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How much moving around an island actually involves depends on two things that rarely appear in the same place: how far apart its beaches, towns and restaurants sit, and what it costs to cover that ground. Here are the measurements for the islands Americans most often visit.
Two different kinds of island
The islands split along a line that has nothing to do with size. Some have their beaches, restaurants and accommodation concentrated in one strip, where a single walkable area contains most of what a visitor came for. Others spread the same things around a coastline or across separate bays, with unpopulated road between each cluster.
A large island with a concentrated centre can involve less daily movement than a small island with scattered bays. Koh Tao is under 8 km long and requires more transport than its size suggests; Ao Nang is on the mainland and requires almost none.
How far apart the islands really are: Bangkok · Phuket · Krabi & Railay · Koh Phi Phi · Koh Samui. (Enable JavaScript for the interactive map.)
The measurements
Phuket
Around 48 to 50 km long, and the most spread out of these places. The beaches run down the west coast, with Phuket Old Town inland to the southeast. The main town sits roughly 10 to 20 km from the beaches depending which one. Patong's beach strip and the Old Town each have walkable centres; the island as a whole does not. Songthaews run town-to-beach rather than beach-to-beach, at 15 to 50 baht, roughly 6am to 6pm. Grab operates.
Koh Samui
The ring road runs about 51 km and passes through most of the main beach towns. Chaweng and Fisherman's Village have walkable centres; the island's attractions are spread around the ring rather than gathered in one place. Songthaews circle the ring during daylight at 30 to 150 baht, without a fixed timetable. Grab operates.
Koh Lanta
About 25 to 30 km, long and narrow, with the beaches strung along the west coast and Saladan town at the north end. The shape is the important part: accommodation at the southern end sits a long way from the town where the ferries arrive and most services cluster. Songthaews connect the beaches to Saladan at 50 to 100 baht. Grab does not appear to operate.
→ Compare Koh Lanta hotels along the west coast
Koh Phangan
Around 16 to 18 km across, with accommodation spread across multiple separate bays rather than one strip. Thong Sala is the main town and ferry arrival point. Haad Rin, at the southern tip, is a separate cluster. Getting between bays means road transport, at fares reported anywhere from 50 to 500 baht. Grab does not operate.
Koh Tao
About 7.5 km long — the smallest here — with the main bays generally under 5 km apart. Mae Haad, Sairee and Chalok Baan Kao are the three main villages, connected by one wide paved road with side roads leading over to the east coast bays.
Mae Haad and the southern part of Sairee are walkable, and the roads have no footpaths. The terrain between bays is hilly. Fixed taxi rates from Mae Haad run about 300 baht to Sairee or Chalok and 400 to 500 to the more distant bays, for one or two people, with roughly 100 baht per additional passenger. Grab does not operate.
Ao Nang and Krabi
Ao Nang is on the mainland, not an island. Its beachfront is concentrated and walkable, with restaurants and shops along one strip. Krabi Town is about 17 to 20 km away, connected by colour-coded songthaews running every 10 to 20 minutes at 50 to 60 baht. Grab operates.
→ Compare Krabi hotels near Ao Nang beachfront
Koh Chang
The accommodation runs along the west coast, spread along the main road rather than gathered in one town. White Sand Beach has a walkable strip. Shared trucks run the coast road at 50 to 200 baht, clustering around ferry arrivals. Grab does not operate.
