1h50 for the roughly 1,055 km. It is the only non-stop service between the two airports, and no low-cost carrier flies it.

Timetables below are aggregator listings (Airportia, Flightera, FlightMapper, checked 1 October 2026), not the operator’s own page.

Both seasons are listed as daily. The winter times come from the same aggregators and are not yet confirmed by Bangkok Airways, so check bangkokair.com before you build a plan around them. The seasonal flights guide explains how the schedules change twice a year.

Fares vary a lot by date. Skyscanner showed a cheapest one-way of about 78 USD (~2,730 THB) on 30 September 2026, while Google Flights listed fares from 8,830 THB (~252 USD) for other dates. Plan on 6,000-9,000 THB (~171-257 USD) as the usual range and treat anything under 3,500 THB (~100 USD) as a bargain. Our domestic flights guide uses the same figures.

Two cautions. Older guides, including how to get to Koh Samui, mention two flights a day; current listings show one. And aggregators sometimes show Thai Airways on this route, which I could not confirm as a separate operation.

See the Koh Samui Airport guide for the terminal, the taxi desk and fares to Chaweng and Lamai.

How do the four routes compare?

The direct flight wins on time, Surat Thani wins on price among flights, and the train wins only for people who want to skip flying. Totals include the ground legs but not a night’s hotel in Bangkok.

Door-to-door for the direct flight assumes about 1 hour to reach Chiang Mai airport and check in, the 1h45 flight, and 45 minutes to your Samui hotel. Other rows are block times from the sources named in each section.

Is flying via Bangkok cheaper than the direct flight?

Rarely. Chiang Mai to Bangkok has daily flights on Thai AirAsia, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air, but Bangkok to Samui is on its own 2,300-6,600 THB (~66-189 USD) in 2026, per our flights to Koh Samui guide. Add the first leg and you land at 3,500-9,000 THB (~100-257 USD) for 4.5-7 hours.

Via Bangkok makes sense in three cases: the direct PG242 is sold out, you want a different arrival time than 13:15, or you already hold a Bangkok flight to Samui.

• Suvarnabhumi (BKK): about 21 Bangkok Airways flights a day to Samui, so you have many options for the second leg.
• Don Mueang (DMK): about 3 a day to Samui. Low-cost flights from Chiang Mai often land here, so check the second flight’s airport before you buy.
• One ticket or two: a single Bangkok Airways booking keeps you protected if the first flight is late. Two separate tickets give no rebooking, so leave at least 3 hours between landing and the Samui departure, and more if you change between BKK and DMK.

Can you fly to Surat Thani and take the ferry?

Sometimes. Thai AirAsia lists non-stop flights from Chiang Mai (CNX) to Surat Thani (URT) five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday), about 1h55, from around 1,700-1,850 THB (~49-53 USD) on the cheapest dates and 3,100-4,500 THB (~89-129 USD) in busy months (AirAsia and FlightConnections listings, 1 October 2026). The later ferry leg costs 550-850 THB (~16-24 USD).

Listed departures are 08:25 and 10:40 on most days, plus 17:25. The 17:25 lands too late for the last ferries, which run until about 19:00, so skip it unless you plan a night in Surat Thani.

The transfer is the same one covered in the Surat Thani to Koh Samui guide:

1. Buy a combined van-and-ferry ticket at the airport counter or online. Phantip Travel (bus plus Seatran) costs about 550 THB (~16 USD) and takes 3h30-4h15. Lomprayah (van plus catamaran) costs about 850 THB (~24 USD) and takes 2h15-3h15.
2. The van drives about 1h15-1h45 to Donsak Pier or Tapee Pier.
3. Cross to Samui. Seatran runs hourly from 05:00 to 19:00 to Nathon for 180 THB (~5 USD) walk-up, about 80-100 minutes. Raja Ferry crosses to Lipa Noi for 120-210 THB (~3.50-6 USD), 13 times a day, about 90 minutes.
4. Take a taxi from the pier to your beach; Nathon and Lipa Noi are on the west side, so Chaweng or Lamai add roughly 30-45 minutes.

Realistic total: 6-7.5 hours from the Chiang Mai airport door to Samui, for 2,300-5,400 THB (~66-154 USD). That is only 1-2 hours slower than flying via Bangkok and the saving is real when the AirAsia fare is low. With 5 flights a week, check your day first.

How do you go overland from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

Take an overnight train to Bangkok, then a second train south, then a ferry. There is no direct bus. Rome2Rio lists train plus ferry as the cheapest option at 25h32m, and train plus bus at 21h36m, for roughly 55-130 USD (~1,900-4,500 THB) depending on class (checked 1 October 2026).

1. Chiang Mai to Bangkok: overnight sleeper trains take 10-13 hours. A second-class air-con sleeper berth costs about 850-1,350 THB (~24-39 USD) on 2026 listings, and lower berths cost about 100 THB more. Tickets open 90 days ahead and the popular lower berths sell out in high season.
2. Bangkok to Surat Thani or Chumphon: another sleeper or day train, 7-12 hours. Sleepers reach Surat Thani Station (Phun Phin) around 06:30-07:30. From the station, combined van-and-ferry tickets cost 490-750 THB (~14-21 USD), about 4-5 hours to Samui.
3. Via Chumphon: Lomprayah runs a catamaran from Chumphon to Maenam, about 225-240 minutes, 2 sailings a day between 08:00 and 12:30. I found no published fare, so check the operator before you rely on it.

Most people break the trip in Bangkok, which turns 25 hours into two nights and a day on the road, about 36 hours. It does save two hotel nights, and Thailand’s rail fares are state-set, so the cost is predictable. It does not save time or much money compared with the Surat Thani flight above, so I would only take it for the train itself.

Buses are slower. Rome2Rio lists bus plus ferry via Hua Hin at 22h53m and via Bangkok at 26h33m, without a price advantage over the train. Skip them unless the trains are full.

How do you get from Koh Samui back to Chiang Mai?

Fly PG241, which leaves Samui at 08:50 (08:55 on the summer schedule) and reaches Chiang Mai at 10:40. It runs daily, so there is one morning flight and no afternoon option. An 08:50 departure means being at Samui Airport around 07:30, which rules out a late breakfast at Chaweng.

The cheaper alternatives mirror the outbound options:

• Via Surat Thani: a morning ferry from Nathon (Seatran, Songserm) to Donsak, a van to Surat Thani Airport and the AirAsia flight to Chiang Mai. Work backwards from the flight and arrive at Donsak at least 3 hours before departure.
• Via Bangkok: fly Samui to Bangkok, then onward on any Chiang Mai flight. Samui to Bangkok has about 21 flights a day from BKK, so this is the flexible choice.
• Overland: reverse the same chain; 12Go lists Samui to Chiang Mai by bus, ferry, train and flight from about 2,050 THB (~59 USD) on 2026 results.

Which route fits which traveller?

For most visitors the answer is the direct flight. The other three exist for specific reasons: a cheaper fare, a missing seat, or a wish to see the country by rail.

Each Samui arrival has its own best beach. The northeast is more family friendly around Bophut and Choeng Mon, while Chaweng and Lamai are the busy east-coast stretches. The 13:15 landing from Chiang Mai fits an afternoon check-in on either coast.

Fares and flight times shift by season, and the winter timetable from 25 October 2026 may still change. Check Bangkok Airways, AirAsia and the ferry operators the week before you go. For the full list of options from other cities, see how to get to Koh Samui.

FAQ

How long is the flight from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

The direct Bangkok Airways flight takes 1h45 to 1h50. With check-in at Chiang Mai (about 1 hour) and the ride from Samui Airport to your hotel (30-45 minutes), plan on 3.5-4 hours door to door.

Can you fly direct from Koh Samui to Chiang Mai?

Yes. PG241 flies Samui to Chiang Mai once a day, departing 08:50 and landing 10:40 on the winter schedule listed from 25 October 2026 (08:55 on the summer schedule). Bangkok Airways is the only airline on the route, so a sold-out day means a connection via Bangkok.

What is the cheapest way from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

By air, a Thai AirAsia flight to Surat Thani (from about 1,700 THB, ~49 USD, five days a week) plus a 550 THB (~16 USD) van and ferry ticket. Overland, the train and ferry combination costs about 1,900-3,500 THB (~54-100 USD) but takes 25 hours or more.

Is there a bus from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

No direct bus exists. Rome2Rio lists bus-and-ferry routes via Hua Hin (22h53m) and Bangkok (26h33m), each changing vehicles several times. The train to Bangkok and onward is the simpler overland choice, and the flight is faster and not much dearer.

Is it better to go to Koh Samui or stay in Chiang Mai?

They are different trips, a northern mountain-and-temples city versus a Gulf island. Many travellers combine both: the 1h45 direct flight lets you add Samui to a Chiang Mai stay without a long ground journey. See the Koh Samui Airport guide for what arrival looks like.

Do winter flights from Chiang Mai to Samui change?

On aggregator listings the times shift by 5 minutes: PG242 moves from 11:35 to 11:30 and PG241 from 08:55 to 08:50 on 25 October 2026. The route stays daily to 27 March 2027, but Bangkok Airways has not confirmed it, so check the airline before booking.