What To Do In Savannakhet - A Complete Guide
Spiralling away from the banks of the Mekong River, the historic city of Savannakhet is a true, hidden gem of Southern Laos. This bustling city is stuffed full of beautiful temples, colourful street art and stylish coffee shops, all centered around a lively night market. The city’s architecture is a curious combination of French colonial facades mixed with art-deco, brutalist and Laotian style buildings.
Most travellers in Laos skip Savannakhet altogether as they head north or south to complete the popular motorcycle loops at Thakhek and Pakse. But, if you’re willing to give it a chance, Savannakhet will reward you.
With daily buses connecting Vientiane to Savannakhet and a border crossing point between Thailand and Laos, Savannakhet is in the perfect location to start a central or southern adventure through Laos.
We didn’t know what to expect from Savannakhet, but it quickly became one of our favourite cities in the whole of Laos. We loved its laid back charm, great food and funky repurposed buildings. It was a city full of great coffee, friendly locals and a huge night market we could really delve into.
Read on to find out why you should add Savannakhet as a stop to your Laotian itinerary.
In this Savannakhet travel guide:
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Savannakhet - Where Is It and How Do I Get There?
Where is Savannakhet?
Savannakhet is located in Southern Laos and can be found on a map here. Savannakhet city is also the capital of Savannakhet Province.
The city sits 460 KM (an 8 hour drive) south of the Laotian capital of Vientiane and is 400 KM (a 7 hour drive) north of the 4000 Islands and the Nong Nok Khiene Border with Cambodia.
Savannakhet sits on the banks of the Mekong River, overlooking the city of Mukdahan in Thailand. The Second Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge lies around 10 KM north of the city, marking the border crossing between Laos and Thailand. This border is open to foreign internationals looking to exit / enter Laos.
The city is Laos’ second largest city, but as with all of the Laotian cities we’ve visited, it still retains a small, laid back vibe.
How to get to Savannakhet?
Savannakhet is very well connected with daily buses connecting to the capital of Vientiane, other cities within Laos as well as internationally to Thailand and Vietnam.
Catching a bus to Savannakhet
The easiest and cheapest way to reach Savannakhet is by bus. There are Savannakhet bound buses departing Vientiane, Pakse and Thakhek daily.
Whichever city you’re coming from, your bus will arrive at Savannakhet’s Provincial Bus Station which can be found on a map here. Once you arrive, there will be plenty of tuk tuk’s and songthaews waiting to take you into the city. We arranged a taxi ride through our accommodation (more on where we stayed later in the article) which cost us 50,000 kip for the both of us plus our luggage.
For those wanting to visit Savannakhet from Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng, the easiest way to reach the city is to catch a bus or the high-speed Laos / China railway to Vientiane and then transfer onto a southbound bus to Savannakhet.
For those travelling from Champasak, Don Det or any of the 4000 Islands, the easiest way to reach Savannakhet is by taking a bus to Pakse and changing there.
If you’re coming from Thailand and crossing the Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge, buses depart every hour from Mukdahan and will arrive at the same bus station as above.
We travelled to Savannakhet from Thakhek and took a public minibus. Our tickets cost us 150,000 kip per person.
Book your Savannakhet bus tickets in advance by clicking on the links below.
Currently there is no way to book online Thakhek to Savannakhet bus tickets - let us know in the comments if this changes in the future.
Always keep an eye out - the street art in Savannakhet is everywhere!
Flying to Savannakhet
If you’re on a really tight schedule, you can reach Savannakhet by plane. Savannakhet’s airport is located in the southeast of the city and can be found here.
Currently there is only one flight route serving Savannakhet airport - Vientiane to Savannakhet. Flights depart Vientiane daily, with around 1 to 3 flights a day flying to Savannakhet and with tickets costing between 50 to 100 USD each.
What Is There To See And Do In Savannakhet?
Even though Savannakhet is Laos’ second largest city, the best way to explore the town is by foot. The main tourist attractions are all located very close to each other in the old part of the city so it’s very easy to get around. Our best advice would be to put on your comfiest shoes and get lost amongst the city’s historic streets.
Read on to find out what there is to see and do in the town.
Savannakhet’s Night Market
(location)
Located behind the concrete shell of the 1960’s Lao Chaleun Rama Theatre (more on this later) and stretching along the riverside promenade, Savannakhet’s Night Market is an absolute must on any trip!
Open everyday from sundown until 10pm, the night market is where you’ll find hordes of hungry locals munching down on everything from BBQ meat, spicy noodles to sweet, sugar glazed pancakes.
Stalls draped in neon lights line either side of a huge square full of tables and chairs, as well as spilling out along the riverside pavements.
It’s your typical South East Asian night market with everything on sale from small snacks to larger plates, children’s toys to mobile phone accessories, colourful t-shirts to sweet desserts.
We’ll go into more detail on our favourite food stalls in the ‘where to eat’ section of this guide, but if you want to get your fill of Laotian street food favourites in an awesome market setting, all under the incredible ruins of an old cinema - Savannakhet Market is the place to be!
Savannakhet’s Historic Buildings
(location - everywhere!)
The old town of Savannakhet - particularly the area around the Lao Chaleun Rama and the night market, is full of old colonial buildings. Some have been lovingly restored and converted into modern restaurants and boutique hotels whilst others remain in a state of decay, crumbling against the elements.
Throughout the town, the French colonial buildings all follow a similar style, a rectangle shop front with triangular roof, featuring stone balconies on the upper floor, arched windows and doorways and big wooden shutters.
Savannakhet is a city where you have to always look up. The historic buildings can be found everywhere, and even in their state of deterioration, they give a small glimpse into what the city would have been like in the past.
Our favourite historic buildings were definitely:
Lao Chaleun Rama 1960s
(location)
You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the ruins and empty shell of this art deco / brutalist cinema rising above you. Built in the 1960s during the French colonial period, the Lao Chaleun Rama was an old theatre which played movies and films up until the 1990s where eventually it was abandoned and left to ruin. Today the building has been given a new lease of life, with its crumbling rooms being turned into small shops, art galleries and a coffee shop.
Whilst we were there the old theatre part of Lao Chaleun was undergoing extensive restoration, and a new cinema will be opening very soon - let us know in the comments when it reopens!
Savannakhet’s daily night market is held just behind the Lao Chaleun Theatre.
Abandoned Khounsavan Cinema
(location)
A short walk up the road from the Laos Chaleun Rama theatre complex, are the brutalist ruins of the Khounsavan Cinema.
Once a bustling theatre, the cinema is now a shell of its former self. As you peer through the locked metal gates, you can see the old ticket booth whilst all around the walls are decorated with vintage film posters.
After you’ve peered through the gates, make sure you cross over the road to see the cinema in all its brutalist glory. There is also some street art painted on the wall to the right of the locked gates featuring images of traditional Laos shadow puppetry.
It’s a real shame to see this cinema all locked up, but we are hopeful that in the future it’ll be open once more.
Spotting Savannakhet’s Colourful Street Art
(location)
As you wander around the city, it won’t be long until you start spying street art decorating the walls of the old town.
The murals showcase local street scenes and children playing alongside more modern, stylised images and comic-book esq graffiti. We loved how some of the murals have been painted to incorporate the old wooden shutters and window frames of the buildings.
There was even a scene from a restaurant painted on a huge wall, showing men sitting at tables that really reminded us of the street art in Songkhla, Southern Thailand (read more about Songkhla here).
Our favourite mural was the image of two diplodocus dinosaurs painted in bright blue and green on the edge of an abandoned warehouse.
Savannakhet’s street art can be found all over the city, but especially down Khantabouli Street.
The Giant Naga Statue
(location)
The coils of this enormous white and gold serpent twist and turn along the river bank, with the head of this Giant Naga staring out over the mighty Mekong River, across to Thailand and the town of Mukdahan.
The statue is huge! Stretching all along the riverfront walkway, across the riverside park and along the road. As you walk through the park and along the river, the jewelled scales of the statue arch over and above you.
The Giant Naga Statue is a popular spot for locals to pray and give offerings and there are plenty of street stalls selling flower garlands, incense and other offerings.
To the right of the Giant Naga Statue sit a row of smaller naga statues, all painted in different colours, all sitting coiled on small plinths.
This brings us nicely on to…
The Temples and Churches of Savannakhet
Wat Sainyaphum
(location)
Sitting just over the road from the Giant Naga Statue and riverside promenade is one of southern Laos’ most important Buddhist temples - Wat Sainyaphum.
This beautiful temple was built around 500 years ago and houses several different temple buildings as well as a monastery.
The main pagoda sits in the heart of the temple grounds and is a large, triangular roofed temple painted in shimmering gold. On either side of the entrance, green naga statues line the steps.
It’s a tranquil temple, full of saffron coloured monks chanting and golden Buddha statues covered in offerings.
Wat Xaiyamoungkhoun
(location)
Sitting behind ornate temple gates and stone walls, is a treasure trove of beautiful Buddhist temple buildings. The main pagoda is painted white and gold, with intricately carved and painted gable ends.
Inside the temple make sure you look up at the colourfully painted roof and walls which all tell illustrated stories of the Buddha.
We were lucky to stumble upon this temple after visiting Savannakhet’s Museum. We’d recommend heading here after visiting the museum, but only after you’ve stopped for a coffee at Le Corbeau Bar - again more on this later!
Rattanarangsi Temple
(location)
Another of Savannakhet’s ornate Buddhist temples, Wat Rattanarangsi houses a large reclining Buddha statue, colourful stupas and stone chedis all sitting in a palm filled temple garden.
Our favourite building in this temple was the naga lined, white and gold tower that rose up above the temple roofs.
Don’t miss the row of colourful naga statues sitting behind the Giant Naga Statue!
Chua Bao Quang Temple
(location)
Sitting just behind Wat Rattanarangsi, Chua Bao Quang is a Vietnamese style Buddhist temple. Painted yellow, with Chinese style latticed windows and golden dragon statues lining the roof, Chua Bao Quang temple is beautiful.
We were visiting Savannakhet at the end of Lunar New Year and whenever we passed the temple, it was always busy with locals lighting incense or placing offerings.
St. Teresa's Catholic Church
(location)
This European style, creamy white church sits on the edge of a small concrete square.
At the front, 3 arched doorways sit in a row, whilst on top, a white octagonal tower crowns the building.
Inside, the church is sparsely decorated with rows of wooden pews sitting underneath stained glass windows and huge columns facing the altar.
The church isn’t an essential visit in itself, but it sits at the top of a pretty rectanglular square surrounded by colonial style buildings.
During the day / early evening BBQ sellers and noodle stalls set up shop around the square.
If you’re planning to visit any of the temples listed above, please be respectful and remember to cover your shoulders and knees.
Visit the Museums
Savannakhet Museum
(location)
You won’t need very long to explore this small museum but it’s worth a visit to learn a little about the history of the province. Full of ancient pots, weaponry and Buddhist artefacts, the museum showcases some of the archaeological discoveries found in and around Savannakhet. There is information written on the displays in English.
Just note the museum is closed on weekends.
Tickets cost just 10,000 kip per person to enter.
Savannakhet Dinosaur Museum
(location)
Another compact museum, Savannakhet’s Dinosaur Museum showcases fossils and dinosaur bones dug up in the province.
It’s a charming museum with a very enthusiastic manager who is eager to show foreigners the different items on display. Hanging from the walls and stored in old wooden cabinets are lots of dinosaur bones all in sizes, varying from rib cages to tail bones, femurs to spinal columns.
Information about the archaeological finds is written in both English and French.
Again like Savannakhet Museum, the museum is closed on weekends.
Tickets cost just 10,000 kip per person to enter.
Where to Eat and Drink in Savannakhet?
Whatever you’re after in Savannakhet, the town can certainly provide. From Laotian BBQs to Italian pizza, there’s a street food stall or restaurant for every palette and craving!
Local Laotian Cuisine
Laotian Street Food at Savannakhet Night Market
(location)
As soon as the sun has set over the Mekong, Savannakhet’s Night Market errupts into life - charcoal barbecues fire up, woks start spluttering and the sound of deep-fried goodies hitting the oil fills the air. It’s an explosion of smell and sound and is easily the best place to find some great local street food.
The night market sells all your Laotian favourites from grilled BBQ chicken and Laotian sausages to egg-covered sticky rice and spicy laab salads. Alongside ice-cream, sushi and even a ‘pimp your own instant ramen’ stall which we were very tempted by!
Our favourite dish though was a stall selling barbecued aubergine. It doesn’t sound like much, but trust us when we say we never knew an aubergine could taste so good!
Who knew grilled aubergine could be so good!
Sitting on piping hot grills, huge aubergines were cut in half and were grilled on the hot charcoal until their skins were charred black. On top of this, a delightful mix of spicy, chopped chilli, garlic and spring onion lay on a bed of soy sauce. Once the sauce was bubbling, the lady quickly scooped up the aubergine and handed over what was possibly one of the tastiest vegetables we’ve ever consumed.
It was salty and spicy, chewy and charred. Every mouthful was a burst of flavour that kept us wanting more and more - it was completely unlike anything we've ever eaten before. If there was ever a way to get more people eating vegetables, this is it!
If you’re in the market make sure you find this stall - honestly you won’t be disappointed.
We also enjoyed some tasty deep fried gyoza and two bowls of hearty red pork and wonton soup. Everything we ate at the night market was delicious and cheap.
Khao Piak Khao at Savan Rice Porridge Shop
(location)
This very popular (especially at breakfast times) rice porridge shop serves one thing and one thing only, khao piak khao - otherwise known as Laos rice porridge!
We ordered from the friendly stall owner at the front of the shop and very quickly, two huge, steaming orange bowls were presented to us. We spared no time in waiting for it to cool down and dove straight in.
The rice porridge was delicious. We’ve eaten a lot of khao piak khao throughout Laos and this was one of our favourites. It was meaty, rich and super comforting. Unlike the other bowls we’ve consumed, where the stall holders have been more cautious, giving us the ‘safer, more farang friendly’ cuts of meat, our bowls at Savan Rice Porridge came topped with slices of pork liver and heart. These less common cuts gave the whole bowl a deep, savoury undertone.
As with all porridge shops there was a cruet of condiments to adjust your bowl to your liking - our recommendation is to always add a big dollop of chilli oil followed by a squeeze of lime to lift the whole bowl up a zingy, spicy notch.
Each bowl cost us 25,000 kip - super cheap for a hearty breakfast that will set you up for a day of exploring.
Roast Pork Rice at Noi KhaoKhaMou
(location)
Serving one of our favourite meals - meat on rice. Noi KhaoKhaMou serves up every kind of meat on rice you can imagine. From stewed pork leg to braised duck, fried chicken to offal, whatever kind of meat you wanted on top of rice, you could order it at this busy eatery. Despite the many offerings on the menu, we stuck to our favourite and ordered two plates of crispy roast pork on rice.
Quickly after we ordered, out came two huge plates piled high with mounds of rice, thick slices of crispy pork, chunky rounds of sweet Chinese sausage, cucumber and half a boiled egg. Alongside this meaty feast, came two steaming bowls of rich pork bone soup - the perfect counterpoint to the juicy meat.
The star of the show was definitely the crispy pork. Sweet, melt in your mouth meat, sitting underneath delicious layers of succulent fat and crispy pork, it was everything we hoped it would be!
After you’ve ordered your plate, make sure to pick your sauce accompaniments from the counter at the back to pimp your rice and cut through the sweet meat. We opted for a sweet chilli sauce and sliced red chillies in vinegar.
Western Comforts
Long Pizza
(location)
Set in an old colonial-style warehouse building, Long Pizza served up what may be some of the best pizza we’ve eaten on our travels so far.
Long Pizza serves all the usual pizza choices, all made with imported Italian ingredients and cooked in a proper woodfired oven.
We decided we would share and ordered one of their large, spicy pepperoni pizzas alongside one of their parma ham salads - both were everything we hoped they would be!
Sometimes you just need to satisfy the pizza cravings!
The pizza was perfectly cooked. A thin, crusty pizza base was topped with a layer of sweet tomato sauce and meltingly rich mozzarella. On top of this, were long thin slices of delicately spiced pepperoni, which gave a little zing against the melted cheese.
The parma ham salad was the perfect accompaniment. Shards of parma ham sat amongst salad leaves, tomatoes and topped with shards of parmesan and a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar.
If you’ve got room after, we can highly recommend their chocolate brownie for dessert. It was a perfect square of chocolatey, gooey goodness, served with two scoops of coconut ice-cream - divine!
Long Pizza is obviously a lot more expensive than the street food offerings in the night market, but if you find a good pizzeria on your travels, it’s sacrilege not to indulge a little - good mozzarella, pepperoni and parma ham are hard finds in South East Asia!
In terms of the ‘Pizza Olympics’ of Laos, Long Pizza is second, with Popolo Pizza in Luang Prabang (read more about this amazing pizza joint here) just beating them to the gold. Laos really punches above its weight when it comes to pizza - both Long Pizza and Popolo are amongst the best we have had anywhere in the world.
Coffee in Savannakhet
Coffee is big business in Savannakhet and wherever you are in the city, you’ll never be far from a ‘Cup of Joe’. With everything from roadside stalls to modern air-conditioned coffee shops, there’s plenty of places to caffeine up ready for a day of exploring. Below are some of our favourite spots to grab a brew in the town.
Hukfilm × Le Grand père Coffee
(location)
If you only have time for one coffee during your Savannakhet stay, then make sure it’s a coffee from at Hukfilm × Le Grand père Coffee. Set in a small room at the front of the repurposed Lao Chaleun Rama cinema, the coffee from Hukfilm is an experience in itself!
The coffee served here isn’t just a quick brew, it’s like watching an artist create a masterpiece. As soon as we had ordered our hot lattes, the friendly barista quickly got to work intricately measuring, grinding and filtering our coffee beans of choice.
Our coffees were simply next level - possibly the best we’ve drunk in the whole of Laos so far. Strong, rich and perfectly balanced. We spent a good while sipping on our coffees and enjoying the ambiance of the coffeeshop.
The interior of the coffee shop is worth a visit by itself: Exposed brick, sitting alongside turquoise painted walls with blue wooden shutters all standing in perfect contrast to the original tiled floor below. Shelves of vintage cameras and old film rolls lined the walls, whilst red and yellow Kodak signs gave a pop of colour - it’s a super stylish coffee shop! If we could design our house to look like this, we would! It was the vintage interior style that we absolutely love.
The coffee shop serves all your usual coffee favourites as well as the intriguing ‘barista’s choice’. A similar idea to a craft cocktail bar, you just put your faith in the barista behind the counter and let them serve you whatever they think you’d love!
As we said above, if you are a coffee fanatic and only have a day in Savannakhet make sure you head here for a brew!
Sooksavan Coffee and Bistro
(location)
As soon as you enter the narrow coffee shop of Sooksavan Coffee and Bistro you instantly feel as though you’ve been transported to a different time. Blue leather chairs sit on top of an exposed brick floor, whilst all around the walls are decorated with newspaper cuttings and old black and white photos.
We ordered two iced lattes which were just perfect. The coffee shop also sells fresh juice, teas and sodas alongside a small menu of fried noodles and rice.
Outside, there is a very picturesque, turquoise door which was a popular Insta spot for the Laotian youth to pose against.
Kin Café’s 1988
(location)
Set behind what looks like the walls of an old warehouse, Kin Cafe’s 1988 serves up excellent coffee.
Offering all your favourites, there is seating inside the modern air-conditioned shop as well as outside in the covered courtyard.
John’s favourite part of our visit to this coffee shop was definitely admiring the two vintage SR Yamaha motorbikes parked in the courtyard.
Black Coffee
(location)
Set on a busy crossroads in the heart of the old town, Black Coffee is popular all day with locals and travellers.
Serving all the usual coffee selection as well as iced teas, smoothies, frappes and Italian sodas, Black Coffee is great for a quick, ice-cold pick me up.
We ordered two iced lemon teas and they were citrussy, refreshing and really hit the spot after a very hot afternoon wandering the town.
The coffeeshop also serves a selection of sweet treats including some pretty cheesecakes which we were very tempted by!
Beer and Cocktails - The Best Bars in Savannakhet
Le Corbeau Bar
(location)
Le Corbeau Bar is set in a beautiful, old colonial style mansion house complete with columns, arched doorways and wooden shuttered windows.
Inside, the old-school vintage vibe continues, with a huge, long bar taking pride of place in a high-ceiled room. The art-deco theme continues throughout the bar with black leather seats, soft-glowing lamps and white plastered walls. It’s worth a visit even if it’s just to admire the original tiled floor!
During the day, the bar serves up delicious craft coffee whilst in the evening the bar offers bespoke cocktails - we can highly recommend their ‘Oracle Mule’, a take on a ‘Moscow Mule’ made with spiced rum, ginger ale and citrusy lime.
Le Corbeau is an experience all in itself and is a great excuse to treat yourself to a cocktail either before or after a pizza at Long Pizza (see above).
Bang Bar
(location)
Set within the Lao Chaleun Rama Cinema building just next to the Savannakhet’s Night Market, the Bang Bar is a great spot to have an ice-cold Beer Laos with some munch from the market.
We enjoyed a couple of beers alongside some dumpling starters to prepare for our evening of market munching!
Where to Stay in Savannakhet?
Savannakhet has plenty of accommodation from small, family run guest houses to boutique hotels - whatever your budget there’ll be a bed for you.
Budget Friendly Accommodation - Xaythone Guesthouse
We opted to stay in the cheap and cheerful Xaythone Guesthouse. Run by a charming old lady and her family, the guest house had everything we wanted for our stay in the city. A big room, comfy bed, hot showers and all in a great location - it was everything we needed.
The guesthouse also offers a laundry service as well as a taxi to pick you up / drop you off at the bus station (50,000 kip per journey) or even to take you to the Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge (150,000 kip for the taxi).
To book your stay at Xaythone Guesthouse click here.
Boutique Hotels and All Other Savannakhet Accommodation
If you’re after a more fancy stay than just a guesthouse, then there are plenty of boutique hotels to book.
Use the map below to check out all the accommodation on offer in Savannakhet - just enter your travel dates and take a look!
Where To Go After Savannakhet?
Staying in Laos - Heading North or South From Savannakhet
From Savannakhet’s bus station, you can easily head either north or delve deeper south to explore more of Laos.
If you plan to head north, you can easily catch a bus to take you to the town of Thakhek (read more about the town here) This small riverside town is the gateway to central Laos and is home to the impressive Konglor Caves and the incredible Thakhek Loop - possibly one of the greatest adventures we’ve ever had!
If you don’t mind a longer journey, you could catch an overnight bus (or you could fly) that would take you all the way to Vientiane. From here you could spend a couple of days exploring the city before catching the high speed railway onto the adventure capital of Vang Vieng or the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang.
If you’re heading south towards Cambodia, you could catch a bus to Pakse - start of the Bolaven Loop- another incredible motorbike journey. From Pakse you can see its amazing waterfalls, before catching another bus to head even further south to the ruins at Champasak or the 4000 Islands at Don Det or Don Khone and even the border with Cambodia.
If you’re planning to buy a bus ticket on the day, make sure you get to the bus station early. Despite having scheduled “bus departure times” - a lot of the time the bus will leave as soon as it is full.
This also applies to getting a seat. Laotian buses are well-known for being overstuffed. A 12 seater minivan will easily have double if not triple that amount of passengers with extra ‘beer crate’ seats added to the aisles.
If you have luggage, want a ticket and more importantly a seat, make sure you get to the bus station as early as possible!
We left Savannakhet and caught the 8AM bus to Pakse. We arrived at the bus station at 7AM and the bus was already half-full. Make sure you plan accordingly!
Catching a Bus Internationally
Savannakhet to Vietnam
From Savannakhet Bus Station you can catch a bus all the way to Hanoi, Hue and Danang in Vietnam.
These bus routes do not run everyday, so if you’re planning a trip to Vietnam from Savannakhet, we’d recommend heading to Savannakhet’s Bus Station for up-to-date departure days and times. It is also very difficult to book these tickets online in advance, so to book your seat, head to the bus station.
Savannakhet to Cambodia
There are no direct buses from Savannakhet to Cambodia. To do this route, you’ll need to catch a local minibus to Pakse and transfer to a bus there.
Buses from Pakse can take you to the Nong Nok Khiene Border between Laos and Cambodia, then on to the towns of Stung Treng, Kratie, Banlung or even to Siem Reap.
Savannakhet to Thailand
Buses run every hour from the bus station to the Thai border at Mukdahan. From the city of Mukdahan you can catch a bus all the way to Bangkok (book your bus tickets here) or head into Isan.
We’ll cover all you need to know about crossing the Laos / Thailand border below.
To book bus tickets or any onward travel from Savannakhet, we’d recommend using the 12Go widget below:
Crossing the Border Between Thailand and Laos - The Thai / Laos Friendship Bridge - All You Need To Know
Savannakhet sits on the edge of the Mekong overlooking the Thai city of Mukdahan and is a great place to cross the border into Thailand.
From Savannakhet Bus Station to Mukdahan Bus Station it’s only a 30 minute drive - not counting the time to process everything at Border Control.
Here’s all you need to know about crossing the border:
Leaving Laos and Entering Thailand
Laos border crossing point (location).
If you’ve come to the end of your Laos visa you can catch a bus or arrange a taxi to take you to the Laos Immigration Office on the Laos side of the Mekong. Once stamped out of Laos, you can cross the ‘Friendship Bridge’ and head to the Thai Immigration control to get stamped into Thailand.
To do this by bus: Buses leave Savannakhet Bus Station for Mukdahan every hour from around 7AM to 8PM and a ticket will cost 40,000 kip. The bus will take you across the bridge to Mukdahan bus station.
For those staying in Xaythone Guesthouse the owner offers a taxi service to the border for 150,000 kip.
Leaving Thailand and Entering Laos
If you’re entering Laos from Mukdahan, you will need to catch a bus or taxi to the Thailand border crossing point (location). From here you will get stamped out of Thailand before crossing the Friendship Bridge to reach the Laos Immigration Control.
At the Laos border you can obtain a visa on arrival costing $40 USD (you can also pay in Thai baht) or, if you’ve arranged an e-visa in advance, you can use this here.
Buses depart Mukdahan bus station (location) to Savannakhet town bus station every hour from 7AM to 8PM. A bus ticket will cost you 100 baht.
Visiting Savannakhet - How Long To Spend and Is It Worth The Trip?
As with any trip there’s always the difficult question of whether to stop somewhere or not. Here’s our honest opinion on whether you should add Savannakhet as a stop to your Laos itinerary.
Savannakhet - How Long Should I Stay?
Depending on how long you have in Laos, you can easily spend 2 nights in the city. We had 2 nights in Savannakhet and could easily have spent another day. There isn’t a great deal to do in the city, but that’s where part of its charm lies. There was enough food and plenty of coffee shops to keep us entertained and we would have loved to spend another day relaxing, eating and drinking our way around the city.
If you’re looking for somewhere to recuperate after driving the Thakhek or Bolaven Loops, then Savannakhet wouldn’t be a bad place to spend your time. The accommodation is very reasonable and there’s plenty of places to eat and drink - both Laotian fare and Western comforts.
If you’re really short on time, you could easily spend a night in the city to break up the journey between Pakse and Thakhek. To do this you would need to catch the earliest bus in the morning from either Pakse or Thakhek so that you could arrive in Savannakhet by lunchtime. This would give you the rest of the afternoon to explore the attractions of the ‘old town’, have a coffee in Hukfilm and spend the evening munching your way around the night market.
We spent 2 nights in the city and managed to see everything we wanted to, but could easily have spent a little longer. The city is very relaxed and if you’re after good food and coffee, Savannakhet is a perfect place to chill out in.
Final Thoughts - Is Savannakhet Worth A Visit?
We would 100% say yes, Savannakhet is absolutely worth a stopover.
It’s a city where you can just stop a little, take a step back and really slow down. The city is full of friendly locals, great food and drink, craft coffee shops and a super laid back atmosphere. It’s a small enough city, with all the “attractions” of the town all within a short walk from one another.
The city felt completely different to any of the other towns or cities we’ve visited in Laos and we loved just walking down the streets looking up at the historic buildings. We absolutely loved that the old buildings that were once ruins have now been given a new lease of life in the forms of modern coffee shops and art galleries.
We really didn’t know what to expect from Savannakhet but we really enjoyed our time there. It’s one of those places that’s difficult to put into words just why we liked it so much. During our adventures we’ve visited plenty of places that seem to be putting on a show for tourists, Savannakhet was not that, it was genuine and it was charming.
If you’re after good food, a fun night market and a chilled out vibe away from the usual Laotian backpacker scene, then make sure to add Savannakhet to your Laos itinerary!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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