Kanchanaburi

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Kanchanaburi (Thai ?????????) is the capital of Kanchanaburi Province and is located at the confluence of the rivers Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai.

	kanchanaburi Travel Guide : 1 Understand 1.1 Orientation 2 Get in 2.1 By bus 2.2 By train 3 Get around 4 See 4.1 Bridge over the River Kwai 4.2 Art Gallery and War Museum 4.3 Other sights & attractions 5 Do 6 Tours 7 Eat 7.1 Budget 7.2 Mid-range 8 Buy 9 Drink 10 Sleep 10.1 Budget 10.2 Mid-range 11 Contact 12 Get out

Understand

Kanchanaburi (population 52,000) is the gateway to Kanchanaburi Province. For most visitors it holds precisely one sight of interest, namely the Bridge over the River Kwai, the start of the infamous World War II Death Railway to Burma (Myanmar).

Orientation

Orienting yourself in Kanchanaburi is very easy. The main road, Thanon Saeng Chuto, runs through the length of town from north to south, connecting the River Kwai Bridge, the train station and the bus station.

Get in

By bus

BKS public buses (line 81) leave from pier 4 of Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal. In Kanchanaburi, there are two separate but nearby bus terminals, with 1st class buses departing from an office off Thanon Saengchuto, and 2nd class buses from the larger terminal one block east.

• 1st class buses should leave Bangkok every 15 minutes from 05:00 to 22:30, take about 2 hours, and (as of July 2005) cost 86 baht.

• 2nd class buses (new route) leave Bangkok every 20 minutes from 03:30 to 19:00, take about 2 hours, and cost 68 baht.

• 2nd class buses (old route) leave Bangkok every 15-30 minutes from 04:00 until 18:00, take about 3 hours, and cost 67 baht.

There are also tourist minibuses directly to/from Khao San Road, departing Kanchanaburi at 13:30 and 18:30 - fares are 100/120 baht respectively.

From Nakhon Pathom, there are direct buses (2nd class only) every 15 to 30 minutes between 04:00 and 18:00. The trip takes two hours and costs 40 baht. Alternatively, you can hop off a 1st class bus when it passes by Nakhon Pathom (66 baht), but double-check with staff to ensure the route allows this and they know your plans.

From Sangkhlaburi to Kanchanaburi, you're spoilt for choice:

• Air-con VIP buses leave at 08:45, 10:45 and 14:30 and take 4 hours - fare 151 baht.

• Air-con minibuses leave at 06:30, 07:30, 11:30, 13:00, 15:30 and take 3.5 hours - fare 118 baht.

• Standard buses leave at 06:45, 08:15, 10:15, 13:15 and take 5 hours - fare 84 baht.

By train

Trains leave Bangkok's Thonburi Train Station at 07:45 and arrive at Kanchanaburi at 10:20, also at 13:45 and arriving at 16:35. You may be interested in buying a ticket all the way to the River Kwai Bridge, since these two trains are the only ones which cross the bridge each day. The fare is around 25 baht.

Return trains leave at 07:25 and 14:48 from the main railway station; from the River Kwai Bridge they leave 6 minutes earlier. Riding 3rd class is an adventure in itself, and a must do for everyone who hasn't travelled this way before.

Both train services continue to/from Nam Tok (17 baht), the current terminus of the Death Railway. The 10:30 train has a special tourist section, where the low, low price of 300 baht gets you air-con, a soft drink and a certificate of having ridden the Death Railway. This service has occasionally been operated by a steam engine, but usually uses an ordinary diesel DMU, and railfans will have to content themselves with the Japanese-era steamers plinthed at the main and bridge stations.

Get around

Kanchanaburi is just a little too stretched out to be comfortably walkable. Small orange and large yellow songthaews (converted pickups) cruise up and down Saengchuto, connecting bus station, train station and the bridge, and charge a standard 5 baht. Motorbike taxis and tuk-tuks are also available, with negotiable prices, and some guesthouses offer bicycle rental.

See

Bridge over the River Kwai

Located some 3 km north of Kanchanaburi (down New Zealand Rd off Saeng Chuto), this iron bridge (Saphan Mae Nam Kwae) across the Kwae Yai river is the main attraction for many visitors. Immortalized in the famous movie and novel, it was a part of the infamous Death Railway to Burma, constructed by POWs working for the Japanese in hellish conditions during World War 2. Some 16,000 POWs and 100,000 Asian workers died during the railway construction. The present iron bridge is the second wartime incarnation (a part of the original can be found in the War Museum), but 2 central 'boxy' spans were rebuilt after the war to replace three sections destroyed by Allied bombing.

• You can cross the bridge on foot. While the center of the track has been thoughtfully turned into a steel-plated walkway and there are little side platforms between the spans for sightseeing and avoiding trains, there are no guardrails so vertigo sufferers and small children should steer clear.

• The State Railway of Thailand operates a little tourist train with which you can drive across the bridge and back again, at 20 baht for the 15 minute round trip.

Art Gallery and War Museum

This well-signposted complex is located about 50 metres from the bridge and houses a bizarre collection of museums and exhibits, most of which are poorly maintained and labeled. Open 08:30-16:30 daily; admission to the whole lot is 30 baht.

• War Museum. To your left as you enter is this four-story building encrusted with statues, which starts off with a little Burmese shrine but is mostly devoted to pre-WW2 Thai history through the ages and is filled with wall paintings of kings and racks of rusty pistols. There are good views of the bridge from the roof of the riverside building.

• World War II and JEATH Museum. Lurking in the basement, this is the main drawcard and features a section of the first wooden bridge, recreations of the POW barracks and random military paraphernalia.

• Jewelry Museum. Above the WW2 museum is the most bizarre section, housing (among other things) dusty stamp collections and a gallery with wall paintings of all Miss Thailand winners.

Other sights & attractions

• Hellfire Pass
• Chongkai War Cemetery
• Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
• Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park
• Don Chedi Archaeological Site
• Giant Tree
• Kuan Yum
• Wat Ban Tham
• Wat Tham Sua
• Wat Tham Khao Noi
• Wat Tham Khaopoon
• Wat Tham Mungkornthong
• Thailand-Burma Railway Centre - next to Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (WW2 rail history)

Do

• Erawan Waterfalls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand and a must see if you are in Kanchanaburi and your time/budget allows it. Public buses (No. 8170) leave Kanchanaburi bus terminal every 50 (sometimes 60) minutes between 08:00 and 17:20, fare 26 baht, duration 90 minutes. The bus drives on Saengchuto road up to the north. If you live far away from the bus terminal, and you probably will, it may be a good idea to catch it there. Be sure to try and get an early bus, since there will be fewer people at the waterfall and you don't have to hurry to get back. The last bus will leave for Kanchanaburi at 16:00. Plan to spend at least three hours plus the time you want to spend swimming at the waterfalls. Entrance fee to the waterfalls is 200 baht for foreigners. Bicycles can be rented at the entrance (20 baht/hour), however you won't be able to use it for 90% of the distance, so they don't really have any use. Be sure to bring your hiking shoes (or whatever matches it most closely).

Tours

Tours to nearby natural attractions can be made with local tour agencies. One of the reliable one is Good Times Travel good-times-travel.com (http://www.Good-Times-Travel.com). They organize one day excursions and several day trekks in Kanchanaburi Province.

Eat

Budget

For cheap street eats, the market in front of the train station will fulfill all your 10 baht phad thai needs.

Mid-range

A number of floating restaurants just next to the River Kwai bridge uphold the fine traditions of their brethren worldwide by serving mediocre food at inflated prices. Nice views though.

Buy

• River Kwai Park Market, right next to the bridge. Dozens of stalls selling touristy knick-knacks, but quite a few Thais seems to come here for jewelry shopping as well.

• Night Market, in front of the train station on Saeng Chuto Road. Nothing out of the ordinary, but quite cheap as it's geared for locals.

• Tesco Lotus, Saeng Chuto Road (to the south of town). Standard issue hypermarket.

Drink

There are numerous locations where you'll be able to enjoy your drinks. Especially around the Guest Houses near the river.

Sleep

There are lots of guesthouses, resorts and hotels available. The density increases the nearer you get to the Bridge on the River Kwai. As usual if you book in advance they will arrange a free pick up service for you. If you haven't done so yet, you should try one night in a raft room floating on the river.

Budget

• V.N. Guest House, 44 Rong Heeb Oil Road, 2 Muang Kanchanaburi; tel. +66-34514082 (mailto:info@vnguesthouse.net) 1 (http://www.vnguesthouse.net). Raft rooms starting at 250 baht, double room with bath for 250 baht and air-con rooms for 400 baht.

Mid-range

• River Kwai Hotel, 284/15-16 Saeng Chuto Road; tel. +66-34511565 2 (http://www.riverkwai.co.th). Centrally located halfway between bus and train stations, this was once the city's fanciest hotel but it's getting a little long in tooth. Large swimming pool, restaurant, netcafe, beer garden, dubious massage/karaoke joint, etc. Singles from 900 baht.

Contact

• Tourist Authority of Thailand, Saeng Chuto Rd (just south of the bus terminal). Distributes a useful free map of the city and province. Open 08:00 to 16:00 daily.

Get out

• Three Pagodas Pass - at the border between Thailand and Myanmar, near the town of Sangkhlaburi, 4 hours away by bus.

• Nakhon Pathom - the world's largest stupa makes a good pitstop along the way to Bangkok (2 hours from Kanchanaburi, 1 hour to Bangkok).

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