5 Days Laos

[bubu]

hi all ...

i am thinking about a short trip to laos ... not visa run ... just a sightseeing trip ... i am here on holiday!

flights to udon thani are still cheap ... and forum says it is quite easy to get to laos from udon thani airport.

some questions ...

how to get from udon thani airport to vientiane? are there also minibuses?

i am german ... where can i get the visa for laos? how much is it?

is vientiane interesting to see or is it boring?

any other places around vientiane?

what would be a good itineray for four days laos?

i am sure here are many people who visited laos already ... who would like to give some advice?

[londonthai]

instead of flying to udon and than some bus, get directly be airplane.

go to siem reap - the closest town and airport to angkor wat. Stay there for the whole 4 days. 3 days pass to angkor is some $70. Book aearly your flight, because the high season is starting

[ballzafire]

instead of flying to udon and than some bus, get directly be airplane. go to siem reap - the closest town and airport to angkor wat. Stay there for the whole 4 days. 3 days pass to angkor is some $70. Book aearly your flight, because the high season is starting

Uh, wrong country.

The OP wants to visit LAOS.

How to get from udon thani airport to vientiane? are there also minibuses?

Yes, from Nong Khai or you can go straight to the border from the airport and take a taxi to Vientiane from the Lao side.

i am german ... where can i get the visa for laos? how much is it?

On arrival. 35 USD.

is vientiane interesting to see or is it boring?

boring

any other places around vientiane?

(see below)

what would be a good itineray for four days laos?

Take the bus to Van Vieng and spend 2-3 days there, instead. Or better yet, one day in Van Vieng and two days in Luang Prabang. MUCH better scenery along the way...

[londonthai]

ups, I am reading too fast.

yep, vientiane is not more interesting than a thai provincial town, day or two is maximum

[rfukata]

once at Mittaphab bridge crossing (Thai-Lao) border;

visa on arrival cost: $35

- buy your whiskey, gin, or beer at DaeHeuang Duty Free once you cross over and take it into the city.(be sure to buy from the big store Dao Heaung, smaller stores may have counterfeits and fakes)

-transportation; you can catch a 'Samlo' 3 wheel carage scooter for $5.00US to Vientiane town (besure to bargin)

-restaurant of interest: Kop jai du

-have a safe trip

[dieter1]

From Udon Thani, there is a minibusservice to Nong Khai. If you take the late airasia flight, you can stay one night in Nong Khai.

Yes, going to Luang Prabang is a good idea. I thing the bus needs about 9 hours from Vientianne. Staying in Van Vieng? If you are 20 years old and want to do what every 20 year old want to do, ok stay there. But the fact is, there is not much to see, beside hundreds (thousands) of young backpackers. Better: Go to Luang Prabang. It is famous for being nearly the only old city(with still having a centre with these old buildings) in South East Asia, worth a look for the old houses (some in French colonial style) and the many old temples (tip: rent a bicicle and start sightseeing early in the morning- in December, early in the morning, there is still some fog and it can be a bit colder (18 degrees) But not that many tourists and you can see the monks gathering around their open fires . Do not miss the night market. Despite too many tourists, the town still got a special charm ...

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/luangprabang.html

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/479

http://translate.google.de/translate?hl=de...%3Dde%26tl%3Den

http://translate.google.de/translate?hl=de...%3Dde%26tl%3Den

simple(cheap) but nice guest house In Nong Khai at the Mekong :

http://www.mutmee.com/

(it was my first night after the flight from Germany: I was sitting in a chair in the garden, having tea and talking to another guest: " Where is the Mekong ?" " It is right here" She was right, we were sitting just some metres away from the bank of the famous Mekong, mekong= mother of water. So my first lesson: You can sit a the bank of this huge and mighty river and do not hear it !

send e-mail, if you have more questions ....

[asanee]

visum cost has gone up to 37US$ (can pay in THB-that will cost more), and will be adjusted any 1/1 coming

a normal guidebook-as nearly always and could be expected-has all the info too. there is even the orange LOOSE-also for sale here in BKK

da Deutsche mal gerne bahnfahren (o, sorry moderator-other language not permitted)-as germans often like trains-there is also the overnight train to Nongh Khai-which even has now a short section into Laos-see seat61.com.

Laos mainly means lazy-no Thai hectic and speed, and much more boredom. But thats its appeal too.

[PattayaParent]

Why not fly direct to Luang Prabang and then make your way overland down to Vientiane, cross to Nong Khai and fly back to Bangkok.

Or vice versa.

That's how I intend to do it next time except I'll train it back from Nong Khai to Bangkok.

[bubu]

i checked the fares already ... but i would fly tomorrow or after tomorrow and flights are too expensive ...

only flights to udon thani are "cheap" ...

however, i guess it's not a good idea to go to laos now ... i think it's better to go there next time ...

then i can book flights earlier and i can collect some more information about the country ...

where to go, what to do ...

[gehfab]

- Apply for a Lao visa, it's a little bit cheaper than the visa on arrival ...about 1200 Baht for 30days

- I recommend to go by bus to Luang Prabang, spent a 1-3 nights there...Take a slow boat from the Luang Prabang pier to Houay Xai (one night in a jungle town called "Pakbeng") and then cross the border to Thailand.

- Vientiane is a nice little town as well, looks very European...make sure to drink a cool Beer Lao infront of the Mekong in the early evening to watch the sunset

[bubu]

hi again ...

meanwhile i am back home ... in germany :-(

but i am planning my next trip already ...

i am still interested in visiting laos, because i've never been there before.

i want to combine laos with a short visit to udon thani.

i guess the closest city in laos to udon thani is vientiane ...

but you told me already that there is almost nothing to do and to see ...

is vientiane worth a one night stay? or just a one day stay?

and then? by bus to luang prabang?

any other destinations in laos that i should visit?