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Koh Samui, by people who live here

Travel guides

Koh Samui travel guides, in the order you'll need them

150 guides by people who live here, from picking an island to the last boat home. Start with the six for your kind of trip, or follow the nine stops below.

  • 150 guides
  • 9 stops
  • 143 checked Sept-Oct 2026
  • No booking links
Who is coming?
Know what you need? All 150 guides, A to Z

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Which island

Stop 1 of 9 · 6 guides

Samui, or somewhere else?

Six comparisons, each ending in a verdict: who should pick Samui, and who should pick the other island.

SamuivsPhuket

Pick Samui forCalmer water for young kids, a small island that is easy to get around, a direct flight from Bangkok

Pick Phuket forMore international flights, Thailand's biggest nightlife strip, Phi Phi and Similan day trips

13 min · checked 9 Sept 2026 Read the verdict

SamuivsKoh Lanta

Pick Samui forMay to September, a 1 hour flight from Bangkok, nightlife and calm family beaches

Pick Koh Lanta forLate November to April, long quiet beaches and lower daily costs

12 min · checked 1 Oct 2026 Read the verdict

SamuivsKoh Phangan

Pick Samui forFlights, kids and health care: the airport and the region's only JCI-accredited hospital

Pick Koh Phangan forCheaper bungalows, the yoga and remote-work scene, and Haad Rin's Full Moon Party

13 min Read the verdict

Samui vs Phangan vs Tao

If you wantPick
Families, a first trip, under 5 daysKoh SamuiAirport, hospital, calm beaches
Parties, yoga, a nomad baseKoh PhanganFull Moon Party, retreats, cheaper stays
Diving or snorkelingKoh TaoThailand's diving hub, cheap courses
13 min · checked 10 Sept 2026 Read the verdict

When to come

Stop 2 of 9 · 26 guides

Pick your month

February is the safest bet, with 65 mm of rain and calm seas; November is the wettest. Pick a month for its numbers, its dates and its guide.

Pick a month

Dates to plan around

Trip length

Stop 3 of 9 · 12 guides

How many days have you got?

Four to five days is enough for a first trip. Every plan runs day by day, with taxi times and what it costs.

Day by day, by trip length

Plans for one kind of trip

Where to stay

Stop 4 of 9 · 24 guides

Pick a base, then a bed

Chaweng suits a first visit with beach, food and nightlife on foot; Bophut and Maenam are quieter; the west coast trades convenience for sunsets.

10 areas tap a number

Torn between two?

Ten bases, one guide each

  1. 1 ChawengEast · First-timers, nightlife 12 min
  2. 2 LamaiEast · Value, a lively village 12 min
  3. 3 BophutNorth · Couples, walkable evenings 13 min
  4. 4 MaenamNorth · Quiet, long stays 14 min
  5. 5 Bang RakNorth · Budget, early ferries 11 min
  6. 6 Choeng MonNortheast · Families, calm water 10 min
  7. 7 Lipa NoiWest · Sunsets, shallow sea 11 min
  8. 8 NathonWest · Old town, ferries 12 min
  9. 9 Taling NgamSouthwest · Seclusion, with a car 12 min
  10. 10 South coastSouth · Villas, island boats 13 min

Then pick a bed, by kind of stay

Getting there

Stop 5 of 9 · 12 guides

Getting there, and getting around

Fly nonstop from Bangkok in about an hour, or come overland through Surat Thani. On the island nothing is metered, so here is what each ride costs.

How long it takes to get in

What a ride costs on the island

A songthaew taxi on a Samui road
Songthaews run the ring road from 30 THB. No meters: agree the fare before you get in.

Before you fly

Stop 6 of 9 · 19 guides

Sort these before you fly

Six things to sort at home, seven to know on the island, and five more if you are staying a month or longer.

Sort at home

  • 14 min
  • 13 min
  • 8 min
  • 9 min
  • 10 min
  • 9 min

of 6 sorted All sorted. Enjoy the flight.

Tick them off as you go. Each line opens its guide.

Stay safe on the island

Staying a month or more

Monthly costs, from the rental and cost of living guides
Condo12,000-25,000 THB
House20,000-40,000 THB
Pool villa40,000+ THB
Living, one person45,000-90,000 THB

On the island

Stop 7 of 9 · 34 guides

What will you do all day?

34 guides for your days on the island, in six kinds. Pick one: the postcard is the guide to read first.

Pick a kind of day
Wat Plai Laem's eighteen-armed Guanyin
Start here
10 guides

Things to do

25 picks across beaches, temples, waterfalls and day trips, with a must-see list

21 min

Plan a half-day temple route by area: the temples guide maps one, with fees and the dress code.

A snorkeler over a coral reef
Start here
4 guides

Snorkeling

From the beach at Silver Beach or Coral Cove, or by boat from 1,150 THB

13 min · checked 9 Sept 2026

No boat needed to snorkel: Silver Beach and Coral Cove have reefs you can swim to from the sand.

A zipline rider in the jungle
Start here
4 guides

Zipline and ATV

3 parks from about 1,600-2,700 THB, with age and weight limits

14 min · checked 1 Oct 2026

Ziplines set age and weight limits, so check them before you book for children.

A Thai massage in a spa room
Start here
5 guides

Massage and spas

300-500 THB an hour at a shop, 1,800+ at destination spas

16 min · checked 30 Sept 2026

A one-hour massage costs 300-500 THB at a shop; destination spas start around 1,800 THB.

Children splashing at the water's edge
Start here
3 guides

Family days out

20 kid-friendly picks by age, with rainy-day backups

14 min · checked 12 Sept 2026

Choeng Mon is the best family beach on Samui, with Maenam and Lipa Noi next.

Skewers on a street food grill
Start here
8 guides

Where to eat

Street food from 60 THB to Michelin-listed rooms, by area

15 min · checked 8 Sept 2026

Samui food is southern Thai: try gaeng tai pla and khao mok kai at the markets.

Day trips

Stop 8 of 9 · 9 guides

Day trips worth the boat ride

Eight islands and a national park within a day of Samui. Each stamp is the lowest price the guide found.

  • Ang Thong's islands from a lookout
    Closed 1 Nov to mid-Dec
    From 1,200 THB

    Ang Thong

    Tours from 1,200 THB plus a 300 THB park fee

    Full day by speedboat or big boat 13 min
  • A wooden jetty on Koh Madsum
    From 1,150 THB

    Pig Island and Koh Tan

    A 30-minute longtail crossing, tours from 1,150 THB

    30 min by longtail 11 min
  • Thong Nai Pan beach on Koh Phangan
    From 130 THB

    Koh Phangan

    Ferries take 30-75 min for 130-355 THB: catch one by 08:00

    30-75 min by ferry 12 min
  • Koh Nang Yuan's sand bar from above
    From 600 THB

    Koh Tao and Nang Yuan

    1.5-2 h each way, tours 1,800-3,500 THB

    1.5-2 h each way 11 min
  • Limestone islands on Cheow Lan lake
    From 600 THB

    Khao Sok

    4-5 hours by ferry and minivan, or a 2-day raft house stay

    4-5 h by ferry and minivan 12 min
  • A longtail bow heading for the islands
    8 islands

    Island hopping

    8 islands by boat: crossing times and which need a tour

    Crossing times for all eight 12 min

Going on your own

Ang Thong closes from 1 November to mid-December. Koh Phangan and Koh Tao run on public ferries all year.

After dark

Stop 9 of 9 · 8 guides

And when the sun goes down

From the west coast's sunset bars to Chaweng's 4 AM last call, in the order a night runs.

  1. StartEvery area NightlifeChaweng is the party hub, Lamai cheaper and calmer, Bophut for couples17 min
  2. 17:55Sunset Sunset barsOn the west coast the sun drops into the sea, 17:55-18:4511 min
  3. Beach clubs Beach clubs7 clubs, most with no cover; daybed minimums from about 5,000 THB12 min
  4. Markets, shows Not clubbingNight markets, cabaret, fire shows, stargazing and spas14 min
  5. 21:00First bout Fight nightsTue, Fri and Sun in Chaweng, first bout about 21:00, from 1,500 THB10 min
  6. Bar strip Lamai at nightOne walkable bar strip, beer from 80 THB, live music9 min
  7. 4 AMLast call Chaweng at nightBeach Road, Soi Solo and Soi Green Mango, open till 4 AM12 min
  8. 24 NovNext full moon Full Moon from SamuiNight boats 1,000-1,500 THB return, back 01:00-05:0012 min

FAQ

Before you ask

Questions before you plan

How many days do I need on Koh Samui?

Three days works for a stopover, but it means picking one coast and skipping the interior. Five days is the length most first-time visitors should aim for, adding a full-day Ang Thong Marine Park boat trip and a spare afternoon. A week or more lets you slow the pace and add Koh Phangan or Koh Tao.

When is the best time to visit Koh Samui?

February and March are usually the safest bet: rainfall drops to its lowest point of the year, the sea stays calm for swimming and boat trips, and daytime temperatures sit comfortably in the high twenties. Avoid banking on sunshine around October and November, when the island sees its heaviest monsoon rain.

Which months should I avoid on Koh Samui?

Late October and November are the wettest, with the monsoon peaking in November and east-coast seas turning rough. Rain stays lowest from February to April. Samui never shuts down for the wet season, but boat trips and beach days get less reliable.

Where should I stay on Koh Samui?

Chaweng suits first-time visitors who want beach, restaurants and nightlife within walking distance. Bophut and Maenam make a quieter, more walkable base. The west coast, around Taling Ngam and Lipa Noi, trades convenience for some of the island's best sunsets and a genuinely remote feel.

Is Koh Samui safe for visitors?

Generally, yes. Violent crime against tourists is rare; the real risks are scooter accidents, rip currents on east-coast beaches during monsoon swell, sunburn and heat exhaustion, plus a handful of well-known rental and jet-ski scams. A helmet, sunscreen, checking the flags and filming a rental before you ride cover most of it.

What are the top things to do on Koh Samui?

Start with a full-day Ang Thong Marine Park boat trip, then a temple and waterfall loop off the ring road, a west-coast sunset and an evening at Fisherman's Village in Bophut. Our things-to-do guide ranks the rest by area.

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