Kanchanaburi, the city of the bridge

ℹ️ Top Things to Do in Kanchanaburi

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Located within the city itself, the Bridge over the River Kwai is both the city’s most famous tourist attraction and the main symbol of Kanchanaburi. Manage your expectations: the main interest here is its historical relevance, even though the place certainly has its charm. This bridge was a key point of the railway line that Japanese forced Allied and Asian prisoners to build during World War II. The bridge, surrounded by souvenir stalls and restaurants, is easily walkable, and it’s possible as well to take a small longtail boat to navigate around it, or to take the train from Kanchanaburi Central Station to Saphan Kwai Yai Station so you can cross the bridge on board the train.

Death Railway Museum

The Death Railway Museum is the best museum in the city to learn about the history of the Death Railway and the prisoners who built it. In its exhibition halls you’ll find prisoner objects, tools used to build the railway, railway parts, maps and videos. If you don’t have enough with this museum, you can continue with the JEATH War Museum, a smaller museum that details how was daily life for the prisoners during the building of the railway. The museum was created in 1977 by an abbot from Wat Chaichumpon monastery, which is located next door and you can visit as well. The pictures and paintings that make up the exhibition are displayed in wooden and bamboo structures, which aim to recreate the simple barracks where prisoners slept.

Wat Tham Suea and Wat Tham Khao

This two beautiful and large temples are so close to each other that they seem to be the same, but actually they are not. Wat Tham Suea and Wat Tham Khao Noi are 2 separated temples that can be easily visited together in a couple of hours. If you visit them you will find huge Buddhas and large pagodas that, from its top, offer nice views of its surroundings. They are an interesting visit if you are going to spend time exploring the area by bike, motorcycle or car. This 2 temples are located about 20 km from the city center.

Hellfire Pass

Hellfire Pass is the name by which is known the most callenging  stretch of the Death Railway, in a mountainous area where the rock had to be dynamited and chiseled to open a pass. War prisoners were forced to work daily 16-18 hour shifts, with little water and only a small portion of rice for food, and many of them died of accidents, exhaustion, illness or beatings. In 1987 a memorial was erected here, and a museum was inaugurated in 1996, although the best thing to do here is to walk along the original railway path and climb to the viewpoint to admire the impressive over-100-metres-long and 17-meters-deep corridor. Hell Pass is located about 80 km west of Kanchanaburi, and access is free, although donations are accepted.

Ride on the Death Railway

This day trip will allow you to enjoy a two-hour train journey along the original route of the Death Railway, which offers beautiful views over the region, and at the end of the journey, in Nam Tok village, you can get off and walk about 2 km to beautiful Sai Yok Noi waterfall, take a dip and eat at one of the local riverside restaurants in true Thai style. Sai Yok Noi Waterfall is located at the southern end of the Sai Yok and Erawan National Parks, right between them, about 63 km northwest of Kanchanaburi.

Erawan Waterfall

Erawan Waterfall is the most famous – and many would say most beautiful – in all of Thailand. It is located within the Erawan National Park, about 65 km northwest of Kanchanaburi. The water from the spectacular main drop follows its course forming clear natural pools in seven successive tiers, next to a path that allows the you to reach every stretch of this piece of paradise and choose your favourite spot to take a dip. As common, beauty has taken its toll, and the place tends to get crowded with tourists, although the river is quite long and usually it’s not too hard to find a spot for a quiet splash. The entrance fee to the Park is THB 300.

Allied Cemeteries

In Kanchanaburi there are two main cemeteries for the thousands of slave workers who died during the construction of the Death Railway. On the tombstones you can read their names, nationalities, ranks, ages and epitaphs. It is shocking to see that most of them were young men in their twenties, many of them Australian, Dutch and British. The cemetery is very well kept, and every year is visited by relatives and the few living survivors of that episode. One of the cemeteries is opposite the Death Railway Museum, while the other, Chung Kai War Cemetery, is on the west bank about 2 km outside the city.

Prasat Meuang Singh

The ancient Prasat Meuang Singh, in the middle of a forested area about 35 km west of Kanchanaburi, are the westernmost Khmer ruins discovered so far. Although they are more modest than those in Phanom Rung or Phimai -eastern Thailand-, this charming historical site is well worth a trip from Kanchanaburi, even for those without a special interest in history. This 13th century shrine is believed to have been the center of one of the 23 major satellite cities scattered throughout the Angkor empire. As common in Khmer temples, the design of the sanctuary symbolizes Mount Meru, the mythical mountain in the center of Buddhist universe. Opening hours 08:00 to 16:30, entrance fee 100 THB.

Sleep in a Floating House

On the outskirts of Kanchanaburi there’s quite a few very interesting resorts by River Kwai’s banks that can be reached by boat. There’s the River Kwai Resotel, in the middle of the jungle, and the more expensive and famous Float House River Kwai Resort, where you can sleep in luxury cabins floating over the river. A least expensive option is the River Kwai Jungle Rafts, with simpler cabins over the river. Besides the charm of a quiet and scenic sleep over the river, all these resorts offer the simple but really fun activity of letting yourself float downstream with the only help of a life jacket. ¡Go with the flow!

🏨 Where to stay in Kanchanaburi

Best City Areas to Stay:

In relation to the rather small size of Kanchanaburi, when choosing accommodation you should know that the city has a few well differentiated areas, and all of them can be a good option depending on what you’re looking for. The southern stretch of Mae Nam Khwae street is the most popular backpacker area, and the main party scene in town -noisy indeed-. The northern stretch of the same street is a quiet area across the river, but some might say a bit too far away from downtown. Downtown you’ll find a few good value guest houses, while the most fancy hotels and resorts are not found in Kanchanaburi itself but in its outskirts, with amazing views over the River Kwai.

South Mae Nam Khwae Rd.

Best for:  Backpackers and party lovers

Accommodation available: Hostels

Advantages:
✔️ Cheap area
✔️ Lots of restaurants and bars
✔️ Party nightlife
✔️ Many travel agencies for backpackers
✔️ Riverside Location

North Mae Nam Khwae Rd.

Best for: Quietness lovers

Accommodation available: Hostels and Hotels up to 4 star

Advantages:
✔️ Quiet area
✔️ Plenty of restaurants and Travel Agencies
✔️ Riverside Location
✔️ Near Bridge and Museums

Outskirts Riverside

Best for: Luxury tourist

Accommodation available: 4 and 5 star hotels

Advantages:
✔️ Riverside Location with beautiful views
✔️ Up to 5 star luxury hotels
✔️ Some of them with floating rooms over the river

🧭 Itinerary to visit Kanchanaburi

One day is enough if you want to know the most relevant places of the town: