In recent years, holidays in Thailand are gaining popularity. This is no wonder: beautiful landscapes, good service, inexpensive exotic cuisine, extreme sports and nightlife attract sophisticated tourists.
How to get from Moscow to Samui - this question interests everyone who travels independently in Thailand. To do this, you can find several options that you should understand in detail, because the beginner may not be obvious advantages of a route.
In this article, we will only consider how you can get to this island in the Gulf of Thailand from the Russian capital, that is, we will consider options related exclusively to air travel. At the same time, you will have several ways to get there by land from Bangkok.
Travel Features
When figuring out how to get to Samui from Moscow, it should be noted: the main feature of this trip is that there are no direct flights without transfers. Therefore, getting here is much more difficult than, for example, in Phuket. But many just this can attract.
We emphasize that Samui is located in the Thai province of Surat Thani, being the second Thai island in size after Phuket. This is a very popular resort located approximately 700 kilometers from Bangkok and 40 from the east coast of Southern Thailand.
It has a large number of attractions and amazing beauty of nature. Here tourists will be greeted by coral reefs and sandy beaches sown with coconut palms. In 2008, the city of Samui was granted official status, which he did not have before.
Why is there no direct flight?
When you go on a long journey and are looking for how to get to Samui from Moscow, you are trying to find a direct option. The appearance of a direct flight would be very convenient. The problem is that there is only one private airport on this island. He is very handsome, but he has the right to independently determine which airlines he agrees to work with and which which he does not.
In recent years, the transformation of this airport (called Samui Airport) from a small local airport terminal into a large and international one has been actively discussed. But to this day this has not happened. Only five airlines fly here. Two of them are Thai - Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways. Silk Ai is owned by Singapore, Firefly - by Malaysia, China Southern Airlines - by China.
Therefore, when you start planning how to get to Koh Samui from Moscow, then in search of the best price it is worth considering options not only to Thailand. It is necessary to pay attention to the routes that run through neighboring states, for example, Malaysia. From there, you can also figure out how to get to Samui from Moscow by air. Moreover, it can be relatively inexpensive. The main thing is to remember that for any chosen route you will have at least one change. She cannot be avoided.
Single ticket
When developing a plan on how to get to Samui from Moscow on your own, you can use a single ticket. It means that you immediately buy a flight to Samui with all the transfers, which you are offered by one of the popular airline search sites. It will already take into account all transfers.
Thus, it turns out that at one time you will pay for all segments of the flight, without exception, and you will receive only one electronic ticket in your hands, in which it will be impossible to get confused. This is the best option to get to Samui from Moscow.
At the same time, you need to remember that there can be from one to three transplants and our task is to minimize them.
One-stop flight
In this case, the best option: reduce the amount. With one change, getting to Koh Samui from Moscow will be less tiring for you.
To do this, you will need to purchase an Aeroflot or Thai Airways ticket. Only these two large companies will be able to provide you with a direct flight from the Russian capital to Bangkok, and from there they will send you with a Bangkok Airways aircraft to your destination. The only inevitable landing will be made just in Bangkok. This solves the problem of how to get from Moscow to Samui in Thailand.
During check-in for a flight at the departure airport, you will be issued two boarding passes at once. One for each of the aircraft on which you fly. Thus, it is the carrier that will sell you the ticket from Moscow to Samui that takes full responsibility for your trip not only with international, but also with domestic airlines. From the passenger’s point of view, this is one of the most convenient ways to get from Moscow to Lamai-Samui or any other beach on this island.
This is important, since in the event of a delay in the first flight from Moscow to Bangkok, a discrepancy in time during the transfer to the next aircraft of domestic Thai airlines will no longer be your headache, but the airline’s problem. She will decide the question of how to put you on the next flight.
Another advantage of this method is that at the airport of arrival you immediately check in your baggage to the final point, that is, Koh Samui. You do not have to get it in Bangkok, and then take it again at the next landing. At the same time, passport control in Bangkok will take place in the transit zone, where it is difficult to get lost, even if you were so far from home for the first time. Airport staff will help you right away by sending you where you need to. This is a convenient option for a child to get to Samui from Moscow, since there are always many difficulties in a long trip with kids, and here you can forget at least some of them.
Multi-stop flight
A large number of other airlines offer options with two or even three transfers. In this case, the first transfer will be in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, and the second will be in Bangkok itself. At the same time, the essence and advantages of the previous option are preserved in full.
It should be noted that not always an increase in the number of transfers affects the price of the flight. Ultimately, the price will depend on the carrier you choose, the season, and fares. Ticket prices need to be monitored constantly.
It used to be that a direct flight always costs more, but now in most cases this is no longer the case. It is necessary to constantly monitor offers from air carriers, because you can get on some unprecedented discounts. For example, Emirates or Etihad can offer 20 to 40 percent discounts. This is an ideal way to get cheap to Samui from Moscow yourself.
Other carriers also have promotions, so if you are not rigidly tied to the departure date, follow the options that are offered at least a week before and after. In this case, the flight can be quite inexpensive.
If you find through the search engines the route with transfers through Doha and Bangkok or Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, you will still get only one ticket on hand. It’s more convenient to buy them online, you will immediately receive a document by e-mail, in which all your flights, planes and transfers will be scheduled.
During the registration process, you will be given exactly as many boarding passes as there are planes planned on your route. The carrier in this case ensures your flight to Samui and if any of the aircraft is late, he will have to solve the problems himself with subsequent inconsistencies. Your baggage is also checked in at the same way.
On the road with multiple tickets
According to this option, you have to buy tickets for each of the flights separately. Of course, you yourself think that they fit in time, but at the same time they will not be connected at all.
In this case, you can get to Samui from Moscow cheaper, but in case of late flights and inconsistencies, you yourself have to decide how to get on the next flight if you arrive too late at the airport where the transfer is planned.
Route through bangkok
The most obvious option to get to the coveted island of Koh Samui is to fly with a transfer in Bangkok. If for some reason you are not able to purchase a single ticket, you have to act on the following algorithm.
First, you separately buy a ticket from the Russian capital to Thai. It will be a direct flight or with transfers - you decide.
Then you have to buy a ticket separately from Bangkok to Samui. You can do this in advance on the Bangkok Airways website or at the airport in the Thai capital at the airline's box office.
Cons of such a flight
The main minus of such a flight is the likelihood of being late for the first flight to Bangkok. If you are late for the second plane, the cost of the lost ticket will not be compensated. Not to pre-book a domestic flight ticket is also a dubious option, since on the day of departure you will have to overpay about five times the price that the airline will set for one or two months.
In order not to encounter the high cost of domestic flights, tickets for them should be purchased as early as possible. In addition, on the day of departure there may not be any empty seats, especially if you fly in the tourist season.
This mistake is encountered by many inexperienced travelers. Of course, there remains the option of reaching the island by land, but you will have to spend a lot more time and effort on it.
Alternative option
If you still find yourself in this situation, how to get to Samui from Moscow? According to reviews, there are only two options.
If your domestic flight tickets run out or are too expensive, you can stay overnight at one of Bangkok's hotels. There are many offers for hotels within walking distance of the airport. This option is suitable if you have tickets the next day.
Another option is to go to Don Muang Airport to take advantage of the Nokair or AirAsia low-cost airlines. It is about an hour from the airport in Bangkok.
Thailand carriers
Going on such a trip, you need to know that Bangkok Airways is actually a monopolist in this area: its planes fly to Samui almost every hour. At the same time, prices for them are almost two times higher than for low-cost companies, which we have already mentioned above.
The planes of these low-cost airlines do not fly to the island itself, but land in cities on the mainland, located about a hundred kilometers from Samui. If you find such an option on the website of one of these airlines, understand that it will be combined, including an airplane, a bus and a ferry.
Flying through phuket
Another option you can take is to fly not through Bangkok, but through Phuket. Aeroflot has direct flights to this island in Thailand, and some other carriers also have them.
From Phuket, you will need to independently go to Samui by Bangkok Airways. Therefore, in this case, it is better to purchase a ticket in advance. The benefit is that the distance from Phuket to our destination is almost half that of Bangkok. At the same time, the flight itself will be shorter by only ten minutes, because the plane will fly slowly, saving fuel.
In conclusion, we will give advice to those who still want to buy a ticket to Samui directly in Phuket. If you fail and you have to spend the night somewhere waiting for the next flight - do not order a taxi at the racks at the airport. Inexpensive options are only 200-300 meters from the exit from the airport terminal. If you have a few things with you, you can easily get to the hotel. To settle in it yourself will be much cheaper.
Flight through other countries
As we already wrote, there are options to get to Samui and through other countries (China, Malaysia and Singapore). You should not forget about these options, but it is unlikely that you will be able to find any advantageous offer.
It makes sense to use these airlines only if you intend to visit one of the previously listed countries not as a transit point, but to stay there for a few days.
How can you save more?
Recently, among the long-distance travelers, the life hack is gaining popularity, how to save on insurance.
Choosing her now is very difficult. It is necessary to constantly monitor the forums and carefully read all insurance contracts. There is a rating of insurance companies depending on what result you need.
Working and inexpensive travel insurance can be bought at Sberbank. ERV or Allianz will offer you more expensive options, but the combination of price and quality will be optimal.