Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani

Most flights go from Don Mueang, where Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air run about eight a day between them, from about 07:00 to the early evening. From Suvarnabhumi, Thai VietJet flies at about 11:05 and 14:40 and Thai Airways at 07:00 and 16:15. If you're connecting off an international flight into Suvarnabhumi, book one of those four and stay airside. Otherwise compare both airports, because the cheapest fare moves between them. On 12Go a mid-November one-way ran from about ฿1,250 to ฿2,400 before bags.

Ubon's airport sits on the north edge of the city, about 3.4 km from Thung Si Mueang and the old town, so the ride in takes about ten minutes by taxi or Grab. Counting check-in and the trip to Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi, the whole journey is about three and a half hours.

All six trains leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat, the big terminal at Bang Sue with the MRT underneath, not from Hua Lamphong, and all six stop at Don Mueang station about 17 minutes later. The one I'd book is the No. 23 special express at 21:05. It runs the new sleeping cars, takes 9 hours 35 minutes and arrives at 06:40, early enough for breakfast and a full day. A second-class berth costs about ฿881 upper and ฿981 lower at the station, a first-class berth in a two-bed cabin ฿1,320–1,520, and a cabin to yourself ฿2,320.

The cheaper night train is the No. 139 rapid at 19:25, in at about 06:15, with second-class air-conditioned berths for about ฿629–699 and third-class seats for about ฿205. It's over an hour slower, and the price gap with No. 23 is under ฿300. By day, the No. 21 special express at 06:10 is the fastest train on the line, 7 hours 50 minutes in air-conditioned seats for about ฿495 on 12Go, and it reaches Ubon at 14:00. No. 135 and No. 71 take 9 to 11 hours, and No. 141 at 23:05 is seats only, which makes for a long night.

Ubon is the end of the line, so by SRT's booking rules seats should go on sale about 90 days ahead on SRT's D-Ticket site, and 12Go sells the same trains with a fee. Book well ahead for the Candle Festival in July and the long holidays.

Ubon Ratchathani station isn't in Ubon. It's in Warin Chamrap, the town on the south bank of the Mun River, about 4 km from Thung Si Mueang and the old center. Tuk-tuks and songthaews wait outside for the trains, Grab works in the city, and the ride over the bridge takes about five minutes. If your hotel is near Central Plaza or the airport on the north side, it's a longer ride across town.

It's close to 600 km by road from central Bangkok to Ubon, about seven and a half hours of driving without stops. 12Go lists private cars from about ฿6,300. A car only makes sense if you're splitting it between three or four people, or you want it for Khong Chiam and the Mekong afterward, about 75 km east of the city.

By train, the sleeper back is the No. 24 special express, which leaves Ubon at 19:00 and reaches Don Mueang at about 04:30 and Krung Thep Aphiwat at about 04:50, early but useful for a morning flight. The No. 140 rapid at 20:30 arrives at a more civilized 06:50 to 07:10, with second-class berths for about ฿629–699. By day, the No. 72 express leaves at 05:40 and arrives at 14:10, the No. 136 rapid leaves at 07:00 for an 18:00 arrival, and the No. 22 special express leaves at 14:50 and gets in at 22:15. The No. 142 at 17:35 arrives at 04:10.

By air, flights back leave from about 08:00 to about 19:30, to Don Mueang on the low-cost airlines and to Suvarnabhumi on Thai VietJet and Thai Airways, about 1 hour 10. Leave the city about an hour and a half before departure, because the airport is ten minutes away.

By bus, Nakhonchai Air's night buses leave Ubon's terminal between about 19:30 and 21:30 and reach Mo Chit between about 04:00 and 06:00 for about ฿634–846, and Lotus Phibun's VIP 24 at 18:15 arrives at about 06:30 for about ฿837. Day buses leave from about 05:00 to 11:30.