TH · Kanchanaburi · 14.02°N 99.53°E

kanchanaburi

Bridge on the River Kwai, Death Railway rides and floating raft stays.

Best time
November to February is cooler and dry. The rainy season, roughly June to October, fills the waterfalls but makes the trails muddy.
How long
2 days, 1 night
Getting there
Fly from KL to Bangkok (about 2 hours), then about 2.5 hours by road west. There's also a slow train from Bangkok's Thonburi station that takes about 3 hours.
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TH · Kanchanaburikanchanaburi14.02°N 99.53°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Bridge on the River Kwai, Death Railway rides and floating raft stays.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKanchanaburiTH, Kanchanaburi
KLkanchanaburi
≈ 1,233 km from KL, as the crow flies
City gate of Kanchanaburi city, Thailand

Photo: Bjoertvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A riverside town west of Bangkok, best known for the Bridge on the River Kwai. The Death Railway to Burma was built here in the Second World War by Allied prisoners and Asian labourers, including many from Malaya, and the museums and war cemetery tell their story. Beyond town there are waterfalls, rivers and raft stays.

Makan

  1. Riverside Thai foodFloating restaurants along the river serve Thai curries, stir-fries and river fish.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The Bridge on the River KwaiThe famous steel bridge. You can walk across it between trains.Map ↗
  2. Kanchanaburi War CemeteryThousands of Allied prisoners who died building the railway are buried here, in the middle of town.Map ↗
  3. Thailand–Burma Railway CentreA clear, well-laid-out museum next to the cemetery that explains how the railway was built.Map ↗
  4. Ride the Death RailwayTake the train north over the wooden Tham Krasae viaduct, which hugs a cliff above the river.Map ↗
  5. Hellfire PassA rock cutting dug by hand by prisoners, with a memorial museum, about 1.5 hours north.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Erawan Falls is about 1.5 hours away and makes an easy day trip.
  • Dress and behave respectfully at the war cemetery and memorials.
  • If you visit an elephant camp, pick one that doesn't offer rides.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.