It takes about the same time to travel by train from Koh Lanta to Bangkok via Surat Thani Railway Station, as it does to travel by bus. Travel by train is, however, a more comfortable option because you can book a sleeper berth as opposed to spending the night in an upright position on a bus which makes it difficult to sleep.
Stage 1: Travel from Koh Lanta to Surat Thani Train Station
Times of joint minivan, ferry and bus services from Koh Lanta to Surat Thani.
| Koh Lanta | Surat Thani | Company | Cost |
| 07:00 | 13:30 | Krabi Sea Pearl | 660 THB |
| 07:30 | 13:30 | Phantip Travel | 600 THB |
- Buy tickets for travel from Koh Lanta to Surat Thani.
Stage 2: Train from Surat Thani to Bangkok
Train times from Surat Thani to Bangkok.
| Train | Surat Thani | Bangkok | Sleeper |
| 40 | 10:25 | 20:30 | No |
| 168 | 17:08 | 07:00 | 2nd Class |
| 86 | 18:52 | 07:45 | 1st & 2nd Class |
| 170 | 19:41 | 08:25 | 2nd Class |
| 84 | 20:14 | 09:25 | 1st & 2nd Class |
| 42/44 | 21:05 | 08:45 | No |
| 172 | 21:16 | 10:30 | 2nd Class |
| 32 | 22:27 | 10:50 | 1st & 2nd Class |
| 38/46 | 23:14 | 12:05 | 1st & 2nd Class |
- Buy tickets for train services from Surat Thani to Bangkok.
Location of Koh Lanta Ferry Pier
Joint ferry and bus services to Surat Thani Railway Station start with a minivan transfer to Khlong Mak Pier in Koh Lanta Noi.
Location of Surat Thani Railway Station
The closest major railway station to Koh Lanta is Surat Thani Railway Station.
Location of Bangkok Railway Station
From the 19th January 2023 the main railway station in Bangkok is Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (also known as Bang Sue Grand Station).
How to travel by train from Koh Lanta to Bangkok
The journey by train from Koh Lanta to Bangkok starts with a ferry journey to the mainland.
Travel to Surat Thani Train Station
If you travel with the Phantip Travel company you will be picked up by minivan from your hotel in Koh Lanta and taken to Khlong Mak Pier, which is a car ferry on the north island of Koh Lanta. By car ferry the journey to the mainland takes only 15 to 20 minutes to travel about 1 km across the sea.
From the mainland the next stage of the journey is to travel by road to Surat Thani Railway Station to board a direct train to Bangkok. The joint minivan, ferry and bus service operated by Phantip Travel takes 6 hours to complete the journey all the way from your hotel in Koh Lanta to Surat Thani Railway Station.
2nd Class AC carriage on a Thai trainBecause most trains from Surat Thani Railway Station travel overnight it is a good idea to book a sleeper berth.
Seat Types on Trains in Thailand
There three types of sleeper berths on train in Thailand, all of which are cheap compared to sleeper berths on trains in Europe or North America.
The cheapest type of sleeper berths are in the 2nd Class fan carriages. These type of carriages tend to be old and they can get very hot because they are only cooled by small rotating roof fans. If you book the lower bunk on a 2nd Class fan carriage you can open the window which makes the journey a lot more bearable. There is no window on the top bunk.
The next cheapest type of sleeper berths are in the 2nd Class AC carriages. These are the types of sleeper berth that most foreign visitors prefer to book because the carriages are fairly modern and cool even in the heat of summer, but still relatively cheap.
Some trains in Thailand also have 1st Class carriages which are the most expensive and the best, although unfortunately there are normally only 24 of these berths on any train. 1st Class carriages have private air-conditioned compartments with two beds arranged bunk bed style, and a lockable door.
Hua Lamphong is the former main railway station in BangkokDepending upon which train you take, the journey from Surat Thani to Bangkok is scheduled to take between 10 and 14 hours reach Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, where you can connect with Bangkok’s rapid and cheap public transport system via the MRT (metro).