Last updated on June 8th, 2024 at 09:42 am

Go to Phimai and Buriram for a two-day break. Planning a trip to Thailand and looking for the best thing to do outside of Bangkok for 2 days? Here is an inspiration for where you need to go on your next trip.

If you have visited the world’s most visited city in 2023 and seen the popular sights and scenes and want to quiet and cool place without the hordes of tourists.

Head to Phimai and Buriram for two days. Two days is plenty to experience what Phimai and part of Buriram has to offer.

Where would you want to go for two or three nights?

My husband asked one day.

The answer was go somewhere we had not been before.

A few minutes of thinking…

Let’s go to Phimai.

This is our first family trip out of Bangkok.

It took us 4 and a half hours on the road to get to the hotel.

We hired a car through Bolt.

First came the downside.

We clicked on electric car instead of a regular car.

After 45 minutes of the journey, we stopped at a petrol station to charge the car.

That set us back 20 minutes which dampened the mood.

Luckily, there is almost always a 7-11 shop at every stop so, we were happy to have some treats while we waited for the car battery to charge.

Rock on 2 hours and we stopped again.

This time to pump the tyres. Whoops!

There was another treat waiting for us!

Roti sai mai.

The driver did not mind us gobble our green flatbreads which we rolled to wrap candy floss.

That truly was a treat especially for Amon who had her first roti sai mai.

After 4 and a half hours and 4012 baht we were in Phimai.

Phimai

We checked in to our hotel.

We chose to stay at Phimai Paradise Hotel.

After checking in we rushed to Prasat Hin Phimai to see it at sunset.

Unfortunately, the temple was already closed.

We admired the temple and its grounds just before the sun set.

It was the first Khmer style temple that we have seen together, it was special.

First night in Phimai.

As the day turned into night, the birds that looked like swift chirped around the clock tower in the middle of town.

We sat outside a restaurant opposite the clock tower and watched the night market became busier and busier.

After just 7pm we looked for a place to have supper as we were starving by that time.

We had something to eat at a barbeque place.

Then it was time to check out our room which will be our place to rest for 3 nights.

The beds were comfortable. The room was clean and quiet. It was 550 baht a night including breakfast.

A couple more photos.

Lovely local scene.

Nice and simple food.

First day in Phimai

After 3 big bowls of khao tom for breakfast (and a plate of what was called American breakfast which consisted of egg, sausages and ham with some slices of fruit) we were ready for a day in Phimai.

The highlight of the morning was, I forgot to wear my trousers meaning I had to go to a stall that rents out trousers.

Well, I had to buy the skirt the lady had for rent. 100 baht not bad.

Off we went for nearly an hour around the temple grounds.

Amon spotted a souvenir shop and she did a little trinket shopping.

She rarely asks for anything and this is one of the exceptions because she liked the look of a few things in the shop.

We decided to hop on a motorcycle to see the largest banyan magrove.

The motorcycle drivers waited for us while we walked around under the oldest and largest banyan mangrove in Thailand.

Under the twisted roots we walked then to a part of a pond where we fed ginormous catfish.

It was a lovely morning we had at the temple and cooled down under the banyan.

To complete our cool down we went for a late lunch of Thai style Hainanese chicken rice.

Find this place through this google map here.

Work always is part of our day.

Husband went back to the room to work while I and Amon went for a foot massage at a place call AnnWiew Thai massage which is literally opposite the Khao Mun Gai place.

I decided to do my work in the evening and went to a resort.

From the pictures on their website, the resort looked huge with slides meaning loads of fun.

But we found out that the place was closed to give staff a break since it was a Monday and they did not expect anyone to knock for a quick swim.

We gathered that they had a busy weekend hence the Monday rest day.

The owner let us in anyway which was very kind of him.

So, we spent a good hour playing and paddling.

If ever any of you decide to go to this place, you might want to think about the heavily chlorinated pool and just leave swimming for later.

That was a fun afternoon in the end with all the songthaew rides to and fro.

A surprisingly filling and tasty dinner was served for us as it rained outside.

Two plates of two different kinds of Thai salads and a big plate of pasta filled us and got us ready for bed for our adventure the next day.

As Phimai is quite close to Buriram and it is doable to go and then be back by lunch time it was decided that we do a Phimai and Buriram adventure.

Buriram – Phanom Reung and Prasat Muang Tam

My husband arranged for transport with the hotel to take us to Buriram to visit Phanom Reunf and Prasat Muang Tam.

First, we visited a Hindu-Khmer temple.

Built on an extinct volcano.

Whoa! For a 10 year old and her parents that’s amazing!

We were on an extinct volcano.

The temple was quiet.

A group of students were on a tour plus 2 families were at the temple grounds.

We were able to go around quietly and slowly appreciated the interesting features of the temple.

It was a cloudy morning when we arrived but the sun came out to let us see the pink colour of sandstone it was built from.

Our driver patiently waited for us to descend to the car park and drove us to our next destination.

Prasat Muang Tam.

This temple is much quieter than Phanom Reung.

It is only 8 kilometers away from the temple complex Phanom Reung.

This is worth a visit as it is not only quiet but also for the restoration work according to Lonely Planet.

Since our Thai is limited we paid two entrance fees.

We did not know that there is a combined fees for the two temples.

It did not really matter because we enjoyed the two temples.

As we left Buriram it started to rain.

After 2 hours in the car we arrived back in Phimai.

A hearty plate of Khao Mun Gai was the answer to our hungry tummies.

Then off to our room to rest.

We planned to go back to Phimai temple for a sunset view but I decided to do some work and let the father and daughter duo to go on their own.

It tipped down after 45 minutes of them being at the temple and I had to meet them with umbrellas.

Final supper in Phimai was barbeque which turned out good as the first one.

The two day trip was over.

We had good weather to walk around and lovely people who helped us go around town and Buriram.

An early morning car journey back to Bangkok was booked with the hotel.

That was that a trip to Phimai and Buriram.

All in all it was a fantastic experience.

Would you do a 2-day side trip to Phimai and Buriram too?

Looking for more things to do with kids in Bangkok before going home?

Try these 15 things to do in Bangkok with kids here.

When to visit Phimai and Buriram

Guidebooks would say go during the dry season between November and May but if you are restricted to school holidays, Phimai is worth a visit any time. Make sure to bring along an umbrella just in case.

Where to stay

There are places to stay in Phimai to choose from which are within walking distance from the historical park. We stayed at the Phimai Paradise Hotel which was acceptable for our stay. It was clean, the beds were comfortable, they have basic breakfast that come with room and the staff are helpful. Here’s an article on places to stay in Phimai for more choices.

How to get there

The best way to get to Phimai from Bangkok is catch a bus from Mochit to Nakhon Ratchasima and then take a local bus from there to Phimai. This bus journey will take 4 hours and 51 minutes. Rome2rio is always when it comes to journeys to and from places in Thailand.

Another choice to get to Nakhon Ratchasima is by train. The Special Express No.21 that leaves from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station which takes 4 hours. For all things Thailand, Richard Barrow’s blogs about travel and life in Thailand including going to Phimai.

How to get around Phimai and Buriram

The historical park and museum would be within walking distance from the hotels/accomodation. It is perfect for walking to get around.

Hire a motorcycle, a songthaew or a bicycle if you want to pedal to see the largest Banyan grove.

The Phimai Paradise Hotel receptionists were very helpful.

How to get to Phanom Reung and Prasat Muang Tam

Apparently, there are buses to catch to get to Buriram and then to Phanom Rung and Prasat Muang Tam.

But when we asked at the reception of our hotel they suggested for us to hire a car to take us there and back.

What and where to eat

There are places to eat around town but since we were only there for 2 days and 3 nights we did not waste our time looking for places.

We went to Ida Eatery and Drinks for Thai salads only because it was raining and did not want to get wet looking for another place.

The barbeque place next door called Hug Neua was an experience if you want shabu shabu and barbeque with kids.

As for lunch we found a Khao Mun Gai place which was very good. Head to the Night Market for more food choices too.

I hope this Phimai and Buriram adventure blog will give you an idea of where and what to do in Thailand next time you travel with or without kids.

Looking for more ideas on what to do with kids that are off the beaten track in Bangkok? Why not visit the Artist’s House which is in quiet and old part of Old Bangkok or go to floating market close to Bangkok, Klong Lat Mayom, which is also quieter than the more famous floating markets?  

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