Surin Travel Guide: The city of Surin (in northeastern Thailand, in the Isan region, not to be confused with Surin near Phuket) is best known for its famous Elephant Festival (Round Up Festival), which takes place annually during the third week of November. At this time, countless visitors flock to the city. Personally, I'm not a big fan of this festival, as the participating elephants are trained and would prefer to live in peace. For the rest of the year, tourism is relatively quiet. Although there are numerous Khmer temple ruins in Surin province, they are all located outside the city and are often difficult or impossible to reach by public transport. Furthermore, they cannot compare to the temples of Phanom Rung, Muang Tham, or Prasat Phimai in the neighboring provinces of Buriram and Nakhon Ratchasima. The temples here are often very simple and mainly of interest to history and architecture enthusiasts, but they don't really justify a trip to the other temples. The monuments in the city itself aren't anything special, but the museum is interesting, and there's a nice little night market. If you're coming here, especially with children, you should definitely spend a day at the elephant center in Ban Ta Klang. With elephant shows twice a day, your children are sure to have a great time. Keep in mind that the center is quite empty during the festival, as all the elephants are in Urin City at that time. For all the information on getting around Surin, see our "Getting Around Surin" section.

Accommodation in Surin – hotels and guesthouses – is spread throughout the city; there isn't one particular area with a high concentration of places to stay. Many of the hotels are older and not always as comfortable as the newer ones, which offer better value for money. You'll find the most accommodation options near the market or the bus station. Find accommodation in Surin. Choose a destination: Amphawa Ayutthaya Bang Saphan Bangkok Buriram Cha Am Chachoengsao Chaiyaphum Chanthaburi Chiang Dao Chiang Khan Chiang Mai Chiang Rai Chonburi Chumphon Dan Sai Hat Yai Hua Hin Kalasin Kamphaeng Phet Kanchanaburi Khao Lak Khao Sok Koh Chang Koh Jum Koh Kood Koh Lanta Koh Larn Koh Lipe Koh Mak Koh Phangan Koh Phayam Koh Phi Phi Koh Samet Koh Samui Koh Sichang Koh Tao Koh Wai Krabi Lampang Lamphun Loei Lopburi Mae Hong Son Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Phanom Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Si Thammarat Nan Nang Rong Nong Khai Pai Pak Chong Pattaya Phang Nga Phang Nga Phayao Phetchabun Phetchaburi Phitsanulok Phrae Phuket Prachuap Khiri Khan Pranburi Railay Ranong Ratchaburi Rayong Roi Et Samut Songkhram Sangkhlaburi Sattahip Sukhothai Surat Thani Surin Tak Trang Trat Ubon Ratchathani Udon Thani all categories less than 300 THB from 300 to 500 THB from 500 to 1000 THB from 1000 to 2500 THB from 2500 to 5000 THB plus 5000 THB // grey Less prices not available in the city selection ("All prices are available at any time") function findAccommodationCategories(citySelect) { var option=citySelect.options[citySelect.selectedIndex]; var price=parseInt(option ? option.getAttribute("data-price") : 0,10) || 0; var categories=citySelect.form.elements["categories"]; if(!categories) return; for(var i=0;i<categories.options.length;i++) { var val=categories.options[i].value; categories.options[i].disabled=!(val=="all" || val=="-" || (Math.pow(2,parseInt(val,10))&price)); } } (function() { var forms=document.querySelectorAll("#form-accommodations form"); var form=forms[forms.length-1]; if(form && form.elements["cities"]) findAccommodationCategories(form.elements["cities"]); })(); My Recommendations I am often asked which accommodations I recommend in Thailand. Here are my recommendations for Surin. Maneerote Hotel Surin Hotel in Surin place Surin city 7.5/10 Book now More details arrow_circle_right Show all accommodations in Surin

Practical information about Surin: If you plan to travel to Surin for the Elephant Festival, it is highly recommended that you book your hotel room in advance. Otherwise, you risk having to stay far outside of Surin. Accommodation providers take advantage of this to increase their prices by 20 to 30%. Here is a selection of hotels in Surin that you can book online. Personally, we prefer Si Saket, a smaller and more pleasant town, except during the Elephant Festival. However, I am not a big fan of this festival, as it features trained elephants that are often injured and would be happier living peacefully in a sanctuary.

How to get to Surin? Surin is located on the Northeast Line of the Railway of Thailand. Buses depart from the Mochit Northern Bangkok Bus Terminal and reach the city in 7-8 hours. There is a bus approximately every 1.5 hours. From Buriram (Bus 281) or Nakhon Ratchasima (Bus 274), there is an hourly bus to Surin, stopping at Nang Rong, 24 km from Phanom Rung Temple. From Ubon Ratchathani, Bus 285 and some Bangkok buses also run to Surin. View all travel options to Surin

How do you get around Surin? There's a wide selection of songthaews in Surin and the surrounding towns. The two routes served by the pink songthaews mainly run through the city and a few kilometers beyond. The other routes connect Surin with the surrounding villages and usually stop at least at the Surin bus station and the market, and sometimes at the Big C supermarket. A ride in Surin costs 10 baht, regardless of the distance traveled or whether you take a pink songthaew or another type of vehicle. For more personalized travel, you can hire samlaws (bicycle taxis) or motorbike taxis. A ride in Surin shouldn't cost more than 40-50 baht. Taxis are also available, though very rarely, mainly at the bus station. Even if they have a meter on the roof, they probably won't use it.

Surin longboat races for the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Trophy. This festival usually takes place in October. Learn more about the Surin longboat races for the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Trophy.

Other sights in Surin include: Wat Burapharam (the city's main temple, housing one of the most revered Buddha statues), Wat Sala Loy (particularly known for its recently constructed Khmer-style building), Wat Klang (a rather ordinary temple, but with a promising new building under construction), the City Pillar Shrine (a large red Khmer-style building housing the city pillar), the Elephant Surin Project (with the Surin Elephant Study Center, about 60 km from Surin, offering an impressive elephant show twice daily), Prasat Sikhoraphum (a small ruin of a 12th-century Khmer temple, about 30 km from Surin), Wat Ra Ngaeng (a temple opposite Sikhoraphum railway station, 34 km from Surin) with a beautiful walking Buddha statue, worth a visit if you are already in Sikhoraphum to see the Khmer temple), and the Surin National Museum. (the National Museum of Surin, of which the city is very proud). Four kilometers south of the city are collections of objects that provide information about the history and ethnic groups of the province.

How do you ask for directions to Surin in Thai? I want to go to Surin / Yak pai thi Soureen. Where is Surin? / Soureen yu thi nai?