Surin

Air

Surin has no airport but you can use nearby Buriram Airport.

Train

Surin sits on Thailand's main northeastern line, and the Surin rail station is conveniently located at the northern end of Thanasan Road, a short walk from the roundabout, the bus station and all the hotels. At time of writing there are nine departures to and from Bangkok every day between 05:00 and 22:00. Rates vary depending on train type and class. Many other destinations on the northeastern line such as Sikhoraphum and Ubon Ratchathani can also be reached by train from Surin.

Bus

Surin has a large bus station and it's possible to get practically anywhere from here -- even Phuket direct. If coming from Bangkok, several buses depart hourly from Morchit (northern) terminal between 06:00 and 22:00. It's a fairly long haul so try to get a VIP bus if you can. Sample fares from Surin include:

Bangkok: 1st class air-con buses depart hourly for Morchit station from 05:00 to 23:00, cost 407 baht and take about 8 hours. VIP buses depart at 10:00 and 21:30 and cost 526 baht. There are also several local 2nd class buses that depart regularly and cost around 300 baht.
Buriram: Local buses and minibuses depart several times per hour from 06:00 to 22:00, cost between 50 and 70 baht and take about an hour.
Chiang Mai: VIP buses depart at 15:20, 19:10 and 21:15, take 13 hours and cost 968 baht.
Chong Jom/O Smoch border: Minibuses depart every 20 minutes from 06:10 to 17:50, cost 60 baht and take about an hour.
Hua Hin: One 1st class bus per day departs at 21:30, takes 11 hours and costs 623 baht.
Khon Kaen: Air-con buses depart hourly from 03:30 to 15:00, cost 182 baht and take 4 hours.
Mukdahan: 1st class air-con buses depart at 02:50, 04:40 and 16:40, cost 238 baht and take 5 hours.
Nakhon Ratchasima: 1st class air-con buses depart hourly from 03:30 to 19:10, cost 175 baht and take 4 hours. 2nd class buses also depart hourly for 135 baht.
Pattaya: 1st class air-con buses depart at 11:40, 21:25 and 22:35, cost 405 baht and take 8 hours.
Phuket: Two VIP buses depart daily at 12:10 and 18:10, take 17 hours and cost 1593 baht.
Rayong: Air-con buses depart at 09:40, 09:55, 18:41, 19:45, 20:30, 21:40 and 22:00, cost from 223 to 367 baht and take 7 hours. VIP buses also depart at 09:40 and 19:45 and cost 472 baht.
Roi Et: Air-con buses depart hourly from 05:00 to 18:00, cost 199 baht and take 2.5 hours.
Ubon Ratchathani: Air-con buses depart hourly from 02:15 to 10:30 and again at 16:50, cost between 115 and 172 baht depending on class and take about 3 hours.

Getting Around

Surin is fairly small and easy to cover on foot, but there are an almost ridiculous number of tuk tuks, moto taxis and samlors all vying for business. Pink songthaews also run in loops along the town's major roads.

A shortish ride within the city centre should set you back around 50 baht for a tuk tuk or 30-40 baht for a samlor, though drivers will typically ask for twice that and you'll need to haggle them down or just accept paying more than the local rate.

Motorbikes can be rented at Farang Connection for 250 baht per day. Alternately, Mr Pirom at Pirom-Aree's Guesthouse doesn't rent bikes himself but can help you arrange a rental from a motorbike shop in town.

For provincial destinations, you can catch a songthaew from the stand near the central market. Destinations are listed only in Thai but someone will doubtless ask where you're going and put you on the right truck. Some provincial destinations, like Baan Ta Klang and O Smoch, are serviced by local buses or large songthaews that depart from the bus station.