Welcome to our Kanchanaburi blog! Dive into the heart of this enchanting Thai province as we explore its top places, delicious cuisine, and convenient transport options.
Discover must-visit sites like Erawan National Park’s stunning waterfalls, the historic Bridge over the River Kwai, and the tranquil Sai Yok Noi Falls.
Savor local flavors from bustling markets to charming riverside restaurants, highlighting Kanchanaburi’s unique culinary delights. Navigate the region with ease using our comprehensive transport guides, covering everything from local buses to scenic train rides.
Join us on a journey to experience the best of Kanchanaburi’s places, food, and transport.
Kanchanaburi is about 140 km from Bangkok. There is so much to do in Kanchanaburi. The most popular sites are Death Railway Bridge and Allied War Cemetery.
Along with a lot of historical sites, this place offers you a plethora of activities such as bamboo rafting journeys along River Kwae, Khmer Temple ruins tours, exploring the elephant’s world, or a day out shopping at the gemstone village.
Things to do in Kanchanaburi:
1. Death Railway Bridge:
This bridge is also famous as the Bridge on the River Kwai. It is named so because it was a part of the Thai-Burmese and many laborers died during its construction.
An epic war film named “The Bridge on the River Kwae” was directed based on the novel 1952. The historical setting of the bridge was used in the film.
Around the bridge, you will find several stalls selling food and souvenirs. You can either stroll on the bridge or ride a train across the bridge. 2 trains are running daily from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi over the bridge.
Take a train that will cross the bridge itself and run alongside the scenic River Kwae. The ticket will cost you 100 Baht. No prior reservations are required.
2. Hellfire Pass and Memorial Museum:
The Hellfire Pass is a 500-meter-long portion of the rock that was dug out by hand by 1,000 war prisoners to pave the way for the Death Railways.
700 war prisoners died during the 12-week digging period. You can walk into the jungle through the old railway track. In the jungle, you will find the memorial museum honoring the dead war prisoners.
In the museum, you can learn more about the past through artifacts, tools, photos, audio headsets, and multimedia displays.
3. Hellfire Pass and Memorial Museum:
In this national park, you will find a seven-tiered Erawan Falls. The water cascades down from the top mountains surrounded by lush green vegetation and limestone rocks.
There is a scenic hiking trail that will take you to the top of the falls where you can enjoy swimming in the turquoise pools. You may also encounter other wildlife such as elephants, gibbons, and king cobras.
4. Elephants World:
Elephants are Thailand’s most reserved creatures. Here you can spend time with elephants in the most ethical way.
Rescuers have rescued all the elephants here from many years of suffering and torture. Rather than riding elephants or watching them perform you will spend your time in service of the animals.
You can prepare food for them or bathe them in the river. Elephant World opens from 9 am to 4 pm.
5. Chungkai War Cemetery:
People also know this cemetery as Chonk-Kai Cemetery. This is located two kilometers south of the city on the banks of the Kwai Noi River.
Chungkai War Cemetery is the home to the graves of about 1426 Commonwealth and 313 Dutch soldiers and was also the site of a former POW camp. It is open at all times to visit.
Food to try in Kanchanaburi:
1. Tom Yum Goong:
It is spicy shrimp soup. The chef makes this shrimp soup with ingredients like lemongrass, chili, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, fresh lime juice, and plenty of fish sauce.
They add coconut cream to make it creamy.
2. Gaeng Keow Wan Gai:
It is Thai green chicken curry. The curry is made from an herb and spice blend curry paste and is cooked with coconut milk.
Its major ingredients are chilies, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, Thai Basil, coconut milk, lemongrass, cumin seeds, and lime juice. It is served with steaming rice or kanomjeen noodles.
How to get to Kanchanaburi:
1. Reach Kanchanaburi by train:
The train to Kanchanaburi from Thonburi aka Bangkok Noi departs at 7:30 am and 1:55 pm. The journey will take 3 hours and will cost about 100 Baht.
2. Reach Kanchanaburi by bus:
You can reach Kanchanaburi by bus from Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, and Ratchaburi while Bangkok is the most convenient.
Buses leave from 2 terminals of Bangkok daily: Sai Tai Mai and Morchit. The journey takes 4 hours and costs about 130 Baht.