Chaweng
The busy one: 7 km of beach, bars and nightlife
Koh Samui, Thailand
An island you get to know slowly, one beach at a time
Samui69 is a resident-written Samui travel guide and map of Koh Samui: every beach, waterfall, temple and trail, reviewed by people who actually live here.
Right now on Samui
- Daylight
- 06:10 - 17:58
- Sea
- 29 °C
- Tonight
- Waning gibbous
- Calm water
- Choppy all round
Start here
What are you in the mood for?
The island
First, the island itself
Koh Samui, from the people who live here
186 places tap a pin
- 34 beaches
- 11 waterfalls
- 30 temples
- 24 trails
- 10 viewpoints
- 29 hotels
- 150 guides
- other places
Koh Samui sits in the Gulf of Thailand, a short flight or overnight ferry from Bangkok. It is a coconut-shaped island of low hills and jungle interior, ringed by a single road, with beaches on almost every side and a different mood on each: busy and neon-lit on the east coast, quiet and slow on the west.
This site is built by residents, the people who swim these beaches, hike these trails and eat at these markets. We update articles when things change, skip the hype, and say plainly when a beach is not worth the drive.
Ang Thong National Marine Park sits within sight of the west coast, day trips to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao run daily from Bophut and Maenam piers, and the mountainous interior hides waterfalls and viewpoints most beachgoers never see.
- Area
- 228.7 km²
- Ring road
- Route 4169, ~51 km
- Population
- ~70,000
- Airport
- USM, opened 1989
- Flight from Bangkok
- about 1 h 15
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB)
- Time zone
- UTC+7
One day
A day on Samui, hour by hour
One plausible day, stitched from eight real stops around the island, not a strict schedule but a feel for the pace worth keeping.
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Chaweng Noi Beach
Sunrise reaches Chaweng Noi's sheltered water first, quiet and clear before the loungers come out along the sand.
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Wat Plai Laem
The lake temple is near empty this early, so you can cross the causeway to the 18-armed Guanyin before the tour buses arrive.
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Na Muang Waterfalls
Na Muang 1's purple-rock pool is coolest before noon, and the 30-minute climb to Na Muang 2 is easiest ahead of the midday heat.
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Silver Beach
Water is calmest and clearest around midday, the hour to snorkel Silver Beach's boulder reefs before any afternoon breeze picks up.
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Hua Thanon fish market
Lunch comes straight off the boats at Hua Thanon's daily seafood market, in the working Muslim fishing village south of Lamai.
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Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha)
Afternoon light suits the 12-metre golden Buddha, up the 73-step naga staircase on Koh Faan island off the northeast coast.
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Lipa Noi Beach
West-facing Lipa Noi is built for sunset, the sky sinking behind Ang Thong's islands while your feet sit in shallow, warm water.
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Fisherman's Village, Bophut
Dinner and a walk through Bophut's Fisherman's Village, where restored shophouses hold restaurants, bars and a Friday night market.
This week
The island's week, day by day
The regulars come round every week; the one-off nights follow below.
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Monday Today
Nothing regular
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Tuesday Today
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Wednesday Today
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Thursday Today
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Friday Today
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Saturday Today
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Sunday Today
Coming up
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Samui Trail
Phawanaphothikhun College, Na Mueang
Weather
When the rain falls, and when it does not
Samui's climate, month by month
One column per month: how warm the nights and afternoons get, how warm the sea is, and how much rain falls.One row per month: how warm the nights and afternoons get, how warm the sea is, and how much rain falls.
| Month | Min °C | Max °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Sea °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.2 | 29 | 125 | 8 | 28 |
| Feb | 24.9 | 29.4 | 65 | 4 | 28.5 |
| Mar | 25.4 | 30.4 | 115 | 5 | 29 |
| Apr | 26 | 31.8 | 85 | 6 | 30 |
| May | 25.7 | 32.9 | 130 | 11 | 30 |
| Jun | 25.3 | 32.7 | 135 | 10 | 30 |
| Jul | 25.1 | 32.3 | 115 | 11 | 29.5 |
| Aug | 25.1 | 32.4 | 100 | 10 | 29.5 |
| Sep | 24.8 | 31.9 | 120 | 11 | 29 |
| Oct (this month) | 24.3 | 30.6 | 295 | 16 | 29 |
| Nov | 24.1 | 29.7 | 445 | 16 | 29 |
| Dec | 24 | 29.3 | 265 | 12 | 28.5 |
The three seasons
Dry and calm Feb-Apr
Samui's driest, sunniest stretch: rainfall drops as low as 65 mm in February, daytime highs climb toward 32 degrees by April, and the sea warms to 29-30 degrees C.
Hot with short showers May-Sep
Hot and humid with short, heavy afternoon downpours most days. Monthly rainfall hovers around 100-135 mm, sun hours drop, and the sea holds steady near 29-30 degrees C.
Monsoon Oct-Dec This month
The wettest stretch by far: November alone averages 445 mm of rain over 16 days. Days cool slightly into the mid-20s and the sea eases back toward 28-29 degrees C.
Places to stay
Find the part of Samui that suits you
Most visitors land at Samui's own small airport, rent a scooter or book a driver, and base themselves on the east coast for nightlife or the north and west coasts for something calmer.
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Lamai
4 km beach with two ends, hotels from 700 THB
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Bophut
Fisherman's Village, Friday Walking Street 5-10 PM
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Choeng Mon
Calm, shallow bay 10 minutes from the airport
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Maenam
Quiet north-coast village on a 5 km calm beach
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Lipa Noi
3.5 km shallow west-coast beach with big sunsets
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Bang Rak
5 minutes from the airport, next to Big Buddha
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Nathon
The old capital and ferry port, worth a half day
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Taling Ngam
Quiet southwest coast made for sunsets
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South coast
Quiet beaches from Hua Thanon to Thong Krut
Our best-rated hotels, one per beach
All rated hotels
Before you go
Before you book anything
Plan your trip to Samui
Six practical decisions, each with its own guide to the details.
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When to go
Dry season, February to April, for the calmest seas, or shoulder months if a few afternoon showers are a fair trade for smaller crowds.
Best time to visit -
Getting there
Fly straight into Samui's own airport from Bangkok in about an hour, or take the overnight train or bus and ferry combo from the mainland.
Compare every way in -
Where to stay
Chaweng and Lamai for nightlife and beach access, Bophut and Maenam for a quieter walkable base, the west coast for sunsets.
Read the guide -
Getting around
Most visitors rent a scooter to loop the ring road; taxis and songthaews cover the rest, but agree the fare before you get in.
Read the guide -
Sample itinerary
A four to seven day route through beaches, temples, waterfalls and one boat trip to Ang Thong, paced so nothing feels rushed.
Read the guide -
Visa basics
Most nationalities get a visa exemption on arrival; check your passport's allowance before booking flights out and back.
Read the guide
Popular
Most read on Samui69
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Khao Pom Koh Samui: 635 m Summit Trek, 8 km, Guide Required 24 Mar 2026 -
Fisherman's Village Night Market: Days & Koh Samui Night Markets 6 May 2026 -
Wat Teepangkorn, Koh Samui: 635 m Summit and Standing Buddha 22 Mar 2026 -
Koh Samui Weather December: 265 mm Rain, 29.3°C, Sea 28.5°C 1 Jun 2026 -
Jellyfish Koh Samui: Box Jellyfish Season, Nets & First Aid 1 May 2026 -
Best Hikes Koh Samui: 24 Trails and 11 Waterfalls by Season 15 May 2026
History
A short history of the island
How Samui got here
Six moments across nearly four centuries, from a name on a 1687 Chinese map to a television crew arriving in 2025.
- On the old charts
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1687
Samui first appears on a Chinese map
Ko Samui is recorded on 17th-century Chinese navigational charts under the name Pulo Cornam, among the earliest documented mentions of the island.
- The island opens up
- 285 years later
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1972
Wat Phra Yai's Big Buddha is built
Local monks and residents fund and build the 12-metre golden Buddha on Koh Faan island entirely through community donations, still Samui's most recognisable landmark.
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1973
The ring road is completed
After years of hand-cleared jungle and monsoon delays, concrete slabs finally close the loop that becomes Route 4169, connecting every coastal village.
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1980
Ang Thong Marine Park is declared
The 42-island archipelago west of Samui is protected as Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park, Thailand's second marine national park.
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1989
Samui International Airport opens
Bangkok Airways opens USM with a short runway and open-air, palm-roofed terminals, cutting the trip from Bangkok from a day at sea to about an hour in the air.
- Samui today
- 36 years later
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2025
The White Lotus season 3 is set here
HBO's anthology series shoots its third season across Samui resorts including Four Seasons and Anantara Bophut, putting the island in front of a new global audience.
Samui, answered
Questions people actually ask
Is Koh Samui worth visiting?
Yes, if you want beaches backed by real infrastructure: decent roads, reliable ferries, an international airport, and a choice between busy nightlife and near-empty coves on the same island. It is more developed than Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, so there is less backpacker chaos but also fewer bargains, since you are largely paying for convenience and a wider spread of things to do.
How many days do you need on Koh Samui?
Four days covers the highlights: one beach day, one temple and waterfall loop, one boat trip to Ang Thong, and a spare day for weather. A week lets you add a second beach base on the other coast, a proper hike through the interior, and slower mornings instead of a packed schedule from sunrise to sunset.
What is the best month to visit Koh Samui, and which to avoid?
February: rainfall is at its lowest, skies are mostly clear and the sea is calm. March and April run hotter but nearly as dry. Avoid October and November, which carry Samui's heaviest monsoon rain by a wide margin.
Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, which is better?
Samui has the airport, the malls, the hospital, and beaches for every taste from packed to empty. Koh Phangan is smaller, cheaper, and built around Full Moon Party nightlife and a slower backpacker pace. Many visitors do both, using Samui for comfort and a base and Phangan for a night or two, a 30-45 minute ferry apart.
Is Koh Samui better than Phuket?
It depends on the month. Samui sits on the Gulf of Thailand side, so its wet season is October to December, while Phuket's rain comes from June to August. Samui is the smaller island, ringed by one road of about 51 km, with beaches on almost every coast.