From Hua Hin, the best way to the Gulf islands is the train south: to Chumphon for Koh Tao, or to Surat Thani for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, then the boat. The main ferry company's 2026 bus-and-boat tickets do not pick up in Hua Hin, and we found no verified flight from Hua Hin to the islands, so flying means going back to a Bangkok airport first.
Hua Hin sits on the southern railway, about 222 km south of Bangkok, so it is already a third of the way to Chumphon (478 km from Bangkok) and Surat Thani (644 km). That makes the train the natural link. The island boats themselves, their piers and the combined tickets from Bangkok are covered on our pages about getting to Koh Tao and getting to Koh Samui; this page is about getting from Hua Hin to the right mainland port.
Hua Hin to the Gulf islands at a glance (October 2026)
- For Koh Tao
- Train to Chumphon, then Lomprayah's van and boat from the station or the pier
- For Koh Samui
- Train to Surat Thani (Phun Phin station), then bus and boat
- For Koh Phangan
- Either port; boats run from Chumphon via Koh Tao, and from Surat Thani and Samui
- Bus-and-boat ticket from Hua Hin
- None in Lomprayah's 2026 timetable
- Flights
- None verified from Hua Hin; fly from Bangkok to Samui, Surat Thani or Chumphon
Why there is no bus-and-boat ticket from Hua Hin
Older guides describe a Lomprayah bus from Hua Hin that connected with its catamarans. Lomprayah's published 2026 timetable has no Hua Hin pick-up. Its bus connections start in Bangkok (Pinklao, Khao San, the two airports and two metro stations), Chumphon, Surat Thani and towns on the Andaman side. We also found no Hua Hin product on Songserm's site.
Travel agents in Hua Hin may still sell a "joint ticket" to the islands. If they do, ask exactly which bus or van takes you south and from where, and whether it simply puts you on a passing service to Chumphon or Surat Thani. A train ticket you book yourself, plus a boat ticket at the port, is usually just as easy and more predictable.
Lomprayah does not pick up in Hua Hin in 2026. Do not wait at a Hua Hin office for a ferry-company bus. Get yourself to Chumphon or Surat Thani by train, where the vans and buses to the piers start.
By train from Hua Hin: the southbound timetable
All southbound long-distance trains stop at Hua Hin's new elevated station, which replaced the old wooden one for train services in December 2023. The 2026 timetable published by seat61 gives one daytime train and a run of evening and night trains:
| Train | Leaves Hua Hin | Chumphon | Surat Thani |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 (air-conditioned day railcar) | 10:31 | 13:50 | 16:20 |
| 171 | 18:44 | 22:17 | 01:11 |
| 85 (sleeper) | 23:42 | 03:43 | 06:23 |
| 167 | 00:18 | 04:20 | 07:16 |
| 39/41 | 02:04 | 05:22 | 07:50 |
In all, evening and night trains leave Hua Hin between 18:44 and 02:04, reaching Chumphon between 22:17 and 05:22 and Surat Thani between 01:11 and 07:50. We took them from seat61 since SRT's own timetable pages were offline for us in October 2026, and trains on the southern line are often late. Confirm them and buy your seat or berth in SRT's D-Ticket system; the steps are in how to book Thai trains online. The sleeper classes are compared in our night-train guide.
The awkward part is the hour. Most trains reach Surat Thani in the early morning, which suits the first buses to the piers, but a train arriving at Chumphon at 22:17 or Surat Thani at 01:11 leaves you waiting in the dark. Pick the train by its arrival time, not its departure.
To Koh Tao via Chumphon
Chumphon is the closest port to Koh Tao, and Lomprayah collects rail passengers right outside the station. In its 2026 timetable the first van leaves the station at 06:00 and the combined trip reaches Koh Tao at 08:30, for 900 baht with the boat. A train reaching Chumphon around 04:00 to 05:30, such as 167 or 39/41 above, connects with it. The pier, the catamaran and the slow ferry are explained in the Koh Tao guide linked above; the island itself is in our Koh Tao guide.
The daytime train 43 reaches Chumphon at 13:50, after the midday boats have left. That is fine if you plan a night in Chumphon town, near the station, and take a morning boat; it is the most relaxed way to do the trip with children.
To Koh Samui and Koh Phangan via Surat Thani
For Samui, get off at Surat Thani, whose railway station is actually in Phun Phin, outside the city. From there, ferry companies run buses to the Donsak piers and on to Samui; Lomprayah, Seatran and Raja Ferry all sell connections from the station. The times and fares are on the Samui page linked above, the island is introduced in our Koh Samui guide, and the car ferries from Donsak also serve Koh Phangan's Thong Sala pier.
Koh Phangan can be reached from either end. From Chumphon, Lomprayah sells tickets to Phangan by way of Koh Tao; from Surat Thani, you go via Donsak or via Samui. Our Gulf island-hopping route shows how the three islands link up, so you can arrive at one end and leave from the other.
Flying: back to Bangkok first
We could not verify any scheduled flight from Hua Hin's small airport to Samui or anywhere else in the south in October 2026, so do not plan around one. If you want to fly, the route is the Roong Reuang coach from Hua Hin bus station to Suvarnabhumi Airport, about four hours and 361 baht, with departures from 06:00 to 18:00 (operator's timetable, October 2026), and then a flight to Samui, Surat Thani or Chumphon. Our guide to Bangkok and Hua Hin describes that bus from the other direction.
It is worth it mainly for Samui. Bangkok Airways, which owns Samui Airport, flies there from Suvarnabhumi, and a direct flight puts you on the island without a boat. For Koh Tao, flying to Chumphon still leaves a van and a boat, and the overland trip from Hua Hin is shorter than going back to Bangkok. Airlines and baggage rules are on our domestic flights page.
Families and the monsoon
With children, we would avoid the night trains that arrive at 01:00 or 03:00. The daytime train 43 and a night in Chumphon or Surat Thani, followed by a morning boat, makes two easy days instead of one long night. If budget allows, the bus to Suvarnabhumi and a direct flight to Samui is the simplest single day.
Season matters more than the route. The Gulf islands are wettest from October to December, and northeast winds in those months make the crossings rough and can cancel boats; rainfall by month is on our island seasons page. Keep a free day between the islands and a flight home. For safety on the boats themselves, see our guide to ferries in Thailand.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a bus-and-boat ticket from Hua Hin to Koh Tao?
Not from Lomprayah, the main operator: its 2026 timetable has no Hua Hin pick-up. Take a train from Hua Hin to Chumphon, where Lomprayah's van to the pier leaves from the railway station, or ask a Hua Hin agent exactly which services a combined ticket uses.
How long is the train from Hua Hin to Chumphon?
A little under three and a half hours. The daytime train 43 leaves Hua Hin at 10:31 and reaches Chumphon at 13:50 in the 2026 timetable published by seat61; night trains take a similar time. Confirm times in SRT's D-Ticket.
Can I fly from Hua Hin to Koh Samui?
We found no verified scheduled flight in October 2026. Take the coach from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport, about four hours, and fly from there, or take the train to Surat Thani and the boat.
Which is closer to Hua Hin, Koh Tao or Koh Samui?
Koh Tao. Its port, Chumphon, is about 256 km further down the railway from Hua Hin, while Surat Thani, the port for Samui, is about 422 km away by rail, based on seat61's distances from Bangkok.
Sources
- Lomprayah – Time Table 2026 (PDF flipbook; no Hua Hin pick-up) (checked October 2026)
- Lomprayah – Routes, including Chumphon (Train) to Koh Tao (checked October 2026)
- Seat61 – Bangkok to southern Thailand: 2026 timetable and distances (checked October 2026)
- Songserm – Express boats between Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao (checked October 2026)
- Raja Ferry Port – Donsak routes and bus connections (checked October 2026)
- Roong Reuang Coach – Hua Hin–Suvarnabhumi Airport timetable (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Airways Investor Relations – Samui Airport (checked October 2026)