TH · Lopburi · 14.80°N 100.63°E
lopburi
Khmer ruins overrun by cheeky monkeys, right in the middle of town.
- Best time
- November to February is cooler and drier. The town throws a banquet of fruit for its monkeys in late November each year.
- How long
- Half a day to 1 day
- Getting there
- Fly from KL to Bangkok (about 2 hours). From there, trains to Lopburi take about 2.5–3 hours and stop right by the old town, or it's about 2.5 hours by van or car.
lopburi
Dear group chat,Khmer ruins overrun by cheeky monkeys, right in the middle of town.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingLopburiTH, Lopburi
Photo: Wayne77 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo: Chris huh · CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo: PHGCOM · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo: Withit Chanthamarit · CC BY 2.0 Photo: Oatz · Public domain
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.
An old royal town about 150 km north of Bangkok, where Khmer temple ruins sit in the middle of everyday traffic. Hundreds of long-tailed macaques treat the ruins as home, which is half the fun and half the reason to hold on to your things. It pairs well with Ayutthaya for a day or two out of Bangkok.
Things to do
- Phra Prang Sam YotThree linked Khmer towers next to the railway line, and the monkeys' main hangout.Map ↗
- San Phra KanA shrine built around older Khmer ruins across the road, crawling with macaques.Map ↗
- Phra Narai RatchaniwetKing Narai's 17th-century palace compound, now a museum with lawns and old walls.Map ↗
- Wat Phra Si Rattana MahathatA large ruined temple near the station, with a tall Khmer-style prang.Map ↗
- Ban VichayenRuins of a residence used by European envoys in King Narai's time.Map ↗
Good to know
- Keep bags zipped and sunglasses, hats and water bottles out of reach. The monkeys grab anything loose, especially food.
- Don't feed or tease the monkeys, and keep children close around them.
- Ayutthaya is on the same train line, so it's easy to do both in one trip.
Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.