Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur

There are three parts to the journey by train from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur. A separate ticket is required for each part of the journey.

Part 1: Ferry and Bus to Surat Thani Train Station

The first part of the journey by train from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur is to take a joint ferry and bus service from Koh Samui direct to the nearest train station, which is Surat Thani Train Station.

• Buy ferry and bus tickets from Koh Samui to Surat Thani Railway Station.

Part Two: Train to Padang Besar

The second part of the journey by train from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur is from Surat Thani to Padang Besar, which is located in Malaysia close to the border with Thailand. NB: Departure times below are in Thailand time, and arrival times are in Malaysian time.

• Buy train tickets from Surat Thani to Padang Besar.

Part Three: Train to Kuala Lumpur

The third part of the journey by train from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur is by train from Padang Besar to KL Sentral Station, which is the main train terminal in Kuala Lumpur.

• Buy train tickets from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur.

Location of Nathon Seatran Ferry Pier in Koh Samui

Seatran Ferry services from Koh Samui to Surat Train Station depart from Nathon Seatran Ferry Pier.

Location of Surat Thani Train Station

Read more about Surat Thani Railway Station.

Location of Padang Besar Train Station

Read more about Padang Besar Train Station.

Location of KL Sentral Station

KL Sentral Station is centrally located in Kuala Lumpur, and a hub for local transport services to destinations across the city.

About Train Travel from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur

Depending upon which trains you take, and which service you use to travel from Koh Samui to Surat Thani, the journey by train from Koh Samui to Kuala Lumpur takes from 22 hours to over 30 hours. One of the advantages of making this journey by train is that you can book a sleeper berth on the Surat Thani to Padang Besar train service, which will be considerably more comfortable than trying to sleep sat upright in a bus or minivan.

Ferry and Bus to Surat Thani Train Station

Depending on the season, there are between 20 and 40 joint ferry and bus services a day between Koh Samui and Surat Thani Railway Station. These are popular services used both by leisure visitors and local residents. The reason these services are popular is because there are no public transport services at the main ferry piers in Surat Thani Province, and it’s a long distance from the coast to the main train station in Surat Thani.

There are only 3 ferry services operating on the Koh Samui to Surat Thani route: Raja Ferry, Seatran Ferry, and Lomprayah High Speed Ferry:

• 2 out of the 3 ferry services (Seatran Ferry and Lomprayah High Speed Ferry) depart from a ferry pier in Nathon.
• All 3 services arrive in Surat Thani Province at a different ferry pier in Donsak, which is over 70 km from Surat Thani Train Station.

The second stage of the journey, by bus from a ferry pier in Donsak to Surat Thani Train Station, typically takes nearly as long as the ferry journey from Koh Samui to Donsak on the mainland.

Train from Surat Thani to Padang Besar

The single daily train service from Surat Thani to Padang Besar which departs very late at night (01:52) and is scheduled to take 6 hours 13 minutes to complete the journey. There is a single seat type available on this train, 2nd Class A/C Sleeper.

Passengers travelling from Koh Samui need to wait a minimum of 4 hours from the time they arrive at Surat Thani Train Station and the time they board the train to Padang Besar. There is a small range of amenities available to travellers available within easy walking distance of Surat Thani Railway Station. These include 2 convenience stores, some late night food stalls, some small restaurants which close in the early evening, and 2 inexpensive hotels (Queen Hotel and Phunphin Station). A popular option for passengers taking late night trains from Surat Thani is to check into one of these cheap hotels for just a few hours to use the shower facilities and to charge electronic devices.

Passport Control

Passengers travelling by train from Thailand to Malaysia need to pass through 2 sets of immigration control, one for departing Thailand and another for entering Malaysia.

On arrival in Padang Besar in Malaysia, where the train from Thailand terminates, passengers should make their way to the immigration centre on the ground floor of Padang Besar Railway Station. The procedure is that travellers first go to the Thai immigration desk and get a stamp for departure from Thailand, then they need to visit the Malay immigration desk to complete entry procedure for Malaysia.

Train from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

The journey by train from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur takes around 5 hours with some trains completing the journey slightly faster than others.

Modern electric trains operate between Padang Besar and Kuala Lumpur. Depending upon which train you take, up to 3 different seat types are available:

• Premier Seat
• Business Seat
• Second Class Seat

All seat types are in air-conditioned carriages, and the major difference between the seat types is the amount of space you have. Travelling in 2nd Class seats on electric trains in Malaysia is a very similar experience to travelling in standard seating on trains in Western Europe.

Places to Visit in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is a large modern city that’s best known for being a destination with lots of modern shopping malls, an efficient local transport system, great food, and many modern hotels. Kuala Lumpur, however, also has some interesting cultural and historical attractions, and some fantastic public parks, such as KLCC Park and KL Forest Eco Park, located in the centre of the city.

As well as visiting the city’s shopping malls and great restaurants we recommend taking the time to also visit the city’s top cultural attractions:

• Merdeka Square
• National Mosque
• Batu Caves
• Guan Di Temple
• Sri Mahamariamman Temple
• Thean Hou Chinese Temple
• Petaling Street Market
• Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia
• KL Central Market

How useful was this page?