Things to do in Khon Kaen
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Khon Kaen
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, cool evenings, best trails and golf, with the Silk and Flower festivals in this window.
Shoulder month, greener waterfalls and fewer crowds, with late rain a shrinking risk.
Hottest months, sightseeing compresses into dawn and evening despite Songkran in April.
Wettest months, heavy afternoon rain, muddy trails and slower rural roads.
What's on
- Dok Khun Siang Khaen Festival 13 to 15 April, programme roughly 8 to 15 April
Khon Kaen Songkran on Khao Niao Road, with merit making, parades, mor lam and mass water play.
- Phra That Kham Kaen Fair Full moon of the sixth lunar month, usually May or June
Devotional fair at the province most sacred shrine, with offerings and performance.
- International Silk Festival, Phuk Siao Tradition and Red Cross Fair Late November to early December, traditionally 29 November to 10 December
Silk sales, friendship tying ceremony, mor lam, mass dances and a charity fair in front of City Hall.
- Amazing International Flower Festival December to January
Flower displays, gardens and concerts at Bueng Thung Sang Park, popular with families.
- Khon Kaen Countdown 25 to 31 December
Food festival, illuminated gardens, merit making and fireworks on Srichan Road and at the city gate.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Khon Kaen
Wat Nong Waeng Phra Aram Luang
Nine storey stupa you can climb floor by floor for the best view over the lake and city.
Wat Thung Setthi
Modern showpiece temple with ornate halls and grounds that Thai visitors travel across the region to see.
Bueng Kaen Nakhon Public Park
The city lake loop for dawn runs, sunset walks, aerobics, playgrounds and lakeside snacks.
Khon Kaen National Museum
Compact museum that explains Isan, Khmer and dinosaur country before you visit the sites themselves.
Ton Tann Market
Huge nightly market where the food, live music and big screens make a full evening out.
Khon Kaen Walking Street
Saturday only street market with student performers, local crafts and street food for the whole city.
Phra That Kham Kaen
The sacred stupa that gives the province its name, set in a village temple among paddy fields.
Prasat Pueai Noi
Largest preserved Khmer complex in the province, three brick towers with almost no other visitors.
Where to stay in Khon Kaen
Central / Srichan Road and Central Plaza
first trip, all-round base
Big hotels, the mall, Walking Street and the most restaurants in short Grab hops.
Bueng Kaen Nakhon / lakeside south
mornings, calm, longer stays
Sunset lake loop and Wat Nong Waeng on your doorstep, quieter and darker at night.
Khon Kaen University / Kangsadal
budget, coffee and student food
Cheap stays, cafes and a lively student night food scene, 15 minutes from the centre.
Lao Nadee Road / west-central
drivers, pool and calm
Resort feel and easy exits west to Phu Wiang and golf, with more Grab use.
Mittraphap Road
road trippers and budget stops
Reliable budget chain access on the highway spine, practical rather than charming.
Think twice about
- Bus terminals and Mittraphap highway strips at the city edges
Safe but noisy, pavement poor and a Grab ride from every meal and sight, with nothing to walk to at night.
- Dark soi clusters well south of the lake and well east of the centre
Residential and unlit by big city standards and empty after 9pm, making the walk home feel uneasy for solo travellers.
- Khao Suan Kwang and Ubolratana as a city base
An hour each way from temples, markets and restaurants, so any saving is lost to transport.
Best restaurants in Khon Kaen
Seasons 27
Rooftop Italian and Mediterranean dining on the 27th floor, the city best special occasion table.
Praprai
Great-value Isan cooking by the airport, known for deep fried sour fish and full strength som tum.
Prasit Pochana
Family Isan beef and pork shophouse since 1972, famous for charcoal sausages and grilled tongue.
Kai Yang Rabeab
Home of Khao Suan Kwang grilled chicken, eaten with som tum and sticky rice at lunch.
Leng Yentafo
Great-value pink yentafo noodles served from morning until the small hours, fast and cheap.
Baan Heng
Great-value Vietnamese influenced breakfast of pan eggs, baguette and noodle soups that starts early.
Tumkratoei Sagate
Acclaimed som tum with theatre, built around shared loaded trays for a group table.
Mekin Farm
Great-value farm kitchen cooking its own produce in a green setting made for a long lunch.
Outdoor things to do in Khon Kaen
Phu Wiang National Park
Forested hills with dinosaur fossils in place, excavation sites, trails and viewpoints west of the city.
Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum
Full size models and real local fossils that complete the national park day, especially for children.
Ubolratana Dam
Great reservoir with a dam top drive, lakeside fish restaurants and the Bang Saen 2 swimming beach.
Bang Saen 2
The managed swimming beach on the Ubolratana reservoir, busiest on Sundays when the food stalls are in full operation.
Bang Saen 2
The managed swimming beach on the Ubolratana reservoir, busiest on Sundays when the food stalls are in full operation.
Khon Kaen Zoo
Spacious hill zoo with golf carts to drive yourself, shows and towers, loved by Thai families.
Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club
Isan benchmark golf course with true greens, heavy bunkering and a first class clubhouse.
Dancoon Golf Club
Challenging and affordable golf near the airport, with an island green and a loyal local following.
Best hotels in Khon Kaen
Ad Lib Khon Kaen
Design led tower hotel with a rooftop pool and the city best restaurant, praised for warm service.
AVANI Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention Centre
Full service international hotel with a large pool and family rooms, built for groups and conferences.
Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid
Grand full service hotel with spa, brewery restaurant and 24 hour room service in the centre.
Kosa Hotel Khon Kaen
Central, clean and unpretentious base with its own mall, popular with Thai travellers who know the city.
Nadee 10 Resort & Hotel
Small resort style hotel with a good pool and quiet greenery, easy for drivers heading west.
Hop Inn Khon Kaen Mittraphap Road
Reliable budget chain room that is clean, air conditioned and secure, with no frills at all.
Is Khon Kaen expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 1,200 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 2,800 a person |
| Splurge | THB 6,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Seasons 27: a few days ahead
- Prasit Pochana: a few days ahead
- Mekin Farm: a few days ahead
- Pomodoro: a few days ahead
- Ad Lib Khon Kaen: weeks ahead
- AVANI Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention Centre: weeks ahead
- Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid: weeks ahead
- Book central rooms ahead for the Silk Festival, Songkran, long weekends and conference weeks.
- Book a Seasons 27 window table for weekends and phone Prasit Pochana to reserve grilled beef tongue.
- Book Singha Park tee times ahead and verify Dino Water Park opening and open zones on the day.
Is Khon Kaen safe?
- Main risk is road traffic, so use helmets and seatbelts and take care as a pedestrian on main roads.
- Do not drink tap water, build up slowly to fermented and raw Isan dishes, and choose busy stalls.
- Emergency numbers are tourist police 1155, general emergency 191 and medical emergency 1669.
Khon Kaen travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eating in Central Plaza by default in a city with an exceptional great-value list.
- Driving to Phu Wiang only for the museum, or expecting the national park to be a theme park.
- Visiting Dino Water Park without checking it's open that weekday, and bundled tours that try four distant stops in five hours.
Getting around Khon Kaen: public transport and more
- Use Grab in the city and hire a private car with driver for Phu Wiang, Ubolratana, Pueai Noi and Chonnabot days.
- Fly Bangkok to Khon Kaen in about an hour, then allow 20 to 30 minutes by car to a central hotel.
- Carry baht cash for markets, temples, parks and noodle shops, and download offline maps for park days.
Who Khon Kaen suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Khon Kaen your trip
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