Surat Thani Train Station is located about 16 km away from the centre of Surat Thani town. There are two ways to do the journey from Surat Thani Train Station to Surat Thani town.
Route 1: Local Bus
Take the Orange bus which pulls up in the car park area to the left of the main entrance to Surat Thani train station. They stop in front of the travel agent/cafes in this area. These buses come about every 15 minutes during daylight hours, and less frequently after about 19:00 on the evening. The fare on the Orange Bus is only 18 THB to the centre of Surat Thani. The journey by bus takes 40 to 50 minutes depending on the amount of traffic.
Route 2: Take a Taxi
This is a good option if you are arriving at the train station later in the evening. If you want a taxi at a low fixed price ignore the people you will approach you at the train station. Exit the station at the main entrance (where the ticket counters are) and turn left. Before you get to the car park and cafes there is a taxi station. Above the area where the taxi drivers sit there is a list of prices. For a long time the standard fare has been 140 THB from the train station to the centre of Surat Thani town. Do though check with the driver before you set off and agree the price. The late hour or the such like may be an excuse for the driver to ask for a little more. The taxi journey takes 20 minutes and will go direct to your hotel.
Why go to Surat Thani town?
There only two reasons why most foreign visitors to go to Surat Thani town centre: 1. It is late and they want to stay in a decent hotel before travelling onto one of the islands or catch a connecting bus to Krabi or Phuket. 2. They have something really specific to do in Surat Thani, like make a bulk purchase of untreated rubber. Surat Thani town itself is yet to develop into a popular tourist destination.
For most our readers the best option will be to go to your onward destination direct from Surat Thani train station rather than make the journey into Surat Thani town. There are a number of direct services connecting the train station with the three main islands in the Southern Gulf of Thailand:
- Read about Travel from Surat Thani Train Station to Koh Samui
- Read about Travel from Surat Thani Train Station to Koh Phangan
- Read about Travel from Surat Thani Train Station to Koh Tao