Central Thailand
Dropping 200m in nine steps, Sarika Waterfall is a gorgeous getaway, and on non-holiday weekdays it's usually a peaceful one too. A trail climbs up to the…
Must-see attractions in Central Thailand
Kanchanaburi
The site of one of the biggest Allied POW camps, Chungkai honours 1426 Commonwealth and 313 Dutch soldiers. Prisoners built their own hospital and church…
Ayuthaya
The little 'Dutch House' features a concise but informative exhibition of Dutch history in Thailand from 1604, when the Dutch East India Company (VOC)…
Kanchanaburi Province
This striking stupa on a little peninsula on the Mon (south) side of the lake stands 59m high and is constructed in the style of the Mahabodhi stupa in…
Lopburi
Over 300 peacocks strut freely in the grounds of this large forest temple, but it's Wat Khao Chin Lae's views that steal the show. Climb 459 steps to…
Ayuthaya
Wat Phra Ram's tall main prang (Khmer-style spire) isn't in the best condition, but it's definitely worth a visit. The temple was constructed on the…
Ayuthaya
Thousands of toys from across the decades are amassed in this jam-packed private museum. Rare porcelain elephants, wooden Japanese kokeshi dolls, wind-up…
Ayuthaya
This early-Ayuthaya temple ruin in the island's northwest features an impressive 42m-long reclining Buddha in front of a precariously leaning prang (Khmer…
Kanchanaburi Province
Though just 8m tall, this is an impressive, beautiful waterfall that runs out of the forest to a short, graceful drop into Mae Nam Khwae Noi. It can be…
Lopburi
This quiet temple up against Kao Ta Kra Thong mountain, 15km east of the city, is known for its bat cave. Every night shortly before sunset it disgorges…
Central Thailand
Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of wisdom and remover of obstacles, is one of the most popular gods in Thailand and this colorful shrine features two…
Ayuthaya
Besides a fun selection of food (including some rather uncommon ones, like fried butterfly pea flowers) and crafts sold from thatch-roofed stalls by…
Lopburi
One of Thai Buddhism's holiest sites, this temple was founded in 1624 after the discovery of a natural depression in the rock resembling a footprint,…
Kanchanaburi
Close to the Death Railway Bridge, at this eclectic museum you'll see trains, Japanese motorcycles, anchors and old helmets, plus a great view of the…
Nam Tok
This lovely waterfall, also known as Nam Tok Khao Pang, is a very popular place for Thais, who flock here at the weekends to have a swim and roll out…
Kanchanaburi Province
This large temple is across Mae Nam Kwae Noi from town. The gleaming golden stupa on the hill above it, which seems to float over the town at night, can…
Lopburi
This compound, built in European style by King Narai, served as the residence of foreign ambassadors. It got its present name from the mistaken belief…
Kanchanaburi Province
Poking out of the forest on the south side of Saphan Mon, this temple is the spiritual centre of Thailand's Mon people. The temple was established by…
Ayuthaya
The most prominent features of this ancient and presently active temple is not the large wí·hăhn lŏo·ang (royal assembly hall) but the modest stupa in…
Ayuthaya
A weathered Buddha, about all that remains intact from the wí·hăhn (assembly hall), sits picturesquely in front of a bell-shaped stupa at this small…
Ayuthaya
Although there was a temple here in the Ayuthaya era, the present buildings are from the current reign, with the bòht (ordination hall) built by King Rama…
Ayuthaya Historical Study Centre
Ayuthaya
Though it feels staid compared to enchanting local ruins, this museum features model longboats and temples along with exhibitions on the lives of…
Ayuthaya
Though it's not yet near Indiana Jones levels, forest is slowly reclaiming this attractive ruin. The massive stupa collapsed, but the imposing walls of…
Chantharakasem National Museum
Ayuthaya
This museum is within the grounds of Wang Chan Kasem (Chan Kasem Palace), built for King Rama IV (r 1851–68) at the site of a palace used by King Naresuan…
Ayuthaya
Arriving in the 16th century, the Portuguese were the first European settlers in Ayuthaya. Several of their skeletal remains are on view at this excavated…
Central Thailand
Much smaller than its famous neighbour, Namtok Sarika, Nang Rong Waterfall is a series of small drops amidst a boulder-filled stream. The free admission…
Ayuthaya
North of Wat Na Phra Men, where few foreigners venture, this small temple ruin has a mid-sized stupa in pretty good condition and a completely toppled…
Ayuthaya
In 1665, King Narai gave the French land next to the Christian Vietnamese settlement and donated money towards building the first St Joseph Church, which…
Kanchanaburi Province
Some 7km northwest of Thong Pha Phum town, this whopping 92m-high hydroelectric dam creates the Khao Laem Reservoir that stretches all the way up to…
Ayuthaya
Set within manicured, frangipani-fringed gardens, this small museum complex details the lives of the estimated 1500 Japanese who came to settle in…
Lopburi
With calm waters on one side and fingers of limestone on the other, views from the shore of this reservoir are picturesque. The western bank is lined by…
Lopburi
Though it's one of Lopburi's minor ruins, it's worth coming to see the base of what was once a huge stupa. It was built in the Dvaravati period, probably…
Kanchanaburi Province
Despite its name (lek means 'small') this waterfall is actually a little bigger than it's companion Sai Yok Yai (yai means 'large') on the other side of…
Kanchanaburi
This sizeable temple in Kanchanaburi is worth a wander to admire its grand, bell-shaped stupa near the river and various Thai-style shrines. In particular…
Ayuthaya
A good first stop in Ayuthaya, the historical exhibitions in the former city hall contextualise the kingdom's history and culture from ancient times to…
Lopburi
North of the palace, this working temple site is remarkable for its unusual wí·hăhn (assembly hall) with Gothic-style windows and split roof. King Narai…
Ayuthaya
Originally built under Burmese occupation in the 16th century, the top section of this huge white stupa, whose name means 'Golden Mountain', was added…
Ayuthaya
Glaring from an enormous marble base is this gigantic statue of King Naresuan, the 16th-century monarch renowned for his efforts to free Ayuthaya from…
Lopburi
The oldest monument in Lopburi, this 10th-century trio of brick towers was built by the Khmer, probably for the Hindu god Shiva. King Narai had it rebuilt…
Kanchanaburi Province
Just uphill from the village, a decorative set of stairs leads to this scarlet-and-gold temple. It has a beautiful golden stupa and its large red Buddha…
