There are many trains running throughout the day from Bangkok to Surat Thani and return. The Surat Thani train station is about an hour from the ferry pier where you catch the boat to Koh Samui. You will need transportation from the railway station to the pier. The most popular trains are the sleeper trains where you travel at night and arrive in either Bangkok or Surat Thani in the morning.

All buses for Koh Samui leave from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok. There are different classes of buses running between Bangkok and Koh Samui. There are buses run by private companies and there are buses run by the government. If you are taking the bus from Bangkok to Koh Samui, or vice versa, we recommend any of the VIP bus as there are fewer seats on the bus, and the seats recline to somewhat of a sleeping position. These buses tend to leave late afternoon, early evening. A one way ticket including the ferry boat will cost you approximately 600 Baht. You can purchase a ticket that includes bus and ferry at the Southern Bus Terminal, or through any travel agent in Bangkok. The bus ride to Surat Thani is about 10 hours. Then you have another hour to the pier and then about a 90 ferry trip to Nathon. (Hint, bring a long sleeve shirt on the bus with you because they tend to really crank up the air conditioning.)