Nakhon Ratchasma is one of northeast Thailand’s four largest cities and is more commonly known as Korat. It’s around 160 miles (260 km) from Bangkok, and one of the easiest ways to get there is by train. We love traveling by train in Thailand, and recently traveled this route.
When we arrived at Hua Lamphong train station to get our train to Korat there was a steam train waiting to depart, which you can see in the image above. Train travel in Thailand is very cheap, so it’s a great way to travel, although the trains are pretty slow.
Our train’s final destination was to Udon Thani (see tickets for Bangkok to Udon Thani), but most trains that pass through Korat are headed towards Ubon Ratchathani (see . We took the 8.20 express train from Bangkok and it arrived in Korat around 5 hours later. The cost of a ticket was 325 baht ($11), but prices vary depending on the train and class of carriage. You can buy train tickets either at the station or via some travel agencies. Some charge a booking fee and some don’t. SI Travel on Pan Road in Silom don’t charge a booking fee.
The journey to Korat is a slow and relaxing affair, so take a good book to read. Many sellers come around the train selling or sorts of food and drink at reasonable prices, but I’d buy some water for the journey, as the train can get very hot. You won’t want to sit around waiting for the person selling water to arrive at your carriage.
Korat train station is a little outside the city center, so you’ll need to get a tuk tuk to your final destination. You’ll find the tuk tuks parked right outside the station, just to the left of the train you’ll see in front of you when you leave the station.
You’ll see the above train right in front of you as you leave Korat station. Look to your left and you’ll see the tuk tuks.
We paid 60 baht ($2) for a tuk tuk journey of around 2-3 miles. The driver also stopped on the way so that we could by a few snacks from a local seller.
Train Times From Bangkok To Nakhon Ratchasima
These train times are correct at the time of writing, but might change in the future. You can check up to date train times and prices at 12Go.Asia.
- Train 21 – Departs Bangkok 5:45, Arrives Korat 10:01 – Ticket 425 baht – with aircon
- Train 135 – Departs Bangkok 6:40, Arrives Korat 12:12 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon
- Train 9075 – Departs Bangkok 8:20, Arrives Korat 13:03 – Ticket 200 baht (3rd class – no aircon), 325 baht (2nd class – aircon)
- Train 71 – Departs Bangkok 10:05, Arrives Korat 14:27 – Ticket 200 baht (3rd class – no aircon), 325 baht (2nd class – aircon)
- Train 145 – Departs Bangkok 15:20, Arrives Korat 21:15 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon
- Train 77 – Departs Bangkok 18:35, Arrives Korat 22:55 – Ticket 200 baht (3rd class – no aircon), 325 baht (2nd class – aircon)
- Train 21 – Departs Bangkok 18:55, Arrives Korat 0:07 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon. Berths are also available for 315 baht (lower) and 265 baht (upper).
Train Times From Nakhon Ratchasima To Bangkok
The following are schedules for trains from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok.
- Train 140 – Departs Korat 0:51, Arrives Bangkok 7:30 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon. Berths are also available for 315 baht (lower) and 265 baht (upper).
- Train 72 – Departs Korat 10:18, Arrives Bangkok 14:50 – Ticket 200 baht (3rd class – no aircon), 325 baht (2nd class – aircon)
- Train 9076 – Departs Korat 11:39, Arrives Bangkok 17:10 – Ticket 200 baht (3rd class – no aircon), 325 baht (2nd class – aircon)
- Train 136 – Departs Korat 12:33, Arrives Bangkok 18:40 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon
- Train 146 – Departs Korat 14:54, Arrives Bangkok 21:00 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon
- Train 22 – Departs Korat 18:47, Arrives Bangkok 22:55 – Ticket 425 baht – with aircon
- Train 140 – Departs Korat 22:32, Arrives Bangkok 4:25 – Ticket 100 baht (3rd class), 165 baht (2nd class) – no aircon
Hotels In Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand
While in Korat, we stay at City Park Hotel and Sawairiang Place Hotel, both of which we liked.
For other hotels in Korat, see Agoda Korat.
