How to Get the Best from Your Visit to Khon Kaen

Introduction

As of 2018, Thailand had received up to 38 million visitors a year which was a record high that continued to be challenged in the year after. Despite the corona virus pandemic, many travellers are looking forward to heading back into the country once the pandemic restrictions are slowly lifted around the world. There is one place in Thailand that is not as much visited as the popular locations of Bangkok and Chiang Mai and that is Khon Kaen.

Khon Kaen Starts Welcoming Visitors

Bangkok is just 300 miles northeast to Khon Kaen and the easiest way to get there is by taking a flight. It costs about $35 and no more to fly in from Bangkok, while the capital of Laos, Vientiane is only three hours' drive away. There is also a new light-rail system that will make transport within the Khon Kaen city limits relatively easy. While the Khon Kaen Airport had just two gates in the past, there has been a large surge in development. Lots of luxury resorts the likes of Avani Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention Centre have popped up all over the city making your experience in finding a hotel in Khon Kaen relatively easy. The Central Plaza mall opened in 2015 and has given rise to the entire neighborhood where you can find high-end apartment complexes, restaurants and cafés.

Khon Kaen Throws the Best Songkran in Thailand

Songkran or Thai New Year is celebrated all over Thailand, but no city throws as massive a gala affair for the holiday festival as Khon Kaen does. It is a massive water festival that is the best possible place to be to get a quick crash course on Thai culture and heritage while having the time of your life. The streets surrounding Central Plaza are completely shut down for the festival and there are multiple street vendors and concerts held across two primary areas of the city. All the people in the city join in, filling the backs of trucks with water cans and squirt guns and there's an absolute guarantee you will not be coming away dry. You will find small children in the crowd and old people; everyone takes part and goes crazy trying to drench anyone within their reach whether they know you or not. There will also be a lot of cultural displays and historical showcases for you to visit.

Khon Kaen is a University Town with a Strong Coffee Culture

Khon Kaen is also a university town and as such has that laid back charm and highbrow intellectuality that you have come to expect from university towns in the world. As such, there is also, as if by extension, a strong coffee culture in the local cafés. It won't be too hard to find yourself a delicious brew and you can also visit the university which is a sight to behold in itself.

The Night Markets rival Thailand's Biggest Cities

Khon Kaen has a wide variety of both day and night markets and if you are visiting Thailand you should definitely be wandering through several of these with your camera at the ready. There is a large selection of vendors selling anything you could possibly imagine, and you will find quite a lot of street food stalls where you can try local street delicacies. You can shop for souvenirs or cheap clothing and on the weekends. You will find that there is a live music scene which you can enjoy as well by the local artists. If you are feeling a little adventurous, wander deeper into the markets and check out the exotic items on display.