Thursday, June 2, 2011

Accomodation and Sightseeing in Udon Thani Norteast of Thailand




Air Asia and Thai Airways fly to Udon Thani from Suvarnabhumi. Nok Air flies there from Don Mueang Airport


You simply will not find a 4 or 5 star hotel in Udon Thani ..... if a hotel is making the claim or a website is making the claim of the hotel .... they are lying to you. there is no such thing as a 4 or 5 star hotel in North East Thailand.


Check out http://isan.sawadee.com/nongbualamphun/
Charoensri Grand Hotel is your best bet in Udon Thani, and its 3 star rating is VERY generous.


AEK International hospital has English speaking staff 00-66-42-342-555. I'm sure they can point me in the right direction. The hospital in That Phanom was cheap but they seemed unable to provide comprehesive testing or adequate medication even with a farang footing the bill.
Sofitel in Khon Kaen is BY FAR the nicest hotel i have ever stayed in in NE Thailand. Sofitel Silom (Bangkok) is damned nice as well ..... but Sofitel Central (Bangkok as well) is a dump. go figure. 5 star is a stretch however. The Oriental is a 5 star hotel, Sofitel is a 4 star at best.

There might be busses from Suvarnabhum Airport directly to Udon Thani,but I think it would be best to go to Mor Chit Bus station,which is thenorthern bus station in Bangkok.

There you can get a VIP bus ,Thai's call it "Rot tour" meaning tour vehicle. More comfortable express bus
Its a long trip about 8 hours and costs about 550 Thai baht.



24 hour public bus service is provided from the Bus Terminal at the Transport Center. Take a shuttle bus (Express route) to the Transport Center
Bus Number 825 - Suvarnabhumi Airport - Nong Khai
Information & Reservation Call Center: (+66) 02576-5599
I suggest calling because I'm not sure of the times I have read it departs at 21:00 and also that there are two buses one at 6:00 and one at 22:30.

You can go up to Mo Chit and get a bus from there for between 500-800 baht. Buses leave between 5 pm and 7 pm and take between 10-11 hours. I would assume the bus from Suvarnabhumi would cost about the same and take the same amount of time. 



I hope you can make your way up to Vientiane, Laos .... while you are there. its not that far from Udon Thani and has a pretty impressive temple (cant for the life of me remember the name). you can get a visa at the border, cross into Laos and take a taxi into Vientiane (about 30 minutes). you cannot drive your own vehicle into Laos though ..... just something to keep in mind.


I would call Udon Thani more Isaan than Northern Thai as the cultures are quite different - but I would also say about 50% cheaper as a guide - - last time there I had a very nice hotel for 1000 baht - and that is probably top of the line with very decent places available for 500 thai baht. Lotus Condotel Udon Thani and AEK Hotel are 2 main very affordable options in Udon Thani.
  
There is a large Night Market that opens from about 5PM to 10:30PM next to the train station.
Chareonsri Center is Udon Thani's biggest and fanciest shopping mall, featuring five floors of shopping, including a large Robinson's department store and a TOPS Supermarket.
Further out east from the centre is a Makro store, cheap for bulk purchases) and a Big C shopping complex (both groceries and assorted goods) with much cheaper pricing than Robinson's.
On the ring road east-side are several large home improvement stores; Home Mart, Global House, and Tool Pro. Also on the east-side ring road is the new Bo Bei Clothing Market.
On the ring road north-side is a Tesco Lotus superstore.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Udon_Thani



The Chareonsri Shopping Compact is a good place as any to start, a modern shopping center in the inner city full of everything you want to buy what you could, clothes, jewelry, accessories, DVDs, mobile phones, souvenirs, household appliances, photo shoots, and many others article. A supermarket, restaurants, fast-Restaurants, money exchanges, cinema and bowling.




The Distance between Udon Thani (Udon Thani) and Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai) is :
431.14 kilometers (km).
The approximate travel/road distance can be around 495.81 km to 538.92 km

It should take you around 10-12 hrs for both bus and train.


For more information, you could go to http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthre…
Udon Thani, a northeastern province covering an area of 11,730 square kilometers, is a prime business center of I-San. Located 564 kilometers from Bangkok, it the world heritage site for the prehistoric culture of Ban Chiang.Udon Thani is probably best known for its archaeological wonders, paramount among them the hamlet of Ban Chiang where the world's first Bronze Age civilization is believed to have flourished more than 5,000 years ago.
Udon Thani borders Nong Khai to the north, Khon Kaen to the south, Sakon Nakhon to the east and Nongbualamphu and Loei to the west. The province is located on a plateau which is approximately 187 metres above sea level. Most of its areas are covered with rice fields, forests and hills, with the Phu Pan mountain ranges and the Songkhram River are the provinces 2 main natural resources.The locals are mainly engaged in agricultural activities, with particular rising in wholesale and retail trading activities. That is why Udon Thani is an agricultural market hub or neighboring provinces.
Udon Thani's provincial seal depicts God Wetsuwan, King of the giants and keeper of the Northern Heavenly Gate.

Borders

North: Nong Khai Province
South: Khon Kaen and Kalasin Province
East: Skon Nakhon Province
West: Loei and Nong Bua Lam Phu Province

The distances from Amphoe Muang to other Amphoes are as follow :

From Udon Thani City of nearby Provinces
Nong Bua Lam Phu Province: 46 kms.
Nong Khai Province: 51kms.
Khon Kaen Province: 115 kms.
Loei Province: 152 kms.
Sakon Nakhon Province: 159 kms.
Kalasin Province: 192 kms.
From Udon Thani City to other districts
Amphoe Ban Dung: 84 kms.
Amphoe Ban Phue: 55 kms.
Amphoe Chai Wan: 62 kms.
Amphoe Ku Kaeo: 61 kms.
Amphoe Kumphawapi: 43 kms.
Amphoe Kut Chap: 24 kms.
Amphoe Muang: 0 kms.
Amphoe Nam Som: 110 kms.
Amphoe Na Yung: 129 kms.
Amphoe Nong Wua So: 39 kms.
Amphoe Nong Han: 35 kms.
Amphoe Non Sa-at: 53 kms.
Amphoe Nong Saeng: 35 kms.
Amphoe Phibun Rak: 50 kms.
Amphoe Phen: 43 kms.
Amphoe Prachaksinlapakhom: 36 kms.
Amphoe Sang Khom: 68 kms.
Amphoe Si That: 72 kms.
Amphoe Thung Fon: 65 kms.
Amphoe Wang Sam Mo: 96 kms.

How to get there

By Car

From Bangkok, take Highway No. 1 to Saraburi and Highway No. 2 to Udon Thani via Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen Provinces, a total distance of 564 kilometers.

By Bus

Buses for Udon leave Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Mochit 2 Bus Terminal) throughout the day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The journey takes around 10 to 11 hours and the fare is 145 baht for regular buses (260 baht for air-conditioned buses).Buses leave the main bus terminal in Khorat every half hour during the day and arrive in Udon five hours later. The cost is 81 baht for regular buses (146 baht for air-conditioned buses).
There are buses running between Udon Thani and other provinces such as Nong Khai, Loei, Khon Kaen, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani. The buses leave Udon Thani Bus Terminal every 40 minutes.

By Train

A train service between Bangkok and Udon Thani is available every day. 

By Air

A daily flight between Bangkok and Udon Thani is offered by the Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI). In addition, there are low-cost airlines daily serviced by Thai Air Asia, and Nok Air. 

Travelling around Udon Thani

- By Bus A hassle free way to get around the city is by the city bus. The most useful city bus for visitors is the yellow bus No. 2, which plies a route from the No. 2 bus terminal, south along Suphakit Janya road and then east along Pho Si road past the Charoen Hotel. The No. 6 bus runs between the No. 2 bus terminal and Rangsina Market, while bus No. 23 runs between bus terminals Nos. 1 and 2. The fare for all city buses is 4 baht.
- By Car The car rental places opposite the Udon Hotel offers sedan, jeeps and vans for hire starting at around 1,200 baht.
- By Sam lor Sam lors drivers in Udon Thani practically doubled their rates overnight when 50 Americans arrived to work on the VOA station outside the town in 1990-91, apparently the engineers were throwing their dollars around with abandon. With a permanent contingent of VOA employees in the area, just about any farang (foreigner) who happens to pass through Udon Thani will have to deal with this two tier price system. Reasonable fares are 10 baht to 15 bahts per kilometer.

Festivals & Events

Phra Phutthabat Bua Bok Worship Fair (งานนมัสการพระพุทธบาทบัวบก)

Date : March
This annual fair is held during the13th – 15th waxing moon days of the 3rdlunar month with booths of goods and local products for sale.

Thung Si Mueang Udon Thani and Mi-khit Cloth Fair (งานทุ่งศรีเมืองอุดรธานีผ้าหมี่ขิต)

Date : December
This annual fair is held around December. There are booths of goods and local products, such as silk cloth, Khit-pattern woven cloth, hand – woven cloth, Mi-Khit cloth, and a golden dragon show from the Chaopu – Chaoya Chinese Spirit Shrine.
Banchiang Hotel ,Udonthani, Thailand   
                                                             http://www.banchianghotel.com/5 mookmontri rd. Amphoe Muang ,Udonthani, Thailand. 41000 Tel : (042) 327911-29 FAX : (042) 223200 
52 Thaniya Plaza Silom Road. Bangrak, Bangkok Thailand 10500 Tel : (02) 2312204 Fax : (02) 2312669 

E-mail : info@banchianghotel.com
Banchiang Hotel ,Udonthani, Thailand  
5 mookmontri rd. Amphoe Muang ,Udonthani, Thailand. 41000 Tel : (042) 327911-29 FAX : (042) 223200 

52 Thaniya Plaza Silom Road. Bangrak, Bangkok Thailand 10500 Tel : (02) 2312204 Fax : (02) 2312669 

E-mail : info@banchianghotel.com
It is lush green in Udon Thani. Lots of sightseeing activity. Worth to live there.







































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