hi am travelling to thailand end sept 08. i am thinking of visiting the river kwai this time.can anybody give me any information on the town of kanchanaburi what is there bars etc..... things to do? how long to stay there? is it worth taking time out to go there? any information you think might be useful.
thanks......

The River Kwai can even be reached from Bangkok in a day trip if you dont want to stay overnight.
Kanchanaburi itself is not that big but there is plenty of things to do as it attracts a lot of tourists, I guess a 2-3 day stay would be sufficient.

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There are lots of bars and guesthouses in K'buri to choose from starting from very cheap, to quite expensive resorts further out. There are some great eating places - Apples Guesthouse is a great outdoor restaurant and has very clean rooms as well. It's certainly worth more than just a day trip from Bangkok. Good Times Travel do tours to all the main attractions around the area - railway, Erawan Falls, war memorial, tiger temple etc etc, and are very helpful. We booked our accommodation through Good Times Travel from Australia before we left, just email them and they'll do their best to help out.

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The city of Kanchanaburi by the River Kwai is a very good choice for visiting. Many things to do, places to visit, and places to relax.

Visit the War Cemetary with 7000 headstones for allied soldiers who died during the building of 'The Death Railway' in WWII. Take a walk crossing the river on the historic Bridge on the River Kwai. Enjoy the beautiful landscapes along the river on a ride at the 'Death Railway'. Visit the beautiful Erawan Waterfalls 60 km north of Kanchanaburi and hike the seven steps of the waterfall, and have a swim in one of the ponds at the buttom of each step. visit the Tiger Temple 45 km from the city, and see how the monks are taking care of the tigers - and have a chance to have your picture taken.

Visit the night market by the railway station and make a good bargain, check the bars in the street with most of the guesthouses, and enjoy a wonderful meal at either one of the restaurants by the river promenade or the big night food market by the bus station at night time.

Many nice, clean, friendly and cheap guesthouses, and some good hotels and/or resorts.

Kanchanaburi is easy to reach by air/con bus from the southern bus terminal. Trip takes two hours, bus leaving every 15 minutes, price 115 Baht (make sure you are buying tickets at the blue counters - orange counters are NOT air/buses).

Take a look at this link for further information about Kanchanaburi, you may stay for at least two days - have a nice trip

Kanchanaburi-info.com: destination guide to Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

thanks to everyone for your expertese i think i will now make a point of fitting this into my schedule.

thanks again. i love thailand much

Hi Andy, slowly working my way through my JBR's. Kanchanaburi is on the list so keep an eye out.

Cheers

Karin

Andy,

If you want some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, go stay at the Resotel at the river kwai. Built along the river, it is a very peaceful place and I just enjoy siting outside my lodging enjoying the nice cool air.





Its a very green place as you can see

Enjoy your trip Andy

thanks socrates i will take that on board the pics look fantastic.

I really do agree that the Resotel is a very beautiful place, I just think there is a few things to consider before you might stay there: It is located about 60 km out of the city by the river, you will just have the hotel, which is great if you just want to relax and enjoy yourself for a few days. But if you are planning to visit other places in or around the city of Kanchanaburi (like the bridge, bars, city life, etc.) while you are there, you are pretty far away from everything.

I just thought I'd let you know for your consideration.

Agree with Flebo, I stayed 2 nights at kanchanaburi town visiting the various attractions, going on local tour with good times travel before 2 nights of quiet and peace at the resotel.



Andy do share with us when you return. have a good trip.