Thailand Guide
The northeast: Isaan
Arrival
Regular bus #1305 runs direct to Phimai from Khorat's Bus Terminal 2, 60km southwest (every 30min until 6.30pm, then sporadically until 10pm; 1hr 30min); the last return bus departs for Khorat at 7pm. Khorat has good bus and train connections with Bangkok and Surin. If travelling from Khon Kaen, Udon Thani or Nong Khai, take any Khorat-bound bus along Highway 2 as far as the Phimai turn-off (Highway 208), then change onto the Khorat– Phimai service for the last 10km; the same strategy works in reverse. Phimai's bus station is inconveniently located 1.5km southwest of the ruins, on the bypass, but nearly everybody gets on and off in the town centre, either near the night-market area or in front of the Phimai Hotel.
It's also feasible, if a bit of an effort, to visit Phimai en route to points east or west without having to pass through Khorat. You can do this by taking a train to the tiny station of Hin Dat, which is about an hour and forty minutes' train ride west of Surin, or about 55 minutes' ride east of Khorat. Hin Dat is 25km south of Phimai, so from here you should either wait for one of the infrequent pick-ups to Phimai, splash out on an expensive motorbike taxi or try hitching. Pick-ups back to Hin Dat from Phimai are generally timed to link up with east-bound trains; check with the Old Phimai GuestHouse, for current timetables.