Getting to and around Central Laos
Arrival in Luang Prabang airport
Go to the "taxi" counter as you leave immigration and baggage claim. A place in a shared van will cost you around 100,000 kip and they will drop you off right at your hotel or guesthouse. It’s about a 10-minute drive.
Coming from far away:
Fly to Bangkok, then get a flight to either Vientiane or Luang Prabang. Visa on Arrival and eVisa are both available in both airports. Warning: Bangkok has two airports, BKK (the main intercontinental airport) and DMK (short haul only). On your way into Laos, don’t accidentally schedule a transfer between Bangkok’s airports unless you’re staying in Bangkok overnight.
Coming from Bangkok:
If time is short, fly direct to Vientiane or Luang Prabang. If possible use Bangkok’s smaller airport (DMK), which is faster and more efficient than BKK. If you have more time, you could take the new train from Bangkok to Vientiane (or if the times of that train aren’t convenient, there are more frequent trains between Bangkok and Nong Khai, Thailand on the Lao border, and then you cross the border by bus or tuk-tuk). Visa on Arrival is available here. E-visa is available at the airport and the bus crossing but not on the train.
Or as an alternative, you can take a train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and follow the directions from northern Thailand below.
From Nong Khai on the Thai side of the border to Vientiane, just across the river: Bus #14 runs between Vientiane city centre and the border crossing. It comes every 15-20 minutes. As of December 2024 the cost is 14,000 kip (less than $1). Taxi fares are around 370,000 kip ($17). If you take a taxi, get a few people together to share the cost.
Book the Vientiane - Bangkok train through Thai Railways here. For more information about this route, see here.
This website has good detailed information on coming to Vientiane or Luang Prabang from Thailand or Vietnam by train and bus.
Udon Thani is Thailand’s nearest major city in Thailand to Vientiane. The bus and train from Bangkok to Vientiane both pass through here. If you fly in, a taxi from the airport to Udon Thani city centre should cost around 150-170 baht. The bus from Udon Thani to Vientiane costs 80 baht as of December 2024. The bus will enter Laos at the Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai, where both Visa or Arrival and Lao e-visa are offered. (If you take the train instead, then Visa on Arrival is offered but e-visa is NOT accepted). The bus journey time is around 2.5 hours all the way to Vientiane bus station including the border stop.
From Thailand overland through Vientiane and on to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang: There are several buses per day from Thailand to Vientiane, and I am told that one of those buses continues on directly to Vang Vieng. But if you don’t get that bus don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long in Vientiane for a connecting bus to Vang Vieng on the excellent new expressway. (Just be SURE it’s a fast express bus, not a slow local one!). Always get multiple price quotes. Between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, the road is absolutely awful — 6-10 hours of bone-jarring hell. Avoid it! Either fly from Vientiane to LP or take the train (more info below).
Coming from southern Laos:
Inexpensive night buses depart Pakse in the evening, make a quick stop in Thakhek around 02:00 AM, and arrive in Vientiane around 08:00 or 09:00 AM. Some continue on to Vang Vieng. The sleeper seats are very narrow, so if you’re a solo traveller, I recommend buying two seats to give yourself some room. Many other, even less comfortable buses depart throughout the day and night, so when you buy a bus ticket make sure you know which bus you’re getting. You can also fly from Pakse to Vientiane.
Coming from northern Thailand or Northern Laos:
From Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, take a bus to Chiang Khong and then cross the Mekong into Laos at Huay Xai (Visa on Arrival is available at Huay Xai). Then you can either take the bus, or the 2-day Mekong Slow Boat to Luang Prabang. The boat is relaxing as it passes many villages, sunbathing water buffalo and some very impressive rock formations. But the near-total destruction of the riverside jungle is depressing. The bus from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang is the better option if you have time to stop in Luang Namtha (for the best trekking in Laos) and/or Nong Khiaw (for stunning karst scenery).
Direct flights are available to Vientiane from several cities in northern Laos. But the planes are small and subject to cancellation in bad weather, such as the fog that envelops much northern Laos in the mornings during the Cool Season.
You can find daily buses to Luang Prabang from almost any city in northern Laos.
Laos’ new high-speed train travels starts in Kunming (southern China), enters Laos at Boten, and then goes via Na Toey (sometimes spelled “Nateuy”, near Luang Namtha) and Oudomxay (also called Muang Xay) to Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. Train tickets can only be purchased within 3 days of travel. You’ll find a route map here, a timetable here.
From Muang Khua or Muang Ngoi, take a boat on the Ou River to Nong Khiaw and then continue by bus to Luang Prabang.
Coming from Vietnam:
There are several border crossings. Most land borders DO NOT offer visa on arrival so if coming by bus, you must get your Lao visa in person at the Lao consulate in Hanoi (but if you fly in from Vietnam, you can get a Lao Visa on Arrival at the airport).
The most common bus route is from Hanoi or Sa Pa via Dien Bien Phu, crossing the Tay Trang / Pang Hok border checkpoint to arrive in Muang Khua. From Muang Khua you can get either a bus or (more preferably) a riverboat to continue towards Luang Prabang. For more info see here
There is also a 27-hour bus between Hanoi and Luang Prabang via the Nam Khan / Nam Can border crossing. If you do this, spend a day at the Plain of Jars (more info here), since you’ll go right past it.
This website has excellent detailed information on coming to Vientiane or Luang Prabang from Thailand or Vietnam by train and bus.
Travel within the region:
Between Vientiane and Vang Vieng, you can go either by train or by bus. If you go by bus then make sure you get a 2-hour express bus – the slow buses stop everywhere and take way too long. Buses depart Talat Sao station in Vientiane all day long, cost 100,000 kip 1-way as of January 2025.
Between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, the best option is train, which takes one hour (you’ll be in tunnels for 80-90% of the ride). Buses take 6-10 hours on an absolutely awful, mountainous road, but the views can be spectacular. You’ll find a train route map here, a timetable here.
Between Vientiane and Luang Prabang: Bus is too slow and uncomfortable. Flying is an option, but expensive. Train is best.
A helpful traveller shared this list of departure times and fares from Luang Prabang, accurate as of November 2023. “K” means thousands of kip:
