Phadaeng Hotel
Hotel in Ubon Ratchathani
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All you need to know to visit Ubon Ratchathani
อุบลราชธานี
Northeastern Thailand
629 km from Bangkok
Province of Ubon Ratchathani
Northeastern Thailand
629 km from Bangkok
Province of Ubon Ratchathani
- Budget
- 2/5
- Recommended stay
- 1 to 3 days
- Sightseeing
- 4/5
Travel guide to visit Ubon Ratchathani
Capital town of Ubon Ratchathani province in Isaan (northeastern Thailand), which shares a border with Cambodia and a border with Laos, Ubon Ratchathani is best known for its Candles Festival held in July . Mun River and the Mekong draw beautiful landscape. The city itself has an impressive number of temples. Buddhism is perhaps more present here than in other thai cities. From Ubon, you can take the bus to Pakse in Laos.For all the options for getting around Ubon Ratchathani, see our section on getting around in Ubon Ratchathani.
Accommodations in Ubon Ratchathani
To enjoy Ubon Ratchathani the most, it is best to stay in a hotel or a guest house not too far from Thung Si Muang Park. The place comes alive at night thanks to Ubon Ratchathani night market next to it. There are many more or less cheap accommodations between the park and Wat Jaeng. In this area you can reach by walking the most interesting temples in the city except for Wat Phra That Nong Bua, the most interesting monument in Ubonn Ratchathani. But songthaews can take you there. There also are a few guesthouses and small hotels in Arsapon Road near the temple if you prefer to sleep near Wat Phra That Nong Bua. Personnally, I recommend Phadaeng Hotel.Find accommodation in Ubon Ratchathani
My recommendations
People often ask me which accommodation I recommend in Thailand. Here are my recommendations in Ubon Ratchathani.
The Outside Inn
Hotel in Ubon Ratchathani
The Goose Cafe and Hostel Ubon
Hotel in Ubon Ratchathani
Practical information about Ubon Ratchathani
There are several daily flights from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani airport. You can also get there by bus or by train. If you choose the train we recommend you to take a sleeper in a night train but book your ticket in advance to be sure to get one (you can book online here). To go around the city, there is a bus system (songthaews) with numbers.Every year around the month of July is held the Candle Festival Ubon Ratchathani which includes tanks with huge sculptures of wax. It is the largest festival of its kind in Thailand.
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How to go to Ubon Ratchathani ?
You can go to Ubon Ratchathani from Bangkok by plane, train or bus. Buses leave from Mo Chit, the Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal every hour. The train travel is quite long, so the best is to take a sleeper in a night train but you have to book in advance to be sure to get one. You can book online here.How to get around in Ubon Ratchathani ?
The town has a bus system provided by nuebered songtheaws. Each number has its own color and a defined route. There is a plan of Udon Thani bus lines available at TAT office. Unique price regardless of the distance traveled: 10 Baths. The number 2 goes to the train station, line number 11, 3 and 2 go to the bus terminal. The only little problem is tat the drivers seem to ignore or fear tourists and it is sometimes hard for farang to make them stop to take you on board. Do not expect either to get any information from the driver and especially not in English. The songthaews 1, 3, 10 and 11 go to Ubon Ratchathani Bus Terminal, 4 km from the city center.
Otherwise, there are plenty of tuk-tuks, and many samlaws and taximeters in ubon. It is one of the provincial cities where taxis are the most numerous. There is a flat rate of 100 baht from the airport to the city for the rest drivers are supposed to put the meter. There are a taxis and tuk-tuks in fornt of Ubon hospital. You can also use GRAB app (similar to UBER but UBER does not operate in Southestern Asia any more) to order a transportation.
Otherwise, there are plenty of tuk-tuks, and many samlaws and taximeters in ubon. It is one of the provincial cities where taxis are the most numerous. There is a flat rate of 100 baht from the airport to the city for the rest drivers are supposed to put the meter. There are a taxis and tuk-tuks in fornt of Ubon hospital. You can also use GRAB app (similar to UBER but UBER does not operate in Southestern Asia any more) to order a transportation.
Festivals in Ubon Ratchathani ?
Here is a list of the main festivals held every year in Ubon Ratchathani. Their dates are published as soon as they are official on the Festivals in Thailand page.
Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
This festival usually takes place in July
Must-visits in
Wat Phra That Nong Bua
วัดพระธาตุหนองบัวMy opinion : 5/5
Certainly one of the curiosities to be discovered in Ubon Ratchathani, this unique temple of this kind in Thailand is located on the outskirts of the city. It is a copy of the Mahabodhi Bodhgaya in India.
Wat Thung Si Muang
วัดทุ่งศรีเมืองMy opinion : 5/5
This temple is mainly famous for its wooden library on stilts.
Wat Sirindhorn Wararam (Wat Phu Prao)
วัดสิรินธรวรารามภูพร้าวMy opinion : 5/5
This small temple 1h30 drive from Ubon Ratchthani is particularly photogenic at dusk when the phosphorescent paintings of its rear facade are revealed. Not easy to photograph but beautiful !Other places to see in Ubon Ratchathani
Thung Si Muang Park
the largest park in the city known for its imposing statue representing a chariot of the famous Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival. In the evening, the night market where you can eat for cheap takes place right next to the park.
Wat Jaeng
whith on of the oldest ordination rooms in the province. It is a well-preserved example of Isan religious architecture
Wat Maha Wanaram
or Wat Phra Yai, Temple of the Big Buddha, it is worth visiting especially for the large sitting Buddha statue, the most revered of Ubon Ratchathani
Wat Ban Na Muang
one of the most interesting temple in Ubon Ratchathani. It is notable for having both the Ubosot and the Wiharn built atop replicas of river barges.
Hat Wat Tai Beach
there is no sea, but there is a beach in Ubon Ratchathani. It overlooks the Mun River. A nice scenery to eat or have a drink and maybe swim.
Wat Si Pradu
this temple is not very known but it is very interesting for the colorful murals that decorate its wiharn
Sam Pan Bok
the Grand Canyon of Siam, an amazing desert and rocky landscape with thousands of holes located 120 km from Ubon Ratchathani. Quite exotic and unique in Thailand.
Hat Salung
a small sandy bank on the Mekong river at the border between Thailand and Laos. It is generally added to the program of the visit of Sam Pan Bok.
Wat Tham Khuha Sawan
This temple located near Khong Chiam 80 kilometers east of Ubon Ratchathani city offers a pretty dominant view over the Mekong with the Loas on the opposite bank, houses a huge Buddhist gong and a cave with the body of its founding monk very well preserved in a glass coffin.
Weather & climate in
Ubon Ratchathani has a tropical humid and dry climate. The winter (November to March) is dry and very hot. Temperatures rise until April, the hottest month of the year. The monsoon season is from late April to October, with heavy rains and cooler temperatures during the day.The best time to come to Ubon Ratchathani is from November to March. April and October are also pleasant but with more rains. August and September are the least suitable months to come to Ubon Ratchathani.
How to ask the way in Thai to Ubon Ratchathani ?
I want to go to Ubon Ratchathani / Yak pai thi Ubon Ratchathani.Where is Ubon Ratchathani? / Ubon Ratchathani yu thi nai?
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