Bangkok to Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Trains to Korat run on the northeastern line toward Ubon Ratchathani and leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat at Bang Sue, not Hua Lamphong. The one I'd take is Special Express No. 21 at 06:10, air-conditioned seats only, which reaches Korat at 10:01. Express No. 71 at 10:35 is the comfortable late-morning option, in at 14:25. Thailand Trains puts third class at ฿99 at the station or ฿149 online, a second-class air-conditioned seat at ฿343 or ฿412, and 12Go charges about ฿249 for No. 71 in third class. Booking online costs more but holds a seat, and the air-conditioned seats on No. 21 and No. 71 are the ones that sell out.

Korat is too close to Bangkok for the night trains to make sense. They arrive between midnight and 04:11. All of them stop at Don Mueang station 17 minutes after leaving Krung Thep Aphiwat, which suits you if you've just flown into Don Mueang, and at Ayutthaya and Pak Chong on the way. The fast trains to Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai take a different line and don't stop at Korat, so book a train for Ubon Ratchathani. By SRT's booking rules, seats should open about 30 days ahead on SRT's D-Ticket site, and 12Go sells them with a fee.

Korat has two stations, and every train stops at both. Nakhon Ratchasima station is about 2 km west of downtown, and Thanon Chira Junction, about ten minutes later, sits just south of the old town's moat. Check which one your ticket names, and pick Thanon Chira if your hotel is in the old town.

Every bus to Korat leaves from Mo Chit in Chatuchak. Nakhonchai 21's VIP 21 coaches are the ones I'd book, leaving about every half hour to hour from 01:00 to 21:00 and taking about four hours, for about ฿232 at the counter or about ฿280–380 on 12Go. Cherdchai Tour's expresses cost the same and leave from the early hours through the morning, and Air Korat Pattana runs more. Avoid Transport Co.'s express on 12Go, which takes more than six hours. Outside public holidays you can usually buy a seat at Mo Chit for the next departure.

Most buses end at Korat Bus Terminal 2, the big terminal about 2 km north of the old town's western gate. One passenger in April 2026 was let off at Terminal 21, the shopping mall, instead, which is closer to the center anyway. From Terminal 2, taxis charge about ฿100 to the Ya Mo monument or the train station and tuk tuks about ฿80, and the numbered songthaews cost ฿10 from 06:00 to 20:00.

Korat's airfield is a Royal Thai Air Force base with no scheduled passenger flights, so the Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima fares on Expedia or Skyscanner are connections or routes to other airports. Flying into Isan only helps if you're going further, to Buriram, Khon Kaen or Udon Thani. For Korat, the bus and the train are as quick as any flight would be once you count the airports.

The train and most buses pass Ayutthaya and Pak Chong, so it's easy to split the trip. Pak Chong is the town for Khao Yai National Park, about two and a half to three and a half hours from Bangkok, and in the other direction minibuses leave Korat's Terminal 2 for Pak Chong about every 20 minutes for about ฿100. Our Bangkok to Khao Yai guide has the trains and vans for that stop.

From Korat, buses leave Terminal 2 for Phimai about every half hour in the morning and early afternoon, about an hour for ฿59, and the last one back leaves Phimai at 16:20. Buriram and Phanom Rung are 1.5 to 2 hours further east by train, and minibuses to Buriram leave every half hour.

The train back I'd take is Express No. 72, which leaves Nakhon Ratchasima at 10:18 and reaches Krung Thep Aphiwat at 14:10. Rapid No. 136 at 12:33 arrives at 18:00, and Special Express No. 22 at 18:47 is in at 22:15. The ordinary No. 234 leaves at 08:22 and runs to Hua Lamphong by 14:25, tickets at the station only. Three more trains leave Korat between 23:25 and 01:42, arriving in Bangkok before 07:00.

Buses back to Mo Chit leave Terminal 2 about every half hour from about 01:00 to 21:00 and take about four hours, and Cherdchai Tour also runs hourly from Terminal 1, closer to the old town, from 04:00 to 19:00 for about ฿278. Some Nakhonchai 21 coaches continue to Don Mueang airport, which helps if you're flying out, but leave six hours for that ride. A private car back is from about ฿2,650 on 12Go.