Things to do in Udon Thani
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Udon Thani
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: cool, dry, lotus bloom from December and festival season.
Hot but dry and manageable with early starts.
Worst heat of the year, redeemed only by Songkran in mid April.
Rainy season: lush, cheap and emptier, with no lotuses and slick trails.
Typically the wettest month and the least rewarding for a first visit.
What's on
- Thung Si Muang Festival Early December, from around 1 December
The province biggest fair, with processions from Chao Pu-Ya Shrine, mor lam music and food stalls.
- Red Lotus Sea Season December to February, peak mid January to early February
The lake bloom at its best, with festival level crowds on cool season weekends.
- Songkran 13 to 15 April
Thai New Year water festival, joyful and citywide, with transport booked out ahead.
- Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival May to June, weekends vary by village
Isan villages fire homemade rockets to call the rains, loudest in Yasothon to the south.
- Loy Krathong Full moon night in November
Krathong floats on Nong Prajak Lake make this the prettiest night of the park year.
- Phi Ta Khon June or July, dates vary, in Dan Sai, Loei
Ghost mask festival about three hours away, spectacular and worth an overnight.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Udon Thani
Red Lotus Sea
A huge lake turns pink with water lilies each cool season and a dawn boat ride puts you inside the bloom.
Ban Chiang National Museum and Ban Chiang Archaeological Site
Bronze Age pottery and burials explained so well that a remote village dig becomes a gripping story.
Phu Phra Bat Historical Park
Balanced mushroom rocks, ancient cave paintings and Dvaravati boundary stones on one quiet sandstone hill.
Thai-Chinese Cultural Center
A calm garden, koi pond and small museum that explain how Chinese migration shaped this city.
Udon Thani Museum
The fastest way to understand the city, from prehistory to its Vietnam War air base years.
Wat Pa Ban Tat
A revered forest monastery with deep quiet, shaded grounds and a moving memorial to its founder.
Wat Pothisomphon Phra Aram Luang
The city royal temple, with a gilded chedi you can climb for the best orientation view in town.
Chao Pu-Ya Shrine
A colourful lakeside shrine with a golden dragon and pavilions where local families linger.
Where to stay in Udon Thani
Central Plaza and Prajak Road core
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the museum, the mall and dozens of restaurants, with every driver knowing the grid.
UD Town and station east side
evenings and food
Night market stalls at your door and the station in walking distance, lively later than the core.
Nong Prajak Park west side
quiet, mornings and longer stays
Dawn runs and sunset lake views in a residential feel a short walk from the centre.
Nittayo Road, east of centre
families and self drivers
A modern full service hotel east of the centre with pool and parking, a short ride from the core and easy exits east.
Think twice about
- Sampanthamit Road frontage
Expat bar strip that is noisy late and aimed at older male visitors. Stay two streets away for centrality without the soundtrack.
- Mittraphap Road highway fringe and airport road
Dead at night with no pavements, so every meal becomes a ride. Fine for a dawn bus connection, poor as a base.
- Ban Chiang village and Kumphawapi as a base
Pleasant for one sight but minimal evening food and long drives to everything else. Sleep in the city and day trip out.
Best restaurants in Udon Thani
Samuay & Sons
Ancient Isan recipes rebuilt with modern craft and fierce local sourcing by a celebrated chef.
Chef's Table
A tiny chef led room cooking seasonal menus in view, the city second special occasion address.
Da Sofia Restaurant
Rustic Italian and the city best pizza, sustained for years by residents who know food.
VT Namnueng
Wrap your own grilled pork in rice paper with herbs at the flagship of Vietnamese Udon Thani.
Madame Phatehh
Breakfast as an event, Thai Vietnamese and French plates with fine bread in a lantern lit room.
Dose Espresso
The city specialty coffee flagship, with serious roasting and an all day menu that delivers.
Good Everything
The reliable local favourite for mixed groups, polished Thai dishes and no arguments at ordering.
Rabiang Phatchani Restaurant
Proper sit down Isan classics by the lake at sunset, cooked for Thais and shared by the table.
Outdoor things to do in Udon Thani
Phu Foi Lom
A cool forest park with orchids and flower gardens where local families escape the plain heat.
Wat Pa Phu Kon
A hilltop temple with green roofs and a vast white marble reclining Buddha above the forest.
Kham Chanot Wang Nakhin
A palm forest island shrine to the Naga, thick with incense, offerings and living folklore.
Sala Keoku
Giant surreal concrete gods by the Mekong, the centrepiece of the easiest full day trip from the city.
Royal Creek Golf Club and Resort
The province championship course, all water and bunkers, with a resort for non golfers.
Sri Thani Golf Forest
Nine tree lined holes of charming, sociable golf at among the lowest prices in Thailand.
Nong Prajak Public Park
A flat lakeside loop for dawn runs, rental bikes and sunset walks with half the city.
Udon Golf Club & Resort
A tight jungle nine holer that takes balls and tells stories, loved by local regulars.
Best hotels in Udon Thani
Centara Udon
The flagship full service stay attached to the mall, with the city best service culture.
The Pannarai Hotel
Clean, central and helpful, the mid range sweet spot a short walk from the mall.
Hotel MOCO
The newest feeling mid range stay, steps from UD Town with lake views and a spa.
VELA Dhi Udon Thani
Design led boutique luxury with a calm pool scene at the top of the local market.
Brown House Hotel Udonthani
Warm wood, gardens and a guesthouse soul, suited to park mornings and repeat visits.
Prajaktra Design Hotel
Stay for the lake as your front garden, with park cafes as your breakfast room.
De Princess Hotel Udonthani
Newer full service comfort with pool and parking, ideal for families driving the province.
Whereder Poshtel Udon Thani
Clean dorms and private rooms with boutique polish, the budget base solo travellers rate.
Is Udon Thani expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 1,300 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 3,000 a person |
| Splurge | THB 7,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Royal Creek Golf Club and Resort: a few days ahead
- Samuay & Sons: a few days ahead
- Chef's Table: a few days ahead
- Centara Udon: weeks ahead
- VELA Dhi Udon Thani: weeks ahead
- Book flights and central hotels weeks ahead for December to February and the Thung Si Muang Festival.
- Book the Samuay and Sons tasting menu days to weeks ahead because the room is tiny.
- Red Lotus boats cannot be reserved by individuals, so arrive by 06:00 in bloom season.
Is Udon Thani safe?
- Low crime city where traffic and heat are the realistic risks, so use Grab at night and respect midday sun.
- Cover shoulders and knees at temples, remove shoes, and never be disrespectful about the monarchy or Buddha images.
- Emergency numbers are 191 generally and 1155 for tourist police, with Bangkok Hospital Udon as the main private hospital.
Udon Thani travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Packaged lotus or Ban Chiang tours from hotel desks cost more than a private driver and run at their pace.
- Attempting the lotus lake, Ban Chiang and Phu Phra Bat in one day means seeing all three badly.
- Nong Khai promenade fish restaurants charge for the view, so walk one street back for better value.
Getting around Udon Thani: public transport and more
- Fly into Udon Thani International Airport, about 15 minutes from the centre, or take the overnight train from Bangkok.
- Use Grab and Bolt in the city, songthaews for fixed central routes, and agree tuk tuk prices before riding.
- Hire a car or a hotel arranged driver for Ban Chiang, Phu Phra Bat, Wat Pa Phu Kon and Kham Chanot.
Who Udon Thani suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Udon Thani your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store