Head to head

Koh Samui or Kyoto?

Koh Samui, narrowly — 57 vs 55 across the year.

Koh Samui and Kyoto run neck and neck on the Atlas Ranger Score (57 vs 55), trading the monthly lead — Koh Samui is the better pick in 6 of 12 months (Jan–Apr and Jul–Aug), Kyoto in 6 (May–Jun and Sep–Dec). With timing a wash, the real split is the trip itself: Koh Samui for beaches, plus easy family travel, Kyoto for history and temples, plus city life and food.

Month by month

When to go

Pick a month. The line shows each place's score across the year; the figures below are that month's averages.

Koh Samui Kyoto

In October, Kyoto is the better bet — 66 vs 45.

Score

High / low

31° / 24°

22° / 13°

Rain

295 mm

130 mm

Sunshine

8.9 h

5 h

Koh Samui: Wet season starts — rainfall more than doubles, beach days unreliable

Kyoto: Autumn arrives — early koyo, lower crowds than November

At a glance

Side by side

Koh Samui Kyoto

Timing & weather

Year-round score57/10055/100

Best monthFebruary (73)November (61)

Months it leadsJan–Apr and Jul–AugMay–Jun and Sep–Dec

Cheapest monthsOct–NovJan–Feb and Jun

Driest monthFebruary (64mm)January (50mm)

Wettest monthNovember (445mm)June (220mm)

Hottest monthMay (33°C)August (33°C)

Best for

BeachesKoh Samui is the stronger beach tripStronger—

Culture & festivalsKyoto is the stronger pick for history, temples and festivals—Stronger

Off-peak monthsKoh Samui has more shoulder and low-season months (9 vs 7), when rates and crowds easeStronger—

Practical

Main airportSamui International Airport (USM)Kansai International Airport (Osaka)

CurrencyTHB (Thai Baht)JPY (Japanese Yen)

LanguageThaiJapanese

Time zoneICT (UTC+7)JST (UTC+9, no DST)

ClimateTropical monsoon (Köppen Am)Humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), inland basin

Visa60-day visa exemption for most Western nationalities (extended Jul 2024)Visa-free 90-day entry for ~70 nationalities (US, UK, EU, Australia, etc.)

SafetyLow risk — standard tropical precautions, scooter accidents are the main injury sourceVery low risk — one of the safest cities in Japan

Named storms nearby nowNASA EONET, checked hourly. Not a forecast.None tracked within 1,000kmNone tracked within 1,000km

Your trip

Which should you pick?

PickKoh Samui

Pick Koh Samui if you want beaches, plus easy family travel — it leads in Jan–Apr and Jul–Aug and peaks in February (73).

Koh Samui full guide

PickKyoto

Pick Kyoto if you want history and temples, plus city life and food — it leads in May–Jun and Sep–Dec and peaks in November (61).

Kyoto full guide

Plan your trip

Hotels, flights and more

Switch between the two. Hotel prices are for a week in each destination's best month.

Book Koh Samui

$$ · First-time visitors, dining variety, the busiest beach

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Questions

Good to know

Is Koh Samui or Kyoto better to visit?

It's almost a dead heat — Koh Samui 57, Kyoto 55 on the Atlas Ranger Score, our 0–100 measure of weather, crowds, value, and timing across the year. The lead flips month to month, so the right pick is essentially whenever you're travelling — compare any month with the tool above.

Which has better weather, Koh Samui or Kyoto?

Koh Samui averages a higher weather score (53 vs 50). Weather is the biggest input to the score, but both have strong months and weak months; the month-by-month chart shows exactly when.

When is it cheapest to visit Koh Samui or Kyoto?

Koh Samui is cheapest in Oct–Nov; Kyoto is cheapest in Jan–Feb and Jun. Those are the low and shoulder months, when hotel rates and crowds ease — usually because the weather is less reliable, so check the month-by-month scores above before you book.

Can I visit both Koh Samui and Kyoto in one trip?

Often yes — many travellers pair them. The smart move is to time each leg to its own best months. Check each destination's full guide (linked below) for the month-by-month detail, then sequence your trip so each stop lands in its strong window.