Udon Thani Airport Mini Guide
The North East of Thailand
Udon Thani Airport is located close to the city of the same name in north east Thailand, near to the border with Laos. It is a small airport handling domestic flights from both
Suvarnabhumi and
Don Muang airports in Bangkok and also from
Chiang Mai. It was updated in 2006 and now has a large airy seating area and a few small shops and kiosks, however as it is not an international airport you won't find a duty free shop there.
En Route to Laos
The majority of visitors to Udon Thani are backpackers travelling around South East Asia, they travel via Udon Thani as it is only one and a half hours from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, across the Mekong River, via the Nong Khai Friendship Bridge.
An Introduction to Udon Thani
This north eastern provincal town is located on a plateau approximately 187m above sea level, making it less humid than some other parts of Thailand. Most of it is covered by rice fields, forests and hills with the Phu Pan mountains and the Songkhram river providing it's two main natural resources. The locals are mainly engaged in agricultural activities and the area is best known for it's archaeological wonders, in particular the hamlet of Ban Chiang where the world's first Bronze Age civilisation was said to have flourished over 5000 years ago.
A Centre for Silk and Cotton
This area of Thailand is renowned for it's cotton, silk and khit silk trading. Today there is a market about 16 km from Udon Thani, on the route to Nong Khai where you may buy all the locally produced fabrics.
Staying in the Area
If you wish to stay near the airport in Udon Thani then there is a hotel just 1km away, the Udon Airport Hotel offers 3 star accommodation with comfortable rooms set in lush tropical gardens. It offers airport transfers and should you be in the area on a business trip, meeting and conference facilities.
Alternatively you might like to hire a car at the airport and explore the area on your own, in this case there is accommodation available slightly further away from the airport in the town itself, ranging from guest houses to 4* hotels. Nong Khai is around 50km away and also has several hotels close to the Friendship Bridge if you wish to visit Laos.