Buriram Travel Guide: Phanom Rung and Getting There

Buriram is a province in Thailand's lower northeast, and it has two very different draws. One is Khmer: Phanom Rung, a temple on the rim of an extinct volcano, and the smaller Muang Tam below it. The other is sport: a motor racing circuit that hosts MotoGP and a football club whose stadium is the largest club-owned ground in the country. The city in the middle is quiet, practical and cheap to use as a base. This guide uses only what we could check against the sources listed at the end of the page on 16 October 2026, and it says plainly where a figure is missing or where two sources disagree.

If you want the temple details (hours, tickets, the sunrise alignment, parking), they sit in our Phanom Rung and Phimai guide. For the wider region, see the Isaan overview.

What Buriram is like

Wikipedia gives the name as meaning "city of happiness" and places the province at the southern end of the Khorat Plateau, with several extinct volcanoes around it. The provincial seal shows the Phanom Rung temple, and the provincial motto quoted on the same page names sandstone sanctuaries, volcanoes, silk and sport. Wikivoyage calls the city itself a fairly nondescript town, but a suitable base for the sandstone temples scattered around it.

Wikipedia adds that the area was part of the Khmer Empire about a thousand years ago, with one brick sanctuary and more than sixty stone ones recorded, plus more than two hundred kiln mounds at Ban Kruat and Lahan Sai that produced stoneware for the Angkorian world between the 10th and 12th centuries. In other words, the temples are not a single attraction but the visible part of a much larger landscape.

The same article says Isan and Central Thai are spoken by most people, and that 18 percent of the population also speak Northern Khmer in daily life, according to the most recent census it cites.

Getting there

Booking the Bangkok leg

The Bangkok to Buriram page on 12Go listed 66 trips when we opened it in a real browser on 16 October 2026 (date searched: Sunday 18 October, two travellers): THB 223 to 10,687 overall, 9 trains from THB 223, 18 buses from THB 408, 6 flights from THB 2,006 and 33 taxis from THB 3,710. Those are the figures the page showed that day, not guarantees, and they change by date and season, so treat them as a way to compare the modes rather than a quote. Some links on this site may earn us a commission, which does not change the price you see.

Wikivoyage describes the city's pink songthaew system, with two lines (one runs from the municipal market to Khao Kradong Forest Park), and says Grab is available. Phanom Rung has no dependable public transport according to our temple guide, so most visitors hire a car with a driver, drive themselves or join a tour.

Phanom Rung and Muang Tam

Wikipedia describes Phanom Rung as a Buddhist-Hindu Khmer complex of sandstone and laterite on the rim of an extinct volcano, built between the 10th and 13th centuries and originally a Hindu site. The Department of Fine Arts restored it between 1971 and 1988, and the park was opened on 21 May 1988 by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In 2005 it was submitted to UNESCO for consideration as a future World Heritage Site.

On practical details we rely on the Fine Arts Department's own park page, read on 2026-10-16: the park is open 06:00 to 18:00, foreigners pay 100 baht and Thais 20 baht, and there is a combined ticket with Muang Tam (150 baht and 30 baht). Fees change, so confirm at the ticket window.

Prasat Muang Tam sits in Prakhon Chai district. Wikipedia says it is a Hindu temple mainly in the Khleang and Baphuon styles, dating its main phases to the late 10th and early 11th centuries, with Shiva as the chief deity. It has an unusual plan: ponds between the inner and outer enclosures, and a central sanctuary that is not raised on a platform. All the towers except the central one have been restored. It is a good second stop, as our temple guide notes, because it is small and quick.

Thai media quoted in our temple guide say the sun lines up with the doorways at Phanom Rung on a few days a year (sunrise around 3 to 5 April and 9 to 11 September). That comes from a news report, not the Department, so confirm the dates with the province before planning a trip around them.

Racing and football

Wikipedia says the Chang International Circuit (listed there as Buriram International Circuit) opened in October 2014 and was the first FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A circuit in Thailand. It names MotoGP as the headline event, with a contract extended to at least 2031 as of November 2025, and lists the Thailand motorcycle Grand Prix in March, plus Asia Road Racing Championship and Thailand Super Series rounds. The calendar changes, so check the circuit's own schedule before you book a room.

The Buriram Stadium, known commercially as Chang Arena and nicknamed Thunder Castle, seats 32,600 and is home to Buriram United, according to Wikipedia, which also records that it is the largest club-owned football stadium in Thailand. Amari Buriram United's site says the hotel is a two-minute walk from the stadium and next to the circuits, which tells you how compact the sport zone is. We did not find an official source for ticket prices or fixtures, so check the club's site.

In and around the city

Thai Wikipedia describes Khao Kradong as an extinct volcano about 265 metres above sea level, with Khmer ruins, a replica Buddha footprint and a large Buddha image called Phra Suphattharabophit that locals revere. It was declared a forest park of 1,450 rai on 22 March 1978 and opened to visitors on 1 October 1983. Wikivoyage lists the summit Buddha as a symbol of Buriram, and notes a festival at the full moon of the third lunar month. We did not find an official entry fee or opening hours, so ask locally.

Wikivoyage also lists, among other sights, the Huai Talat reservoir and bird park (more than 100 bird species in the dry season, November to April), the brick Khmer shrine Ku Suan Taeng with three prangs on one laterite base, and the Lam Nang Rong dam. For evenings, it describes a Saturday and Sunday walking street on Romburi Road (known locally as Sro Ground) with around a hundred stalls, and a municipal night bazaar. Those listings carry older edit dates, so verify hours before you plan around them.

Seasons

We did not find a verified climate table for Buriram, so we will not quote one. Wikivoyage's bird-park note is the only seasonal marker we can source (dry season, November to April). Check the forecast from the Thai Meteorological Department for your dates, and remember that the big sports weekends, not the weather, are what fill hotels.

Where to stay

We could verify only two hotels against their own official sites, which is below the eight we need before we publish a full where-to-stay page, so this guide gives area advice instead of a ranked list.

• Stadium and circuit zone: Amari Buriram United says it has 60 rooms with balconies, sits beside the stadium, and lists the airport at 30 minutes and the railway station at 10. It is built around sport, so expect busy dates around races and matches.
• Town side: The Phanomrung Puri Boutique Hotel says it has 66 rooms in a mix of local northeastern art and Khmer style, with a restaurant beside the pool. Wikivoyage lists 67 rooms, so confirm with the hotel.

Book early for MotoGP and football weekends, and confirm that the property you choose is close to the part of the province you came for.

Nearby destinations

• Surin: the neighbouring province, with more Khmer sites and its silk and elephant culture
• Ubon Ratchathani: east along the same railway
• Khon Kaen: the regional hub to the north
• Isaan overview: the whole northeast in one guide
• Bangkok and the intercity transport guide for the first leg
• Thailand travel guide

FAQ

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.