Khon Kaen

Air

Thai Airways flies three times daily between Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport and Khon Kaen — single fares for the 55-minute flight start at around 2,300B. Taxis are usually available at the airport to get into the city centre — failing that, minivans coinciding with flight arrivals run to the Pullman hotel, and non-guests can pay 80B to hitch a ride.

Train

Khon Kaen is also on the north-eastern rail line from Bangkok, which passes through Ayutthaya and Lopburi on the way. Trains leave Hualamphong station in Bangkok at 8.20am, 6.30pm, 6.40pm (slower service) and 8pm. The journey typically takes around eight hours (the 6.40pm departure takes ten) and costs 227B for a third class fan seat, 329/399B for a second class fan/air-con seat, from 429B to 699B for a second class sleeper bunk and 1,068B for a first class sleeper.

Return trains from Khon Kaen depart at 8.39am, 8.11pm, 9.05pm and 10.16pm, and are slightly slower than on the outward leg, taking between nine and ten hours (the 8.39am service is the quickest, arriving in to Bangkok at 5.10pm).

From Khon Kaen, the train line also continues further into the north-east to Udon Thani four times daily (journey time around two hours) and Nong Khai three times daily, taking an additional hour from Udon Thani.

Bus

Buses from the northern Morchit bus terminal in Bangkok take between six and a half and seven hours to make the 444km journey to Khon Kaen, leaving 17 times daily from Bangkok between 9am and midnight, up to every 15 minutes — the fare is 193B.

The 15 daily departures on the return leg from Khon Kaen leave between 7am and 11.30pm. Also leaving Khon Kaen, there are departures to Chiang Mai, Khorat, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and the Laos capital of Vientiane (you must have a visa for Laos before boarding this bus), as well as a direct, first class bus to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport — this departs once daily at 10.30pm, takes six and a half hours and costs 335B.