Islands of the Gulf and the Andaman Sea

The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya in Bangkok; Koh Samui, in the Gulf of Thailand, with the Big Buddha and the speedboat out to the 42 limestone islands of Ang Thong Marine Park; and Krabi, on the Andaman Sea, with longtail boats to Railay and the Ko Thap sandbar, which you can walk across at low tide.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Bangkok → Koh Samui → Krabi · 9–13 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

ThailandBangkok
Days
3–4
When
Jan–Feb · Nov–Dec
Per person/day
Average 2,500–4,500 THBMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
ThailandKoh Samui
Days
3–4
When
Feb–Apr
Per person/day
Average 2,510 THBMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
ThailandKrabi
Days
3–5
When
Jan–Mar · Dec
Per person/day
Average 2,350 THBMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For travellers who want the capital plus two different Thai seas, with Samui’s temples and beaches and Krabi’s limestone cliffs on a single trip.

Not for anyone who wants the temples and mountains of the north, since Chiang Mai is not included, and anyone who can only travel between October and December: that is Samui’s wettest period, with Ang Thong park closed in the monsoon, and October is Krabi’s rainiest month.

The strategy

Bangkok gets three days: Rattanakosin and the river, Siam with Jim Thompson’s house and the Saen Saep canal, and the west bank with its markets. Bangkok Airways links both city airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, with Samui, and from the island’s airport to Chaweng is about 20 minutes by minibus. Samui gets three days: the north, with the Big Buddha and an evening in Bophut; the southern loop on the 51 km ring road; and the boat to Ang Thong, which can only be done with a licensed operator. The same airline flies from Samui to Krabi, where the base is Ao Nang, 29 km from the airport: one day for Railay, reachable only by boat, one for the Poda islands on a boat chartered to match the tide, and one for Krabi Town. For the way home, Krabi has frequent flights to Bangkok. February suits all three: the end of Bangkok’s cool, dry season and the dry season in Samui and Krabi. Before you fly, fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online, up to three days before arrival.

What you will see

Grande Palácio, Bangkok. A 218,000 m² complex built starting in 1782, a royal residence until 1925 and the venue for state ceremonies.
Wat Phra Yai, Koh Samui. The temple occupies Koh Faan, a small islet off the northeast coast that residents joined to Samui with a stone causeway after wooden bridges that lasted two or three years.
Railay Beach, Krabi. Railay West beach is the image of Krabi: white sand and shallow water between two limestone cliffs where climbers scale the rock beside people sunbathing.