Koh Samet

White-Sand Island Closest to Bangkok

2 daysIdeal stay₹3,370From / night₹1,260Food / day₹560Entry

A small national-park island with fine white sand, half a day from Bangkok by bus and a short ferry from Ban Phe. Quiet on weekdays, busy with Bangkok weekenders, and one of the driest places in Thailand through the monsoon months. Beach-bar fire shows at night; food is mostly Thai and seafood, with a few Indian options at Sai Kaew.

Highlights

Sai Kaew white-sand beach
Ao Prao sunset on the west coast
Snorkel trip to Koh Kudee
Beach-bar fire shows
Coastal walk between the bays
Seafood barbecue on the sand
Kayaking at Ao Wong Duean
Weekday quiet, weekend buzz

Things to do

Snorkelling trip to Koh Kudee & Koh ThaluMorning · 5h
Coastal walk from Sai Kaew to Ao Wong DueanMorning · 2h 30m
Ao Prao sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
Seafood barbecue & fire show on Sai KaewEvening · 2h 30m
Kayak along the east-coast baysAfternoon · 2h
Beach day at Ao Wong DueanAfternoon · 3h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Koh Sametvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Koh Sametvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: November – May

Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.
Christmas and New Year peak — The most expensive fortnight of the year on the islands: resorts set 5-7 night minimums and compulsory gala-dinner charges on 24 and 31 December, and Phi Phi, Samui and Phuket ferries and flights fill a month ahead. Indian school holidays add to it. Book by October.

Getting there

Fly into Bangkok (BKK), 168 km away

Then: Bus · 4h 30m (Bus from Ekkamai to Ban Phe + ferry)

Search flights to BKK from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Kolkatafrom ₹8,600
From Guwahatifrom ₹9,500
From Bhubaneswarfrom ₹9,500
From Gayafrom ₹10,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹11,500
From Hyderabadfrom ₹10,500

Fly into Krabi (Ao Nang & Railay) (KBV), 581 km away

Search flights to KBV from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Bengalurufrom ₹11,500
From Mumbaifrom ₹11,500

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

No visa needed for up to 30 days

Within 72 hours before landing, fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) at tdac.immigration.go.th. It is free; save the QR code it gives you. Do one card per traveller, children included.
At the immigration counter, show your passport, the TDAC QR code and, if asked, your return ticket, hotel booking and cash.
You are stamped in for up to 30 days. To stay longer, apply once at a Thai immigration office before the stamp runs out: up to 30 more days, ฿1,900.

Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; Confirmed return or onward ticket leaving Thailand within 30 days; Hotel bookings (or a host's address) for the whole stay; Cash or equivalent of ฿20,000 per person (฿40,000 per family), about ₹56,000 per person; TDAC confirmation QR code (screenshot or printout).

India's visa-free stay was cut from 60 to 30 days from 15 September 2026, after a May 2026 plan to move Indians to a 15-day visa on arrival was reversed. Rules have changed three times this year, so confirm on the Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi site before you fly. A 300-baht tourism fee for air arrivals is still proposed, not collected.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Eastern Gulf Coast

🎡 Pattaya · Beach City Two Hours from Bangkok
🐘 Koh Chang · Jungle-Covered Island near the Cambodian Border
🌊 Koh Kood (Koh Kut) · Undeveloped Island of Clear Water and Quiet Resorts

Plan a trip to Koh Samet

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Bangkok (BKK)