Ubon Ratchathani

Getting Here & Around

Due to the distance from Bangkok, train travel is more comfortable and preferable to taking the bus. Ubon is rather sprawled out so make use of the good public songthaew system and the hundreds of friendly rickshaw drivers.

By Air

Thai Airways and Air Asia fly daily from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani. Ubon's airport is a few kilometers north of downtown; tuk-tuks will get you there for B80-B100.

By Bus

Buses to Ubon Ratchathani from Korat take upward of six hours and cost around B250. The best company for this trip is Nakornchai Air (www.nca.co.th), which has luxury coaches between Ubon Ratchathani, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai (around B650), and elsewhere, though you will need a Thai speaker (or the TAT) to make arrangements. The Nakornchai Air bus station is 2 km (1 mi) south of the Moon River on the Upparat-Warin Market main road. All other buses leave from the main bus terminal slightly north of town on Thanon Chayangkun, accessible by songthaews 2, 3, and 11, or by tuk-tuk (B50-B80 for either). For access from Udon, Khon Kaen, and Upper Isan, the bus is your best and often only bet, whereas for Korat, Buriram, and Surin, the train has convenient services.

By Car

Ubon lies at the end of Highway 226 from Korat. Budget has a rental-car desk at the airport in Ubon Ratchathani.

By Tuk-Tuk & Songthaew

Public songthaews run throughout town for B12 (get a bus map from the TAT office), and tuk-tuks and samlors will ferry you around for B30 to B60.

By Train

The Northeastern Line runs frequent service from Bangkok to Korat, continuing east to Buriram, Surin, and Si Saket before terminating at Ubon Ratchathani. Trains bound for Ubon leave from Hualamphong Station in Bangkok several times daily; the trip is approximately 11 hours and costs around B330 to B1,300, depending on class. The train station is not in Ubon Ratchathani itself, but directly across the river in Warinchamrab (on Sathanee Road), a 15-minute, B12 songthaew ride or B60 tuk-tuk trip away.