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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Nakhon Ratchasima
นครราชสีมา
Base here 2 nights for Phimai and Khao Yai, not for the city itself: Korat is a transport hub, and its own sights take half a day.
Nakhon Ratchasima, called Korat, is the largest city in Isaan and the region's rail and bus junction, 259 km from Bangkok by road. Foreign travellers rarely come for the city: they sleep here and day-trip to Phimai's Khmer ruins, Khao Yai National Park or Phanom Rung. Two nights covers the city and one big day trip; three if you add a second.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- นครราชสีมา
- Best months
- Nov–Jan
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hottest), Aug–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1,400 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,400–2,800 excl. bed · High ฿2,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Tourist Police (24 h, English) 1155 · Fire and ambulance 1669
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced drink | ฿40–80 |
| Noodle soup or rice plate | ฿50–120 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | ฿70–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Songthaew ride | ฿8 (check) |
| Tuk-tuk, main bus station to Yamo | ฿60 (check) |
| Meter taxi, first km then per km | ฿30 then ฿4/km (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NAK · Nakhon Ratchasima Airport
- No scheduled flights; the city is reached by bus or train from Bangkok.
Typical fares
- Bangkok (Mo Chit) → Korat bus
- about ฿220, several departures an hour (check)
- Bangkok → Korat train, cheapest class
- from about ฿50, 4–6 h (check)
- Tuk-tuk, main bus station → Yamo
- ฿60, agree first (check)
Get around
Songthaews (numbered pick-up buses, about 8 baht a ride) cover most city roads and run roughly 07:00–21:00. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis wait at the bus and train stations; agree the fare first. Meter taxis are few, and Grab works but is not cheap here.Songthaews (numbered pick-up buses, about 8 baht a ride) cover most city roads and run roughly 7:00 AM–9:00 PM. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis wait at the bus and train stations; agree the fare first. Meter taxis are few, and Grab works but is not cheap here.
See and do
Known for
- Thao Suranaree (Yamo) statue
- Phimai Historical Park day trips
- Gateway to Khao Yai National Park
- Isaan food and night bazaars
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Phimai Historical Park | Bus from the old bus station, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h each way |
| Khao Yai National Park | Bus or minivan to Pak Chong, then a park transfer or hired car | 2–2.5 h |
| Phanom Rung and Muang Tam | Bus toward Nang Rong, then a local ride to the ruins | 3 h+ |
| Dan Kwian pottery village | Songthaew or bus southeast on Hwy 224, about 15 kmSongthaew or bus southeast on Hwy 224, about 9.3 mi | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Old city / Yamo area
- Inside the moat, walkable to the statue, night bazaars and the old bus station; best for a short stay without a car.
- Mittraphap Rd / mall strip
- Chain hotels and malls along Hwy 2; convenient if you arrive by bus or drive, but you need a ride to the centre.
- Around the main train station
- Cheap guesthouses about 2 km from the centre; songthaews 1 and 14 run to Yamo.Cheap guesthouses about 1.2 mi from the centre; songthaews 1 and 14 run to Yamo.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Stop here, please | จอดที่นี่jot tee nee |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai pet |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Songthaew destinations are written in Thai; ask your hotel which number goes where before you board.
- Trains in Thailand run late, so leave slack if you connect to a bus or flight.
- April and May heat in the city is severe; plan indoor or early-morning activity.
- Rural roads around Khao Yai carry fast traffic and wildlife after dark: don't drive them at night.
Korat is a working Thai city, not a tourist strip: petty theft is rare and tuk-tuk overcharging is not the norm here. The real risks are road traffic, motorbike taxis without helmets, and heat in April–May.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Nakhon Ratchasima yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Thao Suranaree (Yamo) statue
- Phimai Historical Park day trips
- Gateway to Khao Yai National Park
- Isaan food and night bazaars
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand — Nakhon Ratchasima: www.tourismthailand.org/
- State Railway of Thailand: www.railway.co.th/
- Wikivoyage: Nakhon Ratchasima, revision 5309421 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5309421
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Nakhon Ratchasimaนครราชสีมา
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Korat; most are in Bangkok. US citizens: American Citizen Services at the US Embassy, Bangkok.
Songthaew route numbers and fares change; confirm with your hotel.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/nakhon-ratchasima). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.