Surat Thani

Surat Thani is the provincial town on the Gulf coast where most travelers change from train, plane or bus to the boats for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, and few stop for long. It is worth a night when you arrive late, and worth a day for Chaiya, a short way north on the railway, whose temple TAT calls the best example of Srivijaya architecture in Thailand.

The difficulty with Surat Thani is that "Surat Thani" means four different places on a ticket: the railway station at Phun Phin, 14 km from town; the airport outside town; the bus stations; and the car-ferry pier at Donsak on the coast. This guide explains what the town itself offers, when an overnight makes sense, what to see in Chaiya, and how the connections fit together. The boats themselves are covered in our guide to getting to Koh Samui.

When a night in Surat Thani is worth it

Most connections are timed so that you can go straight through: the night train arrives in the early morning, and buses take passengers on to the piers. But there are three situations where a bed in town is the better plan.

• A late flight. An evening arrival at Surat Thani Airport can miss the last boat of the day. Rather than a long transfer in the dark, sleep in town and take a morning boat.
• An early-hours train. Southbound night trains reach Surat Thani between about 01:10 and 07:50. If yours arrives in the middle of the night, a room near the station or in town is better than waiting on a bench at Phun Phin.
• Rough seas. From late October to December the Gulf crossings can be delayed or cancelled. A night in town keeps a cancelled boat from wrecking a flight or train you have booked onward.

A night in town also lets you start the next day with Chaiya or a slow morning, rather than a dash between transport. If your plan is Khao Sok, Surat Thani is the obvious overnight before the vans west; our guide to Khao Sok National Park covers the road and the lake.

The town: markets, food and the fruit season

Surat Thani is a working provincial capital, not a resort. Little in town is built for tourists, which is part of the appeal for a night: ordinary prices, local restaurants and a town that goes about its own business.

Travelers who stay the night usually eat at the town's evening food markets. We could not confirm their names, days or locations from an official source in November 2026, so ask at your hotel which market is on that evening. Our beginner's guide to Thai night markets explains how ordering and paying usually work.

The province is also one of the south's fruit gardens. TAT's southern fruit calendar names Surat Thani for rambutan, salak and durian, with July and August as the best months, and lists the Nasan rambutan and salak as registered local products. Our guide to Thai fruit and its seasons explains what to try.

Chaiya and Wat Phra Borommathat

Chaiya is a small district town north of Surat Thani, and its draw is one temple. TAT describes Wat Phra Borommathat in Chaiya as the best example of Srivijaya architecture in Thailand, with a "splendid chedi".

Chaiya is on the southern railway, about 50 km before Surat Thani. According to the timetable published by Suan Mokkh, special express 43 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 07:30 and reaches Chaiya at 15:50; check the current times in the SRT's D-Ticket app.

The temple is an active place of worship, so dress as you would for any Thai temple, with shoulders and knees covered. We could not confirm opening hours for the temple or the nearby Chaiya National Museum from the Fine Arts Department; unofficial sources give the museum's days as Wednesday to Sunday, so check before you go if the museum is your reason for the trip.

Suan Mokkh: the monthly silent retreat

Just outside Chaiya is Wat Suan Mokkh, the forest monastery founded by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, whose International Dharma Hermitage runs a 10-day silent retreat in English that starts on the 1st of every month. Registration is in person only, on the last day of the previous month, and the fee was 2,000 baht when we last checked. Our guide to meditation retreats in Thailand covers the rules, what a day looks like and how it compares with other retreats.

The hermitage's own travel page says not to arrive after dark and names Chaiya as the nearest railway station. If you come for the retreat, a night in Surat Thani or Chaiya before registration day takes the stress out of the journey.

Phun Phin: the railway station 14 km from town

Surat Thani's railway station is not in Surat Thani. It is at Phun Phin, 14 km from the town center, on the main southern line. Tickets and timetables say "Surat Thani", which catches many travelers out when they book a hotel in town expecting to walk to the train.

Night trains from Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal are the classic way in. Train 85, for example, leaves Bangkok at 19:50 and reaches Surat Thani at 06:23, with first- and second-class air-conditioned sleepers. Going north, train 86 leaves Surat Thani at 19:31 and train 84 at 20:23, both arriving in Bangkok early the next morning. Our guide to Thailand's night trains explains the classes and berths. If you are coming from Hua Hin instead, our page on Hua Hin to the Gulf islands has the southbound times from there.

Buses and vans for the onward journey meet the trains. Phantip Travel, for example, collects train passengers from its office across from the station and runs minivans to Phuket and Krabi from its town office.

The airport, the buses and the piers

Surat Thani Airport (URT) is on the mainland and is the cheaper alternative to flying straight to Samui, as our Samui guide explains. Lomprayah sells connections from the airport to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. We could not confirm the current airlines and routes from an official airport page, so check them with the airlines when you book.

Buses. Long-distance buses link Surat Thani with Bangkok and the Andaman side, and the ferry companies run their own coaches and vans to the piers. We could not confirm the town's bus terminals and timetables with the Transport Company in November 2026; book through the ferry operators or ask at the station.

Donsak. The car and passenger ferries to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan leave from Donsak pier on the coast, not from Surat Thani itself. Seatran and Raja Ferry both run on this corridor, and Raja Ferry also sails to Koh Phaluai. Seatran takes electric cars only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday sailings, booked in advance. Ferry times and joint tickets are in our guide to getting to Koh Samui; for the trip on to the islands beyond Samui, see our Koh Phangan guide.

Town piers and night boats. Some travelers ask about night boats to the islands from the piers in Surat Thani town, such as Tha Thong. We found no official schedule for them in 2026, so do not plan on one without checking locally.

Crossing to the Andaman coast

Surat Thani is also the hinge between the two coasts. Route 401 runs west to Takua Pa, past Khao Sok, and vans and buses connect the town with Krabi, Phuket and Khao Lak. Coming from Samui, every boat ticket to Krabi or Phuket passes through Donsak; our page on Koh Samui to Krabi and Phuket lists the joint tickets.

Driving the coast yourself is another option. For a full road route through this part of the south, drivinginthailand.com describes the Gulf coast drive in detail. Further north, our guide to Chumphon covers the port for Koh Tao, and on the Andaman side, Ranong is Surat Thani's counterpart as the gateway to Koh Phayam and the islands near Myanmar.

Weather: wettest in November

Surat Thani follows the Gulf pattern. The Thai Meteorological Department's 1991–2020 averages give 1,602 mm of rain a year, with November the wettest month (254.8 mm) and February the driest (24.1 mm). April is the hottest month, with an average high of 35.4 °C, and the record high in the period was 41.4 °C, in May. The rains from October to December are also when the island ferries are most often disrupted.

Once you are across the water, there is more to Samui than its beaches: our guide to Koh Samui's temples and waterfalls covers the island inland.

Frequently asked questions

Is Surat Thani worth visiting or just a transit stop?

For most travelers it is a transit stop, but it is worth a night if you arrive late by air or in the middle of the night by train. With a spare day, Chaiya's Wat Phra Borommathat, which TAT calls the best example of Srivijaya architecture, is the reason to stay longer.

How far is Surat Thani station from the town?

The station is at Phun Phin, 14 km from Surat Thani town. Tickets say "Surat Thani", but you need a bus, van or taxi to reach the town center, and many onward buses to the piers pick up at the station.

Where do the ferries to Koh Samui leave from?

The car and passenger ferries of Seatran and Raja Ferry leave from Donsak pier on the coast, not from the town. Joint tickets include the bus from the station, the airport or the town to Donsak.

Can I join the Suan Mokkh retreat without booking?

You cannot book at all: registration for the 10-day silent retreat is in person only, on the last day of the month before it starts, until 15:00. The monastery is near Chaiya, north of Surat Thani.

Sources

• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Remarkable temples throughout Thailand (Wat Phra Borommathat, Chaiya) (checked November 2026)
• Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage – Registration (checked October 2026)
• Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage – Travel information and train table (checked October 2026)
• Seat61 – Train travel in Thailand (2026 southern timetable, secondary source) (checked October 2026)
• Lomprayah – Timetable 2026 (checked October 2026)
• Raja Ferry – Routes from Donsak (checked October 2026)
• Thai Meteorological Department – Climate normals 1991–2020 (Surat Thani station) (checked November 2026)