What to see and do on a trip through the Northeast and Sukhothai?

Hello,

After a successful first trip in 2025, with the help of forum members, we’d love to return to this amazing cultural melting pot in 2026 for three weeks (2 adults, 2 kids aged 13 and 16).

We’d like to explore new places in the Northeast: fly into Khon Kaen and explore the region—Loei, Nong Khai, perhaps? A detour to the center to visit Sukhothai would be a great addition.

I’ll admit, planning this itinerary is a bit trickier for me since I’m less familiar with these areas and what they have to offer. The distances also seem longer than our previous transfers (BKK-Kanchanaburi-Kaeng Krachan-Sam Roi Yot...).

Do you have any suggestions or hidden gems to explore in the Northeast and Central regions that keep travel time between stops reasonable (3-4 hours)?

Thanks for your input!

Hi there,

2A, 2E 13+16A

? Are those your seats on the plane—are you flying first class?

When are you traveling? That could be important for Loei.

Ugh, I just knew I was forgetting something... ;-)

Same as in 2025, July... can't really say the 2025 rainy season ruined our vacation, so we're doing it again... though maybe it's a bit of a lottery, but July seems pretty mild in terms of rainfall...

For my flight tickets, it's pretty straightforward: 2 adults, 2 kids aged 13 and 16... or was that just irony? ;-)

The bit about flight prices was sarcastic because I didn’t understand what that string of numbers and letters was for.

Regarding the stops you mentioned:

I only know Khon Kaen from its bus station, where I once stopped for a connection between two buses from Roi Et to Loei.

I know Nong Khai much better since I’ve passed through multiple times. It’s worth a 3-night stop for its relatively peaceful vibe, the riverside promenade where it’s nice to stroll in the late afternoon, and the Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park located 4 km east of the city.

Loei is a quiet provincial capital whose main draw is being the gateway to the famous Phu Ruea National Park and Phu Kradueng National Park. The catch is that in July and August, the national parks turn into mud pits—so much so that Phu Kradueng closes every year from June 1st to September 30th.

From Loei, it’s easy to reach Sukhothai by bus via Phitsanulok, but the trip will take over 4 hours. From what I remember, Loei to Phitsanulok is about 5 hours, plus another 1 hour 15 minutes to Sukhothai. The Sukhothai to Bangkok trip takes 6–7 hours, with frequent departures until 11 PM–midnight.

But you won’t fill 3 weeks with just that.

Between Nong Khai and Loei, I suggest taking Route 211 along the river and stopping in some of the sleepy villages (Sri Chiangmai, Sangkhom, Pak Chom) along the way to Chiang Khan. Just don’t expect anything beyond the peaceful riverside village life. Some travelers, in a hurry, do the route in 2–3 days, while others—like me, the "contemplative" type—take 2 weeks. You could plan for 7–8 days somewhere in between. If you’re interested, I can share more details and photos.

Nong Khai, the promenade:



Nong Khai, at Sala Kaew Ku:

Hmm, after checking the weather stats for Loei and Nong Khai for past Julys, I’m feeling a bit put off and soggy just thinking about it...

So I’m leaning toward a vertical trip instead:

Bangkok: 3 nights because I love Bangkok and don’t want to leave right away Hua Hin: 3 nights because it seems nice, a mix of culture and beach with the kids, and we’ve already done Sam Roi Yot Chiang Mai: 4 nights because there’s so much to do Sukhothai: 3 nights just because it’s Sukhothai Nakhon Sawan: 3 nights because it’s new, exotic, and Ping + Nan = Chao Phraya Ang Thong or Suphan Buri or somewhere else: 3 nights Bangkok: 2+1 nights, the last one being before our 1:00 AM flight back, so not really used...

With transfers eating up half a day, especially with kids, I’m planning at least 3 nights per stop.

I’m all ears for your feedback on this first draft of the itinerary!

Oh darn, our messages crossed!

Thanks for the feedback on Loei and Nong Khai. These two destinations sound amazing, but July doesn’t seem like the ideal month. I’ll keep them in mind for a future trip during a better season...

Direct flight HHQ-CNX FD3901 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, 12:10 PM–1:25 PM, starting at 991 THB one-way in July 2026.

Thanks for the Hua Hin to Chiang Mai flight schedule!

If the plan doesn’t change, it’s the most convenient way to get to Chiang Mai. Last year, the drive back from Sam Roi Yot to Suvarnabhumi for a flight to Chiang Rai took 5 hours! I left early to avoid potential traffic jams, but let he who’s never been stuck for an hour without moving in a jam throw the first stone… ;-)

What I’m really looking for is feedback on the cities planned between Sukhothai and BKK—if you’ve already visited them. After checking various sites, it seems like there’s enough to spend three nights in each without any issues, but hearing from people who’ve actually stayed there is invaluable…

Hi DrSnuggle, I’d love to read reviews about the towns between Sukhothai and BKK in the central plains too. I’d done some research on the area because I’m not familiar with it. There are archaeological sites, but I’m not sure if they’re worth the trip.

Here’s what I found:

- "Nakhon Sawan is a major city in central Thailand, but it has absolutely no tourist interest."

- Si Thep Historical Park.

- Kamphaeng Phet: "some interesting ruins, but not much compared to Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. The town itself is nice though."

- Singburi: apart from Buddhist temples, I didn’t note anything else.

Opinions, tastes, and preferences vary, of course... it’s all subjective. What I noticed was that getting to these sites using local transport was really complicated (or nonexistent), and I gave up since I couldn’t find any info on how worthwhile these historical sites are when you’ve already visited Thailand’s "major" ones. __ As for the Isan region, where I’ve been:

Personally, I really liked Nong Khai (though I hated Udon Thani). I can confirm everything Songsam mentioned—what he recommended to see, the town’s atmosphere, the walk along the Mekong. There are things to do: Wat Pho Chai, climbing up the Big Buddha, the Sala Keo Kou park outside, and the food in Nong Khai is great.

I wanted to visit Phu Phra Bat from Nong Khai, but after checking info on the spot, using local transport (bus + songthaew + moto taxi) was super complicated, and you’d have to leave *very* early. Otherwise, it’s a motorbike ride—still 70/80 km. It takes about 1h 30 by bike from Nong Khai (plus the return trip). The only other option was a taxi, which cost 1500 baht round-trip. We didn’t go (I wasn’t the only one deciding).

I also missed the Wat Pha Tak Suea Skywalk. I’d read that the site is about 80 km from Nong Khai and takes around 1h 30 to get there. I thought I could go from Nong Khai, but it was actually much closer to Sangkhom (which we’d just left...). And from Nong Khai, we couldn’t find any way to get there. Missed opportunity!

I loved Chiang Khan in the north—the vibe (despite the cold... in December, brrr...), and the Khaeng Khut Khu rapids outside.

Pak Chom was just a quick stop at a noisy market to switch transport, since the route from Chiang Khan to Sangkhom was far from direct.

Sangkhom was less interesting to me, but maybe I missed some spots. It was just a stop to break up the trip.

I skipped Loei.

I agree with you—you won’t fill 3 weeks with just this. I did a full loop of Isan in under 3 weeks using public transport, even though I’d planned for 4.

The eastern part of Isan is really interesting too—I loved it, with several geological national parks and prehistoric paintings. And a big plus for Mukdahan and Khong Chiam, where you can explore (by motorbike).

Hello,

le Phu Phra Bat, (...) on ne l'a pas fait

I went there on an excursion from Si Chiangmai. You didn’t miss much—it’s not worth the cost or the hassle of getting there.

J'ai aussi raté le le Wat Pha Tak Suea Skywalk.

Again, you didn’t miss much. The "skywalk" in the name is really exaggerated—it’s actually just a small glass-floor balcony with a plunging view of the Mekong and Laos. It’s about 20 km from Sangkhom by road but only 3 km as the crow flies.

Sangkhom, j'ai trouvé moins intéressant

It’s also the one I like the least out of the villages along this route. My favorites are Sri Chiangmai, followed by Pak Chom. Sangkhom also has, in my opinion, the least scenic riverside walk of the three. Pak Chom offers the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the river.

Three sunrises and one sunset from Pak Chom:

I don’t know any of the cities you mentioned between Sukhothai and Bangkok (except for Suphanburi’s bus station). On the first page of this thread https://voyageforum.com/forum/demande-conseils-projet-itineraire-thailande-laos-cambodge-d10779659/, you’ll find posts by Pled and Jojoone1 talking about Uthai Thani, which is in the same area.

I've revised my itinerary to avoid spreading ourselves too thin:

Bangkok 4N Sukhothai 4N Lampang 3N Doi Inthanon 2N (could be swapped with Chiang Mai—see "Luggage" note below) Chiang Mai 4N Bangkok 2N+1 (overnight departure)

I still have 3 nights to fit in between Sukhothai and Chiang Mai or further north—any suggestions?

For the 2 nights at Doi Inthanon, is it better to rent a car? I’m worried the roads might be too winding. Or are Grab/songthaews easy to find there for park excursions, like from Ban Luang? Otherwise, to avoid lugging around three 23kg suitcases, are there luggage storage options in Chiang Mai for 3 days while we spend 2 nights in the park?

For Sukhothai, you can spend half a day visiting the main site and a full day for the five sites around it. I think that means one night too many in Sukhothai.

For visiting Doi Inthanon National Park, most people do it from Chiang Mai—it saves you from changing hotels. However, make sure to do your research beforehand so you can tell the taxi driver the names of all the sites you want to visit there.

Sukhothai 4N

Like Jojoone, I think that’s a bit too long. Three nights would give you plenty of time to visit Old Sukhothai and Old Si Satchanalai without rushing.

Lampang 3N

I found this town pretty ugly, and it’s where all the package tours stop for one night just to take a horse-drawn carriage ride in a long line to the famous temple on the outskirts before continuing their crazy day 🤪 to Sop Ruak and then Chiang Rai. Thankfully, there are beautiful temples in plenty of other towns. I never felt like going back to Lampang—you seem keen on it, maybe as a way to break up the trip, so okay, but more than two nights? Good grief!

Doi Inthanon 2N (could be swapped with Chiang Mai—see "Luggage" note below) Chiang Mai 4N

So you’d go straight from Lampang to Doi Inthanon without stopping in Chiang Mai? That means heading northwest to Lamphun, then southwest to Ban Hong, then northwest again to Chom Thong before turning southwest toward Mae Sariang and the park entrance… Hmm. If I were you, I’d skip that kind of zigzagging—it barely shortens the trip, and I’d do what everyone else does: go via Chiang Mai. This is the first time I’ve heard someone say they want to stay two nights "up there." Usually, people do a day trip from Chiang Mai, often arranged through their accommodation or a local agency. Since I’ve never been to Doi Inthanon, I can’t say whether two nights is worth it, but if it’s possible, why not?

Chiang Mai 4N (...) Are there luggage storage options in Chiang Mai?

Arriving in Chiang Mai *after* Doi Inthanon? No, I definitely wouldn’t do it that way. After Lampang (if you can’t bring yourself to skip it), I’d spend my 4 nights in Chiang Mai first, then head to Doi Inthanon and return to Chiang Mai for one more night. (Three full days in Chiang Mai the first time seems like a reasonable minimum.) Even if you cut Doi Inthanon down to a day trip, keeping 5 nights in Chiang Mai would still make sense. I don’t know if there are luggage lockers in Chiang Mai, but any of the many accommodations there will happily (and usually for free) store your bags during an excursion—even for several days—if you’ve stayed with them before. They’ll be even happier if you booked the excursion or car rental through them.

dragging around 3 suitcases at 23kg each

You’re traveling with 8 people?

I have 3 nights to fill between Sukhothai and Chiang Mai (or further north). Any ideas?

Phayao: A quiet town with a nice lake—great for a 2-kilometer stroll along the promenade starting around 4–5 PM, when locals gather to walk, relax, or join in activities you might get invited to. Most accommodations are busy on weekends* with Thai tourists, but there’s very little foreign tourism. There’s a walking street on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 4 PM, an evening food market where you can sit and eat all week, plus other restaurants and street food spots. It’s easy to reach by bus from Chiang Mai in about 2.5 hours, with plenty of departures to Bangkok and Chiang Rai. 2–3 nights would be ideal.

Nan: A small, peaceful provincial capital with several uniquely styled temples (different from other provinces) that are rightly famous. There are bike lanes that cars actually respect, little traffic, and lots of accommodations—mostly busy on weekends* with Thai tourists, but very few foreign visitors. Plenty of restaurants, too. You can get there by bus from Phayao (1 daily, 4 hours), with multiple buses from Chiang Mai (6–7 hours), 1 daily from Chiang Rai (5 hours), and several buses and low-cost flights to Bangkok. 3–4 nights would be great, or more if you explore the surrounding province.

*For weekends, book your accommodation in advance.

Buses from Nan (note: the Nan-Phayao-Chiang Mai route on Greenbus no longer exists):