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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Ubon Ratchathani
อุบลราชธานี
Give Ubon 2 nights as a Mekong and Khmer-ruins base, or 1 night if you are only breaking the Bangkok–Pakse journey.
Ubon is a low-rise Mun River city in southern Isaan, 582 km from Bangkok, and the practical gateway to the Lao border at Chong Mek and to Pha Taem's cliff paintings. The city itself is a half-day of temples, a museum and a night market; the province is where the days go. Most travellers pass through on the way to Pakse or use it as a two-night stop for the national parks.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- อุบลราชธานี
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot and smoky), Sep–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 ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist police (English) 1155
- 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 som tam plate | ฿50–120 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿70–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Songthaew ride | ฿10 |
| Tuk-tuk across the centre | ฿20–40 |
| National park entry, foreign adult | ฿200 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- UBP · Ubon Ratchathani Airport
- About 4 km north of the centre; fixed-price taxi coupon from the arrivals counter, ฿100About 2.5 mi north of the centre; fixed-price taxi coupon from the arrivals counter, ฿100
Typical fares
- Airport → city centre, taxi coupon
- ฿100, 10–15 min
- Ubon bus terminal → Pakse, international bus
- ฿200, 4–5 h with border formalities
- Ubon → Bangkok by train, 2nd class A/C sleeper
- ฿700–980, 8.5–11.5 h
Get around
Thirteen numbered, colour-coded songthaew routes cover the city at a flat ฿10 per ride; route 2 links the bus terminal, the clock-tower roundabout and the railway station. Tuk-tuks and samlors cost ฿20–40 after you agree the fare. For the national parks you need a rented car or motorbike, or a hired taxi with a fixed day rate.
See and do
Known for
- Pha Taem prehistoric cliff paintings
- Mun River and Mekong confluence at Khong Chiam
- Candle Festival in July
- Chong Mek border crossing to Laos
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pha Taem National Park | Highway 2134 by rented car or hired taxi, about 70 km northeastHighway 2134 by rented car or hired taxi, about 43 mi northeast | 1–1.5 h each way |
| Khong Chiam and Maenam Song Si | Same road as Pha Taem, about 80 km; pair the two in one daySame road as Pha Taem, about 50 mi; pair the two in one day | 1.5 h each way |
| Kaeng Tana National Park | Highway 2173, about 60 km eastHighway 2173, about 37 mi east | About 1 h each way |
| Chong Mek / Pakse | International bus from the Ubon bus terminal, twice daily, ฿200 to Pakse | 2–3 h to the border, 4–5 h to Pakse |
Sleep
- Thung Si Mueang / city centre
- Park, city pillar shrine and national museum on foot; guesthouses and small hotels within a few blocks.
- Mun River waterfront
- Riverside hotels and night food stalls; 10–15 min walk or a short songthaew ride from the centre.
- Warin Chamrap
- South bank by the railway station and Ubon Ratchathani University; cheaper rooms, useful if you arrive or leave by train.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่thao rai |
| Too expensive | แพงไปphaeng pai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Please take me to this address | ไปที่นี้pai thi ni |
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
- Songthaews stop running in the evening; the last one from the bus terminal leaves at 19:00.
- No meters on taxis: buy the coupon at the airport counter or agree the fare before you get in.
- The Chong Mek border crossing has posted hours and closes in the evening; check before you plan a same-day crossing.
- Rent a car or motorbike only with an IDP plus your home licence; police checkpoints are common on Highway 24.
Ubon is calm and low-rise; the real risks are the heat, unlit rural roads after dark and unlicensed motorbike rentals. Keep to the main roads at night and carry your licence.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ubon Ratchathani yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pha Taem prehistoric cliff paintings
- Mun River and Mekong confluence at Khong Chiam
- Candle Festival in July
- Chong Mek border crossing to Laos
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 — Ubon Ratchathani: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Ubon Ratchathani city: www.cityub.go.th/
- Department of National Parks — Pha Taem: portal.dnp.go.th/Content/nationalpark?contentId=957
- Wikivoyage: Ubon Ratchathani, revision 5277810 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5277810
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ubon Ratchathaniอุบลราชธานี
ไปที่อยู่นี้ครับ/ค่ะ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ubon; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian missions are in Bangkok. The Lao consulate for visa questions is in Khon Kaen (check).
Songthaew routes and park fees change; confirm at the TAT office on Khuan Thani Road before you set out.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ubon-ratchathani). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.