By public bus it takes 7 hours 20 minutes to travel 432 km from Bangkok to Khon Kaen. You can also take a train from Bangkok to Khon Kaen, as well as fly from Bangkok to Khon Kaen with either Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, or Thai Lion Air.
Bus Timetable from Bangkok to Khon Kaen
- Click on the ‘Bangkok – Khon Kaen’ link in the timetable below for more information and to buy tickets.
Bangkok - Khon Kaen āļŋ 412–641 6h – 7h | |
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Bus Station in Bangkok
Bus services to Khon Kaen depart from Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal.
Arrival in Khon Kaen
Bus services from Bangkok terminate at Khon Kaen Bus Terminal 3, Mueang Kao, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen 40000.
About Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen it is fairly new city (about 100 years old) with a city centre population of over 100,000 permanent residents. Khon Kaen is a not major stop on the travel itinerary of most foreign visitors to Thailand. The majority of foreign visitors to Khon Kaen come here because they are visiting the home of a Thai person they have met, or because they are applying for a visa to Laos or Vietnam, both countries have a consulate in Khon Kaen. Khon Kaen itself is very much a ‘Thai town’ with few amenities provided specifically for foreign visitors. There is a small area on Soi Kosa with Western food restaurants and beer bars catering to a largely male European and North American clientele.

In terms of culture, there are three major attractions in Khon Kaen:
- Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon: Also known as Wat Nong Waeng, this temple has nine levels each displaying different Buddha relics. Fascinating, and sometimes considered slightly bizarre by visitors without a background understanding of Thai Buddhism.
- Khon Kaen National Museum: Whilst Khon Kaen is a new city, a lot of very old archaeological finds have been discovered in the province and these have been put on display in the city’s museum and as well as finds from other provinces in Northern and Eastern areas of Thailand. This is one of the more important museums in Thailand.
- Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum: 80 km from the city, the Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum is close to the site where the first dinosaur fossil was discovered in Thailand, and a cluster of other sites where there have been more discoveries.