Bangkok to Buriram

Trains to Buriram run on the northeastern line toward Ubon Ratchathani and leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat, the big terminal at Bang Sue, not from Hua Lamphong. The one I'd book is No. 21 at 06:10, a special express with air-conditioned second-class seats only, about ฿390 on 12Go, which gets you to Buriram at 11:34 with the afternoon free. If that's too early, Express No. 71 at 10:35 arrives at 16:14, about ฿216 in third class or ฿447 and up for an air-conditioned seat, and Rapid No. 135 at 07:10 is the cheap slow one, about ฿173, in at 14:19.

The night trains are awkward for Buriram because it's only two-thirds of the way to Ubon. Special Express No. 23 at 21:05 has proper sleeper berths but drops you at 03:31, and No. 139 at 19:25 arrives at 02:22. The last train, Rapid No. 141 at 23:05, arrives at a civilized 06:28 but has only fan-cooled seats, so it suits someone who can sleep sitting up. Every train except the ordinary No. 233 stops at Don Mueang station, across the road from the airport, 17 minutes after leaving Krung Thep Aphiwat.

By SRT's booking rules, seats to Buriram should go on sale about 90 days ahead, on SRT's D-Ticket site or on 12Go, which adds a fee. No. 21 is the one that sells out, so book it early for weekends and holidays. Buriram station is on the north side of the center, about a kilometer from the middle of town.

Thai AirAsia is the only airline on the route, with about ten flights a week from Don Mueang's Terminal 2, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and the flight takes an hour to an hour and five minutes. Nothing flies from Suvarnabhumi, so if you land there on an international flight, allow 60 to 90 minutes to cross to Don Mueang, or take the train, which also leaves from Don Mueang station. Nok Air used to fly the route and stopped in 2024. On 12Go, fares for November dates ran from about ฿1,200 to ฿2,600 depending on the day.

Buriram Airport is 33 km north of the city, about 35 minutes by car. A ฿100 shuttle runs from the airport to Buriram bus station, and taxis wait for the flights. Door to door, a flight saves about two hours over the morning express once you count the trip to Don Mueang and the drive in.

Phanom Rung, the Khmer temple on the rim of an extinct volcano, is about an hour's drive south of Buriram city and 26 km from Nang Rong, the small town that's the practical base for it and for Muang Tam next door. If the temples are the point of the trip, take the Sawadee Surin VIP bus from Mo Chit to Nang Rong, from 11:45 and about four and a half hours for about ฿630 on 12Go, and sleep there. Coming back, Cherdchai Tour runs from Nang Rong to Mo Chit four times a day from 10:00.

From Buriram, minibuses leave the bus station for Nang Rong about hourly from 06:30 to 20:00, about ฿50 and an hour. There's no public transport from Nang Rong up to the temples, so rent a motorbike or hire a songthaew driver for the half-day loop, or take a car from Buriram for the day. Our Isan guide has the temples and the rest of the Khmer route.

The Thai Grand Prix at Chang International Circuit has opened the MotoGP season every year since 2025, and the 2027 race is on 5 to 7 March. The circuit sits on the western edge of the city, about 5 km from the center, next to Buriram United's Chang Arena. Race weekend is the one time the route gets hard. The handful of flights and the No. 21 express sell out first, and the city's small stock of hotels fills months ahead, so book transport the day the train window opens and the room as soon as you know you're going.

If Buriram is full, Korat is about two hours away by road and has far more rooms, and the night buses from Mo Chit give you a second chance at a seat once the trains are gone.

It's about 385 km from central Bangkok to Buriram, roughly five hours of driving without stops, and about 355 km straight to Phanom Rung. 12Go lists private cars from about ฿3,800 to ฿3,900 a car, with vans for bigger groups up to about ฿10,900. A car makes most sense for a group heading straight to Nang Rong and the temples, where you'd want a driver anyway.

The train back I'd take is Express No. 72, which leaves Buriram at 08:35 and reaches Krung Thep Aphiwat at 14:10. Rapid No. 136 at 10:27 arrives at 18:00, and Special Express No. 22 at 17:15, air-conditioned seats, is in at 22:15. The overnight trains leave at 21:17, 22:19 and 23:44 and arrive at 04:10, 04:50 and 06:50. No. 24 at 22:19 has first- and second-class sleepers, and No. 140 at 23:44 has second-class berths and the most sensible arrival. The slow ordinary No. 234 leaves at 06:07 and ends at Hua Lamphong at 14:25, sold only at the station.

Flights back to Don Mueang usually leave in the afternoon and take 50 minutes to an hour, and the airport is about 35 minutes from the city, so leave town two hours before departure. By bus, Nakhonchai Air's Gold Class coaches leave Buriram from about 08:00 to late evening for about ฿393, Cherdchai Tour's for about ฿367, and most arrive at Mo Chit five and a half to eight hours later. A private car back is about ฿3,800 to ฿4,500 on 12Go.