Why Koh Chang Is Worth the Journey
Koh Chang is the island I recommend when someone has 3 or 4 days and wants a real Thai island experience without flying south. It's Thailand's second-largest island after Phuket — covered in jungle, lined with waterfalls, and ringed with beaches that range from busy beach bars to coves where you'll be the only footprints in the sand. The west coast is where most visitors stay (White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach), and the east coast is quiet, local, and undeveloped.
I've driven to Koh Chang more times than I can count, and I'll be honest with you: it's further than you think. The drive from Bangkok to the mainland pier is about 320 km and takes 5 to 5.5 hours. Then there's a 30 to 45-minute ferry crossing. Door to door, you're looking at 6 to 7 hours from central Bangkok. That's not a day trip — it's a journey you plan for. But unlike the closer islands (Koh Samet, Pattaya), Koh Chang actually delivers. The beaches are better, the jungle is real, and once you're there, the travel time fades fast.
The Quick Facts
- Distance from Bangkok: ~320 km to the mainland ferry piers at Laem Ngop (Trat Province)
- Driving time: 5 to 5.5 hours from central Bangkok; 4 to 4.5 hours from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK); 5.5 to 6 hours from Don Mueang (DMK)
- Ferry crossing: 30 to 45 minutes (Ao Thammachat) or 45 to 60 minutes (Centrepoint)
- Ferry price: ~฿120 to ฿130 per person one way; ~฿220 to ฿250 for a car (prices as of 2026)
- Last ferry: 18:30 at Ao Thammachat; 19:30 at Centrepoint — year-round
- Total door-to-door time: 6 to 7 hours from central Bangkok to your hotel on the island
- Best months: November to April (dry season, calm seas, clear water)
- Avoid: June to September monsoon — rough seas, heavy rain, and reduced ferry schedules
How the Journey Works: Two Legs
Getting to Koh Chang is always a two-stage journey, and the biggest mistake tourists make is not understanding this before they book:
- Leg 1 — Bangkok to the mainland pier: The 320 km road trip to one of two car ferry piers near Laem Ngop in Trat Province. You can do this by private car, minivan, public bus, or a combination of flight + transfer.
- Leg 2 — Ferry to the island + transfer to your hotel: A 30 to 45-minute car ferry crosses to Koh Chang. Once on the island, you'll need a songthaew (shared pickup truck taxi) or private vehicle to reach your beach — anywhere from 5 minutes (White Sand Beach) to 1 hour (Lonely Beach / Bang Bao).
Most package minivan tickets from Bangkok include the ferry crossing but do NOT include the island transfer to your hotel. You get off the ferry, find a songthaew, negotiate a price (฿50 to ฿200 per person depending on distance), and hope they're heading your way. It works, but it's three separate transactions, three chances for delay, and a genuine hassle with luggage or kids.
A private car transfer eliminates the chaos. We drive you from your Bangkok hotel or airport directly to the pier, the car rolls onto the ferry with you, and on the island you stay in the same vehicle all the way to your resort. No bags to carry, no songthaew to find, no second negotiation. One booking, one price, door to door.
Every Way to Get from Bangkok to Koh Chang
Let me break down the four main options, what they cost, and who they suit:
Option 1: Private Car Transfer (Recommended)
This is what I do every week. A private car picks you up at your Bangkok hotel or the airport, drives you to the pier, and the vehicle goes on the ferry with you. On Koh Chang, you continue in the same car directly to your resort. No transfers, no standing in songthaew queues, no hauling luggage in the heat.
The drive itself is straightforward: you take the motorway east toward Chonburi, then Highway 3 (Sukhumvit Road) through Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat. It's a good road — mostly dual carriageway, well-maintained, with plenty of fuel stops and rest areas. The last hour through Chanthaburi and Trat is scenic, winding through fruit plantations and rubber tree farms.
Distance to the pier: ~320 km from central Bangkok
Driving time: 5 to 5.5 hours
Our price to the mainland pier: ฿5,900 one-way (includes all expressway tolls)
On-island transfer to your hotel: Add ฿500 to ฿800 depending on beach location
Ferry tickets (passenger only): ~฿120 to ฿130 per person, bought at the pier
Late-night surcharge (23:00–05:00): ฿80
The advantage is control. You leave when you want, stop when you want, and arrive at your hotel without changing vehicles. For families, groups of 3 to 4, or anyone carrying diving gear or surfboards, it's the only option that makes sense. Book your private transfer here.
Option 2: Shared Minivan (Budget Choice)
The minivan is the backpacker default. Several companies run daily minivans from Bangkok (usually departing from Khao San Road, Ekkamai, or the Northern Bus Terminal) to Koh Chang, with a ferry ticket included. The minivan drops you at the pier, you board the ferry as a foot passenger, and on Koh Chang a songthaew takes you to your beach.
Here's the honest reality: the minivan takes 6 to 7 hours because it makes pickup stops, drives at a conservative pace, and sometimes waits to fill seats. There's limited luggage space (one bag per person, and it goes on your lap or in a cramped rear rack). The aircon is either freezing or broken. And you're locked to the operator's departure schedule — usually one or two departures per day in the morning.
- Price: ~฿400 to ฿600 per person one way (includes ferry ticket)
- Departure points: Khao San Road, Ekkamai Bus Terminal, Northern Mo Chit Terminal
- Total time: 7 to 8 hours including ferry and island transfer
- Luggage: One bag per person — tight for scuba gear or large suitcases
- Includes island transfer: Usually no — you pay separately for the songthaew on Koh Chang
It's cheap, it works, and if you're a solo traveller with a backpack and no schedule pressure, it's fine. But for two or more people, the minivan price adds up fast — and the comfort gap versus a private car is enormous.
Option 3: Public Bus (The Slow Route)
Government buses (the 999 bus from the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai) run from Bangkok to Trat town, where you then catch a local songthaew to the ferry pier. It's the cheapest land option but also the slowest and least flexible.
- Price: ~฿250 to ฿300 per person (bus to Trat only — ferry and pier transfer are extra)
- Total time: 7 to 9 hours with connections
- Frequency: Several departures daily, roughly every 1 to 2 hours
- Comfort: Basic government bus — functional, not pleasant
I mention this for completeness, but I rarely recommend it. Between the bus, the transfer to the pier, the ferry, and the island songthaew, you're making four separate bookings on a route that takes nearly as long as a private car but with none of the comfort. If budget is your only concern, it works. Otherwise, skip it.
Option 4: Fly via Trat Airport (Fastest, Pricey)
Bangkok Airways operates daily flights from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Trat Airport (TDX), which is the closest airport to the Koh Chang ferry piers. Flight time is about 1 hour, and from Trat Airport it's a 30-minute drive to the ferry pier.
- Flight price: ฿2,500 to ฿4,500 per person one way (varies by season)
- Flight time: ~1 hour
- Trat Airport to pier: 30 minutes by minibus or taxi (~฿280 to ฿500 per person)
- Ferry + island transfer: ~฿200 to ฿400 per person
- Total cost for one person: ฿3,000 to ฿5,500+ one way
- Total door-to-door time: 4 to 5 hours (including check-in, flight, transfers, and ferry)
The flight saves you 2 to 3 hours of travel time, but for a couple or family the cost multiplies fast — ฿6,000+ for two people versus ฿5,900 for a private car that goes door to door with all your luggage. The flight only makes sense for solo travellers who value speed over budget, or if you're arriving on a late afternoon flight and want the airline's guaranteed ferry connection (Bangkok Airways coordinates with the last ferry).
The Ferry: What You Need to Know
Two ferry companies operate car ferries from the mainland to Koh Chang, departing from piers about 5 km apart near Laem Ngop:
- Ao Thammachat (Ferry Koh Chang): The better operator. Faster crossing (30 to 45 minutes), ferries every 45 minutes from 06:30 to 18:30 daily. Mainland pier is the first one you reach coming from Bangkok.
- Centrepoint Ferry: Slightly slower crossing (45 to 60 minutes), departures roughly every hour. Last ferry at 19:30. Located about 5 km east of Ao Thammachat.
Ferry prices (2026, one way):
- Adult passenger: ~฿120 to ฿130
- Child (110–150 cm): ~฿60 to ฿70
- Child under 110 cm: Free
- Standard car: ~฿220 to ฿250 (separate from passenger tickets — you pay for the vehicle AND each passenger)
You cannot book ferry tickets in advance — you buy them at the pier when you arrive. Ferries run frequently enough that waiting is rarely more than 30 to 45 minutes, except during peak holiday periods (Songkran, Chinese New Year, Christmas) when queues can be long.
The Last Ferry Trap
This is the single biggest mistake tourists make on the Bangkok to Koh Chang route: missing the last ferry. The last car ferry departs Ao Thammachat at 18:30 and Centrepoint at 19:30, year-round. There are no late evening ferries.
If you're driving or taking a minivan and traffic or delays push your arrival past 18:30, you're stuck. Your options are to sleep in a hotel in Trat town and catch the first ferry the next morning (06:30), or pay for a speedboat transfer at a premium (if available, weather permitting). Neither is how you want to start your island holiday.
My rule: Plan to arrive at the pier by 17:00 at the latest. If you're leaving central Bangkok, that means departing no later than 11:30 AM. From Suvarnabhumi Airport, depart by 12:30 PM. This gives you a 1.5-hour buffer for traffic, stops, and the drive through Trat. I've seen tourists miss the ferry because of a single accident on the motorway — the buffer matters.
If you're arriving on a late afternoon flight at BKK and worried about timing, the private transfer is the safest bet because we control the departure time and route, and we know the traffic patterns. Alternatively, fly to Trat Airport (the airline coordinates with the last ferry).
Cost Comparison: Bangkok to Koh Chang
- Private car (Bangkok Ride): ฿5,900 one-way to pier + ~฿600 island transfer. Door to door, 5.5 to 6 hours. Best for families and groups of 2 to 4.
- Shared minivan: ฿400 to ฿600 per person, 7 to 8 hours total. Best for solo budget travellers.
- Public bus + connections: ฿500 to ฿700 per person all-in, 8 to 9 hours. Best for very tight budgets.
- Bangkok Airways flight + transfer: ฿3,000 to ฿5,500+ per person, 4 to 5 hours. Best for solo travellers who value speed.
For two people, the private car (฿5,900) and two flights (฿6,000+) cost about the same — but the car takes you from hotel to resort with zero transfers and all your luggage. For a family of four, the private car is dramatically cheaper than four flights and infinitely more comfortable than the minivan. Book your Koh Chang private transfer here.
Is Koh Chang Right for You?
Let me help you decide between Koh Chang and the alternatives:
- Choose Koh Chang if: You have 3+ days, want jungle and waterfalls alongside beaches, and don't mind a longer journey. It's the best island for nature lovers, hikers, and those who want a mix of beach bars and quiet coves.
- Choose Koh Samet if: You only have 1 or 2 days and want the fastest beach escape from Bangkok (3 hours door to door). Smaller, simpler, closer.
- Choose Pattaya if: You want nightlife, shopping, and a short trip but don't need pristine beaches. See our Bangkok to Pattaya guide.
- Choose Hua Hin if: You want a beach town without an island crossing, golf courses, and a more relaxed, upscale vibe. See our Hua Hin day trip guide.
Practical Tips for the Journey
- Depart early: Leave Bangkok before noon to ensure you reach the pier with buffer time before the last ferry.
- Bring snacks and water: The drive is long and while there are rest stops, prices at highway stops are inflated. A 7-Eleven stop before you leave Bangkok saves money and hassle.
- Download offline maps: Mobile signal is patchy in rural Trat Province. Google Maps offline downloads cover the route.
- Cash for the ferry: Ferry piers accept cash only. Bring enough baht for ferry tickets (฿120+ per person) and any island songthaew (฿50 to ฿200 per person).
- National park fee: Koh Chang itself does not charge a national park entry fee (unlike Koh Samet), but the nearby Mu Koh Chang Marine National Park does if you're visiting specific protected areas or going on island-hopping boat tours — about ฿200 for adults, ฿100 for children.
- Weather check: In monsoon season (June to September), check the weather before you commit. Rough seas can cause ferry cancellations for hours or even days.
Planning Your Return
Everything above applies in reverse for the return trip, but the ferry timing is even more critical. If you need to catch a flight from BKK, plan to leave Koh Chang on the first ferry (06:30) to have enough buffer for an afternoon departure. The drive from the pier to Suvarnabhumi is 4 to 4.5 hours, so a 07:15 ferry arrival means reaching the airport by roughly noon.
For a private return transfer, we pick you up from your Koh Chang resort, drive to the pier, cross on the ferry, and continue straight to the airport or your Bangkok hotel — all in one seamless booking.
Book Your Bangkok to Koh Chang Transfer
Koh Chang rewards the effort it takes to get there. The beaches are beautiful, the jungle is real, and the island has a character that closer, more developed destinations have lost. The journey is long, but with the right planning — and the right transfer — it's painless.
We run private transfers from Bangkok to Koh Chang in our electric Jaecoo J5 SUV: clean, quiet, air-conditioned, and spacious enough for a family and their luggage. Fixed price, all tolls included, door to door. Book your transfer here, or check our guides for Koh Samet, Pattaya, and other destinations.