While many weekenders flock to Ko Samet, Hua Hin or Pattaya there’s plenty of nature, culture and chill to be found two hours east in Kanchanaburi.
Yes it is the site of the famed “River Kwai” (actually it’s not buffalo but Khwae, which means “stream”) and its attendant bridge, something Thai that all expats’ dads have actually heard of.
There’s also historical museums, great kayaking and hiking, and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, where prisoner of war victims of the Japanese empire’s Burma Railway project are interred. Yeah, like in the movie.
Kanchanaburi can be reached by car or bus in about two hours. But we say what better way to see the Death Railway than to ride the Death Railway? Two trains leave daily from Bangkok’s Thonburi Station for Kanchanaburi then the River Kwai Bridge station before crossing the infamous bridge (it’s actually not the same one) and running scenicaly along the River Khwae to Nam Tok. Fares are inexpensive, but check Thai Rail for specifics.
