Are there Khon Kaen to Mukdahan direct bus routes

[Stekmer]

My first trip back to Thailand since COVID and planning to visit places I haven't been before, plus a few favourites - comming from Australia via KL and Penang to Bangkok in early March.

Plans so far are to get a train to Khon Kaen and then hopefully, to get a direct bus to Mukdahan before heading up to Nakhon Phanom.

Any information on the following would be greatly appreciated:

• accommodation in Khon Kaen that is close to the bus station and walking distance to night markets or other eating options would be most appreciated.
• bus time tables from Khon Kaen to Mukdahan

[bradiston]

https://12go.asia/en/travel/khon-kaen/mukdahan

 

Note: December, not March

 

For hotels, try Google.

Edited December 16, 2022 by bradiston

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Stekmer said:

accommodation in Khon Kaen that is close to the bus station and walking distance to night markets or other eating options would be most appreciated.

The bus station in KK has moved, it is now in an area where there are few hotels, if any, and you certainly can’t walk from it to anywhere with the good eating places and nightlife.

 

it’s at the bottom of the map

Edited December 16, 2022 by sometimewoodworker

[malt25]

Not meant to be a flame... but why not ask Mr Google ? Pages of info.

[chilly07]

Are there Pattaya Kamphaengphet direct bus routes?

[Bangkok Barry]

First of all, ignore the linked article as the only review/comment there is pre-covid and things have changed mightily since then. There is no bus terminal website that gives any timings, except for buses to Bangkok, maybe one or two other large centres but not Mukdahan. You might as well be trying to find the time of rockets to the moon. Very frustrating.

 

I used to take that route many times and the bus passed my house. It used to run every hour, sometimes half-hourly, but no longer. There is now, when I travelled recently, only ONE bus a day leaving at about 1.30pm from KK. The replacement are vans that you use at your peril and they run at about the same frequency that the bus used to. A ride for the whole route would take around four hours or more and be very uncomfortable as well as risky. Both a bus and at least one van have been involved in accidents with at least one death.

As someone else has written, there are no hotels near the new bus terminal, but a taxi from the city centre will only cost you 200 baht or so. At least the one bus a day is probably at a convenient time for you. Good luck and wave as you pass my house ????

 

 

[Stekmer]

13 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

First of all, ignore the linked article as the only review/comment there is pre-covid and things have changed mightily since then. There is no bus terminal website that gives any timings, except for buses to Bangkok, maybe one or two other large centres but not Mukdahan. You might as well be trying to find the time of rockets to the moon. Very frustrating.

 

I used to take that route many times and the bus passed my house. It used to run every hour, sometimes half-hourly, but no longer. There is now, when I travelled recently, only ONE bus a day leaving at about 1.30pm from KK. The replacement are vans that you use at your peril and they run at about the same frequency that the bus used to. A ride for the whole route would take around four hours or more and be very uncomfortable as well as risky. Both a bus and at least one van have been involved in accidents with at least one death.

As someone else has written, there are no hotels near the new bus terminal, but a taxi from the city centre will only cost you 200 baht or so. At least the one bus a day is probably at a convenient time for you. Good luck and wave as you pass my house ????

 

 

Thanks Barry
Your right, trying to find a bus schedule is impossible and I take you point that the minivans that replaced the older, slower bus services are both uncomfortable and dangerous in equal measures. (I have fond memories of old buses with wooden floors that averaged about 60 km an hour with frequent stops - but - were safe).
Are there any bus company offices in KK centre - or - are they all at the bus station?

I've found an email address for Petchprasert Bus company and hopefully will hear back from them.

 

Thanks again for your reply

Stephen

[Stekmer]

16 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The bus station in KK has moved, it is now in an area where there are few hotels, if any, and you certainly can’t walk from it to anywhere with the good eating places and nightlife.

 

it’s at the bottom of the map

Thanks for that - very helpful.

Do you know if there a songthaew route from the centre to the bus station?

[Bangkok Barry]

2 minutes ago, Stekmer said:

Are there any bus company offices in KK centre - or - are they all at the bus station?

Can't help there, I'm afraid. I don't live in KK and only go there for the airport. Or used to. For no reason at all as it was never, ever overcrowded on the dozens of times I used it, the airport was completely re-built during Covid and is now a huge and largely empty building with very few facilities. That might change as they put the finishing touches, but when I was there recently the only place to eat was a Black Canyon and a vending machine, whereas there used to be a half-decent restaurant. I imagine there were people who benefitted from the unnecessary re-build.

 

Because of that and there being almost no KK- Mukdahan bus service anymore I'm using Roi Et instead. Wife can drive me there and it's actually closer to us. Only used KK airport as there was a bus I could use. You might be interested to know that, as well as there only being a skeleton bus service that you asked about, Roi Et airport now only has three flights a day whereas it used to have about 10 or 12 I think. Thais are no longer travelling, it seems. Unless they've all got rich and bought cars.

[Stekmer]

12 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Yes times have changed, some things for the better, others, not so much.

I'm basically after a train ride from Bangkok to somewhere that I can then catch a bus to smaller places along the Mekhong, to revisit some familiar places and a new place or two along the way - hence Khon Kaen. Connections from Udon Thani are probably better but I didn't take to UT when I visited a few years back now.
I haven't taken Roi Et or Surin off my 'must see list' - maybe next trip :-)

[radiochaser]

On 12/16/2022 at 4:57 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

First of all, ignore the linked article as the only review/comment there is pre-covid and things have changed mightily since then. There is no bus terminal website that gives any timings, except for buses to Bangkok, maybe one or two other large centres but not Mukdahan. You might as well be trying to find the time of rockets to the moon. Very frustrating.

 

I used to take that route many times and the bus passed my house. It used to run every hour, sometimes half-hourly, but no longer. There is now, when I travelled recently, only ONE bus a day leaving at about 1.30pm from KK. The replacement are vans that you use at your peril and they run at about the same frequency that the bus used to. A ride for the whole route would take around four hours or more and be very uncomfortable as well as risky. Both a bus and at least one van have been involved in accidents with at least one death.

As someone else has written, there are no hotels near the new bus terminal, but a taxi from the city centre will only cost you 200 baht or so. At least the one bus a day is probably at a convenient time for you. Good luck and wave as you pass my house ????

 

 

What color is your house?  I don't want to be waving at the wrong house.

Edited December 19, 2022 by radiochaser