In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Ko Samet
เกาะเสม็ด
Go for 2–3 nights if you want a beach 3.5 h from Bangkok; skip if you need quiet, cheap beds or a party scene — Ko Samet is neither.
Ko Samet is the closest real beach island to Bangkok: a bus to Ban Phe, a 30–45 min ferry, then a 7 km island with one road and a dozen small bays. It is a national park, so you pay an entry fee on arrival, beds cost more than the mainland, and the island runs dry of cash fast — one ATM. Two or three nights covers it; more only if you are happy doing nothing.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- เกาะเสม็ด
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (dry, cooler, busiest weekends)
- Avoid
- May–Sep (rainy season, though lighter here than other Thai islands); Thai long weekends year-round
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿900–1,600 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,600–3,000 excl. bed · High ฿3,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist Police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Thai noodle soup or rice dish | ฿60–150 |
| Beer: can at a shop / large bottle at a bar | ฿40–60 / ฿90–150 |
| Songthaew between beaches (shared) | ฿20–60 |
| Songthaew private run | about ฿200 |
| Motorbike rental, one day | ฿300–400 |
| Windsurfing / catamaran sailing per hour | ฿700 / ฿1,000 |
| Speedboat Ban Phe → Nadan Pier | from ฿600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- UTP · U-Tapao (Pattaya)
- Closest airport, about 60 km / 1 h by taxi to Ban Phe pier; domestic and some international flightsClosest airport, about 37 mi / 1 h by taxi to Ban Phe pier; domestic and some international flights
- BKK · Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok)
- Bus to Rayong/Ban Phe, or taxi about 2.5–3 h; the usual arrival for most travellers
- DMK · Don Mueang (Bangkok)
- Reach Ekamai or Victory Monument first, then bus or minivan to Ban Phe
Typical fares
- Ferry Ban Phe → Ko Samet
- 50 baht one way, 30–45 min; boats leave when full
- Bus Ekamai (Bangkok) → Ban Phe
- about 173 baht, 3.5 h
- Minivan Victory Monument → Ban Phe
- about 250 baht per person
- Taxi Rayong → Ban Phe pier
- metered about 1,600 baht; off-meter 2,000–2,500 baht
Get around
One main road, partly concrete and partly dirt. Songthaew (pickup with benches) is the standard: 20–60 baht per person when shared, about 200 baht for a private run. Motorbikes rent for 300–400 baht/day; the road inside the national park is rough, so only ride it if you have experience. Walking works between the northern beaches.
See and do
Known for
- Hat Sai Kaew (Diamond Beach)
- Fire-twirling shows on the east-coast beaches
- Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park
- Short hop from Bangkok and Pattaya
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ko Kudi (Ko Ku Dee) | Charter boat from Ban Phe; national park island with beach and reef | Half day |
| Ban Phe and Rayong | Ferry to Ban Phe, then songthaew or taxi to Rayong | 1–1.5 h |
| Pattaya | Ferry to Ban Phe, then bus or taxi north | 2.5–3 h |
Sleep
- Hat Sai Kaew / Nadan Pier
- Main beach and ferry pier; most restaurants, the busiest sand, easiest arrival with bags.
- Ao Hin Khok and Ao Pai
- One headland south of Hat Sai Kaew; quieter, walkable to the nightlife, mid-range bungalows.
- Ao Wong Deuan
- Second-largest beach, own ferry link and a mini-mart; good for families, some ferry noise.
- Ao Thian / Ao Wai / Ao Karang
- Southern bays, quietest and priciest; Ao Wai and Ao Karang sit behind resorts, so access is limited.
- Ao Prao (west coast)
- Only west-coast beach, sunset side, three upmarket resorts; currents bring litter from Rayong.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Can I pay by card? | จ่ายบัตรได้ไหมjai bat dai mai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- National park entry fee is two-tier: foreign adults 200 baht, Thai adults 40 baht (Nov 2024 rates; check current).
- One ATM on the island, opposite the Hat Sai Kaew Tourist Service Centre; bring cash from the mainland.
- ATMs at Ban Phe pier charge high withdrawal fees — take out money in Bangkok or Rayong instead.
- Ferries leave when full, so the printed timetable is a guide, not a promise.
- Buy a one-way ferry ticket (50 baht); a round trip costs the same and locks you to one pier.
- Sea urchins and sea lice on the north-coast beaches; watch where you swim.
The island is calm and low-crime; the real risks are motorbike crashes on the dirt road, sea urchins, and running out of cash. Keep valuables in a room safe, not on the beach.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ko Samet yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hat Sai Kaew (Diamond Beach)
- Fire-twirling shows on the east-coast beaches
- Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park
- Short hop from Bangkok and Pattaya
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand — Ko Samet: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Department of National Parks — Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet: www.dnp.go.th/
- Wikivoyage: Ko Samet, revision 5178076 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5178076
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ko Sametเกาะเสม็ด
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on the island; the nearest consular help is in Bangkok, with honorary consulates in Pattaya and Rayong (check).
Cash is king: one ATM on the island and high fees at Ban Phe pier.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ko-samet). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.