Around Bangkok: Places to Explore

The third-largest province in Thailand, Kanchanaburi has scenic jungles, rivers, waterfalls, and mountains, especially near Sangklaburi, as you approach the Myanmar border. For centuries it was a favorite... Read more

This village, a popular stopping point between Bangkok and Ayutthaya, has a few architectural sights of note, a Thai palace, a European-style temple, and a Chinese pagoda, all grouped around a lake and... Read more

The colorful Damnoen Saduak floating market is a true icon of Thai tourism. The image is so evocative that it's become an ad agency favorite. Today the market, which sells mostly produce and other foods... Read more

The city is most famous as the location of the Bridge on the River Kwai —a piece of the World War II Japanese "Death Railway" and the subject of the 1957 film of the same name starring Alec Guinness... Read more

One of Thailand's oldest cities, Lopburi has been inhabited since the 4th century. After the 6th century its influence grew under the Dvaravati rulers, who dominated northern Thailand until the Khmers... Read more

Reputed to be Thailand's oldest city (it's thought to date from 150 BC), Nakhon Pathom was once the center of the Dvaravati kingdom, a 6th- to 11th-century affiliation of Mon city-states. It marks the... Read more

This small seaport town with many wats once linked the old Thai capitals of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya with trade routes on the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. Phetchaburi is famous for kao chae, a chilled... Read more

The provincial town of Samut Songkram has little to recommend it, but it has many nearby attractions that make it an enjoyable day trip from Bangkok. There are terrific seafood restaurants along the waterfront... Read more

Sangklaburi is a sleepy town on a large lake created by the Khao Laem Dam. There was once a Mon village here, but when the dam was built in 1983 it was almost completely covered by water. (Some parts... Read more