Getting from Wattay International Airport to the city

The desk and the app

Wattay is very close to Vientiane - about 4 km - and the price difference between the official desk and an app reflects that better than the desk does.

• Airport taxi desk: around 150,000 LAK, fixed, into the centre.
• Minibus: around 175,000 LAK.
• Loca or InDrive: often around 70,000 LAK for the same trip.

Loca is the Lao ride-hailing app and InDrive also operates. Both fix or negotiate the price in advance and both are widely used.

On the currency

• The kip has moved a great deal and Lao prices have risen quickly.
• Any figure in a guide, including this page, is an approximation. Check at the time.
• Notes are in large denominations - hundreds of thousands - and it takes a day to stop misreading them.
• US dollars and Thai baht are accepted in some places, though the rate will not favour you.

Onward

• The Laos-China Railway has transformed travel here - Vientiane to Luang Prabang in about two hours instead of a day on the road.
• The railway station is well outside the city, in a different direction from the airport, so plan a separate journey to it.
• Book train tickets in advance. They sell out, particularly in high season, and buying on the day frequently fails.
• The Thai border at the Friendship Bridge is about 20 km away, and crossing to Nong Khai for the Bangkok train is a common route out.