So you have decided to treat yourself to a wonderful vacation to a tropical island, but now you are worried about getting to the island on the ferry to Koh Chang. Suffice to say that the process is so easy and this article will let you know all you need to do before starting your relaxing vacation. Whether you are traveling by car and need to get that onto the ferry or whether you are traveling by foot, the process is really not complicated.
I drove over three hours from Pattaya to the Koh Chang Ferry (Aow Thammachat) Terminal, arriving around midday. Given that I do not speak or read Thai, I was expecting that the process of finding and boarding the ferry would be quiet challenging. However, it really could not have been easier. From the time I arrived at the ferry terminal until the time I was on the ferry, with my car, it took about 25 minutes and this included about 15 minutes of waiting time before I was able to board the ferry.
Arriving to the ferry terminal you will see a sign in English saying ‘Ferry Ticket’. At the end of the single lane there is a ticket booth from where you can purchase your ticket for the ferry. I paid 200 baht for my car and me and followed the sign to the entrance to the parking lanes. All cars are expected to line up, in order of arrival, and you will then wait until the ferry arrives and is ready to board. I sat in my car and waited for around 15 minutes before it was my turn to drive onto the ferry.
The ferry is packed to capacity with as many trucks and cars as could possibly being squeezed into that small area, nose to tail. What you will do is park your car and then either stay in the car or, more likely, leave it where it’s parked and head upstairs to the seating area where you can grab a quick snack and admire the beautiful views over the Gulf of Thailand as you make your way over to Koh Chang.
The trip over to Koh Chang takes around 25 minutes and is smooth sailing all the way. You will see many other boats and ferries making their way over to Koh Chang and back. The seating area on the upstairs deck of the ferry is not super comfortable but it’s only a short ride and you will likely be wandering around admiring the views on both sides of the ferry.
After the short ferry ride you will have arrived to Koh Chang. The disembarkation process is just as easy as embarkation. The staff will guide you off the ferry and off you go to start your relaxing vacation on Koh Chang. When I visited Koh Chang I stayed at The Chill Resort & Spa. You are welcome to read my blog post entitled The Chill Resort & Spa, Koh Chang – Tropical Island Paradise.
Once you are fully chilled, having enjoyed a relaxing vacation on Koh Chang, it’s time to head off the island, the process is equally as easy. Head to the Koh Chang ferry and find the ticket booth on the island. I arrived to the ticket booth around 8:30AM. As on the other side of the island, the price was 200 baht for my car and me and the waiting time was even less, around five minutes, before I was able to drive my car onto the ferry. The trip back to the mainland was again 25 minutes and the disembarkation on the side equally as efficient as on the island of Koh Chang.
I trust you will enjoy your vacation to Koh Chang. If you are looking for accommodation options on Koh Chang, consider one of the options shown below with booking.com or you may want to consider those options offered by Agoda.
          Booking.comIf you are looking for day tours around Koh Chang, consider booking with GetYourGuide. Start your planning by considering one of the tours shown below.
Our other posts on Thailand may be found here.
(Visited February 2025)