Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima — universally called Korat — is the gateway to Isan and Thailand's largest province by area. Khao Yai National Park is the headline act: a UNESCO World Heritage forest with wild elephants, gibbons, great hornbills, and waterfalls accessible on well-maintained trails. The surrounding area has sprouted a wine region (GranMonte and PB Valley wineries), boutique resorts, and Italian restaurants catering to Bangkok weekenders along the Thanarat Road strip.

Korat city itself is a large, modern Isan hub with excellent street food — the local pad mee Korat (stir-fried noodles with a distinctive sweet-sour flavor) is the must-try. The Thao Suranari Monument in the city center honors a local heroine who repelled a Lao invasion in 1826, and the surrounding night market is one of the liveliest in the northeast. Phimai Historical Park, about an hour north, is an 11th-century Khmer temple complex that predates Angkor Wat — it's stunning, uncrowded, and connected to Angkor by an ancient road.