From Wikitravel

Surat Thani is the provincial capital of Surat Thani Province.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By bus 2.4 By boat 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge 10 Get out

Understand

Surat Thani is a gateway to the islands of Thailand's eastern coast: Koh Samui, Koh Tao (great for scuba diving), and Koh Phangan. Though large it has a low density of 7 Elevens and so on. There are many Chinese temples.

Get in

By plane

Surat Thani airport is located about 20 km west of the city in Phunphin district. Thai airways has daily flights from and to Bangkok.

By train

The Surat Thani train station, despite its name, is located in Phunphin, about 12km away from Surat Thani. Most comfortable are the overnight trains from Bangkok, which arrive in early morning. There are always many who try to catch the tourists and sell them trips to Surat or the islands directly - usually the most aggressive sellers are the most expensive...

By bus

The new bus terminal is located a bit outside the city, however if you plan to go directly into the city it's usually possible to ask for a stop before. The old bus terminal in middle of city is now only frequented by the some private buses, which are however much more risky than the government buses.

By boat

You can take the ferry from any of the islands nearby, taking about an hour. There is food on board and movies as well.

Get around

When you get off the ferry there is a bus ride included with the trip (note the strange system of paper tickets combined with circular stickers that you stick on your shirt). It is a 45 minute bus ride down backroads from the ferry terminal to Surat Thani. More than one ferry terminal services Sarat Thani.

See

Being here is different than for most cities, as the residents here are used to seeing foreigners but don't bother with trying to sell things to foreigners for a living. Most tourists here are just passing through to the islands, as there are no real attractions within the city.

A popular place for picnic as well as for sports is Ko Lamphu, a small car-free island in the river Tapi, connected by bridge to the city at the city pillar shrine. A nice view is the riverfront, built as a promenade. In the evening hours there are also some food stalls there, however the night market concentrates at a sidestreet next to Wat Sai.

There are several Buddhist as well as Chinese temples within the city, however none really notable. To the north is the Roman Catholic St.Raphael Cathedral, actually a small wooden church.

Outside the city, there is a monkey training centre near by in Kanchanadit. The hill Khao Taphet south of the city offers a great view over the city, as well as a the Si Surat chedi as some billboards with the animals living in that non-hunting area. Further south is the Khun Thale swamp, a nice small lake but without any further attractions.

Do

60 km North of Surat Thani is a small town called Chaiya. This town gives a good representation of what small town life used to be like in Southern Thailand. It is one of the oldest towns in Thailand - dating to the 8th and 10th centuries. This was during the Srivijaya empire (~200 - 1400).

Buy

Eat

The night market has some great food vendors. Particularly the rotis at the western end.

Next to the Sahathai department store there is a Pizza Company outlet and a Swensens for expensive ice-cream.

There's a restaurant called *Lucky*. It was the only time in a 6 months stay that we were disrespected by the locals. The food was also horrible and the owners were very rude.

Drink

Sleep

Budget

• Chayo Bar: On the riverfront, opposite Ban Don Pier where the night boats leave for the islands. Free accomodation in a limited number of rooms, but do not expect anything special: mattress-on-floor rooms, fans and shared bathrooms. Run by Chayo and Toto who will look after you well but do not suffer fools gladly. Also serves food.
• Ban Don Hotel: This is a place for really cheap and clean rooms. But, for ~250 Baht/night, don't expect anything fancy. Most rooms don't have air con or hot water and the entrance is through a shady looking restaurant. But, if you're looking for a place just to stay a night while passing through, it's pretty good for the price. Located close to Ban Don Road and Na Mueang Road.

Mid-range

• Southern Star Hotel. 650baht a night, many travel agents willing to show high class hotels and places to travel to.

Splurge

Get out

Most travellers in Surat Thani are on their way to or from the islands:

• Koh Samui — backpacker paradise gone upmarket
• Koh Tao — popular diving spot and a good place to get certified
• Koh Pha Ngan — home of the infamous Full Moon Parties

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!