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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 (37 mi) / 1 h by taxi to Ban Phe pier; domestic and some international flightsClosest airport, about 37 mi (60 km) / 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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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.