Day trip to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok? Is this possible?

Hi there,

We are planning a trip to Bangkok for 3 days - is it possible to visit Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai on a day trip, or would it be better to treat them totally separately and stay at 2 separate hotels? If the latter, does anyone have any advice where would be the best place to stay in both Bangkok Kanchanaburi?

Thanks.

Day trip to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok? Is this possible?

Hi there,

I haven%26#39;t yet been to Bangkok but have booked a day trip with Tong in March for Kanchanaburi. We%26#39;re going to the River Kwai, WWII sites and elephant camp - as well as doing the floating markets in the morning.

She estimates that it will take between 10-14 hours for the return trip depending on the itinerary for the day.

I think there are quite a lot of people on here who have done it all in a day and if you only have 3 days in Bangkok altogether it may be your best bet.

Day trip to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok? Is this possible?

Hi Claire,

As mentioned above, if you only have 3 days then you would be best getting a private guide for a loooong day trip to Kanchanaburi... I highly recommend Tong.. take a look at her website www.tourwithtong.com for more information!

Reet xx

Thank you for your advice, it;s nice to know that it can be done and even better to have the details of a recommended guide!

Thanks again.

We used Asia Tours, as recommended to us by Ebookers, to visit Kachanaburi and the River Kwai on a day trip from Bangkok and they were excellent. I also did this trip a number of years ago by car with a friend but I saw much more on the guided tour. We had a guide, a driver and private car, and visited the Burma Railway Museum, the War Cemetery, the Bridge and then took at train trip across the bridge for about an hour, followed by lunch. Everything, including lunch, was included in the price. As well as private hire, you also have the cheaper option of travelling with a group if you prefer.

hi claire,

we did both and the tiger temple in one day, although it was a long day it can be done, and is well worth it...

the kwai was fantastic and very humbling..

I know it probably won%26#39;t help you, but for other readers of this forum I thoroughly recommend staying overnight in Kanchanaburi - or even a couple of nights. There are some really nice and cheap places to stay right on the Kwai and a short walk to the bridge. It can also give you the opportunity to head further afield to Erewan or Hellfire Pass. It was really good to linger in the cemetery - some of the memorials are heart wrenching.

With a bit more time to spare, it can be done very cheaply as well. The VIP bus from Bangkok was 103 Baht and buses leave every 20 minutes. A very comfortable journey.

So if you do have the time, take a few days in Kanchanaburi because it%26#39;s well worth it.

I should have read that a bit more clearly, since you did mention staying overnight. As I said, I recommend it.

Not far from the bridge there%26#39;s a road with a series of sois named after countries. There are a lot of guesthouses in this area, which are fairly close to the bridge. I stayed at the Camelia Resort which wasn%26#39;t too bad - it was on Soi Cambodia. The room was 800 Baht, and was one of the cheaper ones because it didn%26#39;t have a TV. The room was okay - clean and comfortable enough - but the view of the river and the great pool were worth it. I%26#39;m not sure if it has a website - I just walked in and got a room.

There are plenty of other guesthouses in the area - some are reviewed on Tripadvisor under the BB/Inns list. I%26#39;d say their location next to the river make them preferable to hotels in the area.

I agree with Steve that it%26#39;s worth staying a little longer in Kanchanaburi. We did a day trip from Bangkok in 2006 on a stopover to Oz and liked it so much much that we went back last summer and stayed 4 nights. We stayed at the Ploy guesthouse, a really cheap, clean and friendly B%26amp;B on the main street towards the bridge. There is loads to do in the area but then again there%26#39;s lots to do in Bangkok and if you only have 3 days probably a day trip is the best option this time.

Hey Steve, where do you catch that VIP bus? Thanks?

I agree with staying longer,we decided to give Chaing Mai a miss and spend a few days in Kanchanaburi seemed to be so much there.Tiger Temple,Kwai Bridge Elephant Trekking ,River Rafting,The Falls

With help from here we chose VN Guest House highly recommended on TA about 600bht