Surin is 457 kilometers far from Bangkok by car and 420 kilometers by train, and is 194 kilometers far from Nakhon Ratchasima by car and 170 kilometers by train.
Surin covers a total area of 8,124 square kilometers and is divided into 13 Amphoes (districts), 3 king Amphoes (Sub districts).

Borders
North: Roi Et and Maha Sarakham.
South: Cambodia
East:   Si Sa Ket
West:  Buri Ram

Distance from Surin city to
nearby Provinces Buri Ram 56 kms. Maha Sarakham 177 kms. Roi Et 137 kms. Si Sa Ket 96 kms.	its districts Buachet 66 kms. Chom Phra 26 kms. Chumphon Buri 91 kms. Kap choeng 58 kms. Lamduan 24 kms. Rattanaburi 70 kms. Samrong Thap 54 kms. Sangkha 49 kms. Sikhoraphum 34 kms. Tha Tum 51 kms. Phanom Dong Rak Subdistrict 78 kms. Sri Narong Subdistrict 64 kms. Khaow Sinarin Subdistrict 22 kms.

History

Despite its long historical background. There is so far no precise evidence to prove the origin of Surin Province. It has only been narrated for generations that Surin was built some 2,000 years ago when the ancient Khmer dominated the region. Surin was abandoned after the incline of the Khmer Kingdom. Later in 1763, a village at Ban Muang Thi was moved to Ban Khu Prathai where Surin is presently situated. The village was consequently upgraded to be ' Muang Prathai Saman' and its leader, Luang Surin Phakdi, appointed Phra Surin Phakdi Si Narong Chang Wang, the Governor.
In 1786 during the reign of King Rama I, Muang Prathai Saman was renamed 'Muang surin' after the title of its Governor.

How To get there

By Bus
 From Bangkok, there are daily buses leaving the Northern Bus Terminal. Traveling takes about 6 hours. For more information please contact Tel. 2710101-5 (Non air - conditioned buses) and Tel. 2794484-7 (Air conditioned bus).
By Train
There are trains leaving Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lam Phong) daily. The distance is 420 kilometers. 
For further details please call Information counter, State Railway of Thailand, Tel. 2337010, 2337020
There is also local bus service from the provincial city of Surin to all Amphoes and to nearby provinces. Traveling within Amphoe Muang is also possible by tricycle.
By Car
Drive along the Highway 1 (Phahonyothin Road) and turn right to the Highway 2 (Mitraphap Road) at Saraburi, then turn to the Chok Chai-Det Udom route (the Highway 24) via Amphoe Nang Rong and Amphoe Prasat before turning left to the Highway 214 to Surin Province. The total distance is 457 kilometers.

Festivals & Events

The Surin Elephant Round-Up
Surin has been an elephant's habitat since ancient times and the local townspeople of Surin are skilled in rounding up, training and controlling elephants. The famous ' Elephant Round-Up' was first held in 1960 and Surin has ever since become well-known among Thai and foreign visitors alike.
The Surin Elephant Round-Up has been scheduled to take place annually during weekend around mid November. The fair is regarded an international annual which attracts numbers of tourists from every corner of the world. Planned activities during the fair include a tug-of-war between an elephant and men, elephants in football match, war elephant parade, and local performances