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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Surat Thani
สุราษฎร์ธานี
Treat Surat Thani as a transfer hub, not a destination: one night if your ferry or train forces it, otherwise go straight to Ko Samui, Khao Sok or Chaiya.
Surat Thani is the largest province in southern Thailand and the mainland gateway to the Gulf islands — Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao — plus Khao Sok National Park and Ang Thong Marine Park. The city itself is a working Thai provincial capital with a riverfront, a night market and a few temples; most travellers pass through it on the way to somewhere else. Ferries to the islands mostly leave from Donsak, 65 km east, while the airport and the train station are both outside town, so a stop needs planning.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- สุราษฎร์ธานี
- Best months
- Dec–Apr (drier, cooler); Feb–Sep for the Gulf islands
- Avoid
- Nov (wettest month on the Gulf coast), Apr–May (hottest)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced tea | ฿40–80 |
| Noodle soup or rice plate at a market stall | ฿50–100 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿80–150 / ฿35–60 |
| Tuk-tuk around town, per person | ฿10–20 |
| Taxi, train station to city centre, fixed | ฿140 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- URT · Surat Thani International Airport
- 26 km west of the city centre in Phunphin; low-cost carriers from both Bangkok airports and Chiang Mai. Phantip Travel bus to town, about ฿100 (check).16 mi west of the city centre in Phunphin; low-cost carriers from both Bangkok airports and Chiang Mai. Phantip Travel bus to town, about ฿100 (check).
- USM · Samui Airport
- On Ko Samui, mostly Bangkok Airways; useful if you are going straight to the island.
Typical fares
- Airport → city centre, Phantip bus
- about ฿100, 30–40 min
- Train station → city centre, taxi
- ฿140 fixed, about 20 min
- Donsak Pier → Ko Samui, ferry
- ฿140–350 depending on operator, 1.5 h
Get around
The centre is small enough to walk; tuk-tuks around town cost roughly ฿10–20 per person (check) and Grab works. Songthaews and municipal buses link the centre with the train station and bus terminals. For the islands, buses and minivans run to Donsak and Bandon piers; Phantip Travel is the main licensed operator.
See and do
Known for
- Gateway to Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao
- Khao Sok National Park and Ratchaprapha Dam
- Chaiya's Srivijaya-era temples
- Night boats and ferries from Donsak and Bandon piers
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chaiya | Train or bus north from Surat Thani, about 45–60 min | About 1.5 h |
| Khao Sok National Park | Phantip minivan from town, about 2.5 h, ฿200 | About 3 h |
| Khanom | Bus or minivan from Talad Kaset 2, about 1.5 h, ฿200 | About 2 h |
| Ko Tao | Bus to Donsak or Bandon then ferry, 4–6 h total | 4–6 h |
| Ko Nang Yuan | Ferry to Ko Tao, then a short boat from Sairee or Mae Haad | 5–7 h |
| Nakhon Si Thammarat | Minivan from Talad Kaset 2, about 2.5 h, ฿140 | About 3 h |
Sleep
- City centre / Talad Mai Road
- Walkable to the night market, TAT office and Phantip; best for one night before a ferry or train.
- Near the train station (Phunphin)
- Only if you arrive late or leave early by rail; 12–15 km from town, few services.Only if you arrive late or leave early by rail; 7.5–9.3 mi from town, few services.
- Donsak / Don Sak
- Ferry piers for Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan, 65 km east; sleep here only for a very early sailing.Ferry piers for Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan, 40 mi east; sleep here only for a very early sailing.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawasdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่thao rai |
| Where is the pier? | ท่าเรืออยู่ที่ไหนtha ruea yu thi nai |
| I don't want a package tour | ไม่ต้องการทัวร์mai tong kan thua |
| Please use the meter | ใช้มิเตอร์ด้วยchai miter duai |
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
- Airport and station touts sell inflated island packages: buy ferry tickets from the operator or Phantip only.
- The train station is in Phunphin, not the city; the last municipal bus to town runs around 17:00, then it is a taxi.
- Night boats from Bandon Pier are individually owned, can be cancelled without notice and vary in departure time: confirm on the day.
- The islands' ferry piers are 65 km east at Donsak — allow 1.5 h by road before your sailing.
- If you are repeatedly asked where you are from and where you are going, you are being sized up: keep bags close and know what Thai police uniforms look like.
Provincial Thailand, generally calm; the real risks are ferry and package scams at the airport and station, night-boat cancellations, and road accidents on rented motorbikes.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Surat Thani yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gateway to Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao
- Khao Sok National Park and Ratchaprapha Dam
- Chaiya's Srivijaya-era temples
- Night boats and ferries from Donsak and Bandon piers
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 (TAT): www.tourismthailand.org/
- Phantip Travel: www.phantiptravel.com/
- Lomprayah: www.lomprayah.com/
- Seatran Ferry: www.seatranferry.com/
- Raja Ferry: www.rajaferryport.com/
- Wikivoyage: Surat Thani, revision 5240241 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240241
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Surat Thaniสุราษฎร์ธานี
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Surat Thani; most countries have embassies in Bangkok and consulates in Phuket or Chiang Mai. Check your own before travelling.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/surat-thani). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.