Death Railway Bridge (Bridge Over the River Kwai)

The 300m railway bridge is an iconic symbol that represents the efforts of those who toiled to build a crossing here. It is also the biggest attraction in town, so side-step the numerous hawkers and walk, carefully, along the wooden and metal slats. The centre of the bridge was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945 so today only the outer curved spans are original. Once you make it to the other side there are cafes and greenery by the waterfront.

The first version of the bridge, completed in 1943, was wooden and was later replaced by a steel bridge. During the last week of November and first week of December a nightly sound-and-light show marks the Allied attack on the Death Railway in 1945. Rooms are hard to come by at this time, so book ahead.

The bridge spans Mae Nam Khwae Yai, which is 2.5km from the centre of Kanchanaburi. This means it is walkable from Th Mae Nam Khwae or you can jump on a northbound sŏrng·tăa·ou (10B) along Th Saengchuto. A mini train runs regular trips (20B) over the bridge from the nearby train station.