Kanchanaburi better to go with group or by myself

[kingstonkid]

Hi.  Looking for expert help.  Thinking of going to visit the river and the death railway for a couple of days in the area.  How hard is it to get around to the different spots and is it better to go in a tour group or go on my own.

 

I am retired military so looking to spend a lot of time looking at the camp and walking and thinking.

 

Also if you can recommend a good place to stay and get a beer at night it would not be a bad ting lol

 

[impulse]

I always went by myself and never had problems getting around.  Lots of concessions offering transport by car, motosai (with and without side car) and boat to most of the local attractions.  Dozens of places to rent a scooter or bicycle on the main tourist drag, and it's relatively safe for scooters if you stay in town.

 

I recommend the 1000 baht (or so) boat tour that starts under the bridge and takes you to several landmarks, including "the other" Allied cemetery.  It's a dedicated boat and not a tour trip- so you can go by yourself or split that 1000 baht between half a dozen if you prefer.  It's pretty easy to round up a group of complete strangers to share the tour.

Lots of stuff in town, including several museums (the best is the Aussie run museum by the main Allied cemetery), plenty of hotels on the river, and lots of places to eat and drink within walking distance. 

 

I also suggest a kayak tour starting next door to the Post Office where they haul you and the 'yak up the river for a 2-5 hour float back down.  You choose the length of your float.  There are other kayak rental places along the same road, closer to the bridge.

 

Don't forget to line up a trip to Hellfire Pass, easy to do from just about every hotel in town.

 

Edited September 19, 2019 by impulse

[kingstonkid]

Impulse thanks 

How many days do you recommend

 

 

[Fab5BKK]

[Fab5BKK]

[Fab5BKK]

Edited September 19, 2019 by Fab5BKK

[Fab5BKK]

[Fab5BKK]

[samsensam]

 

small town, easy to get around and loads of accommodation, but can become busy with tourists, if you go with a group you'll be in the thick of it. if you want time to contemplate and be alone with your thoughts, it can be a moving place, suggest you go independently

[Fab5BKK]

1st photo was taken from our hotel.

 

I'd recommend going on your own, with your own mean of transport.

 

Stay minimum 2 nights, 3 could be better (if you don't want to rush):

1 day for Kanchanaburi downtown

1 day for Hellfire Pass

Edited September 19, 2019 by Fab5BKK

[Puchaiyank]

You can do it alone...just be smart about the places you walk alone after dark...????

[jvs]

Been there many times,safety seems no issue.I always stay at a place called 'Blue Star'

Very quiet and you wont even hear the traffic,other places closer to the bars are noisy which i dont like.

By the way,a good movie about a real war story in Kan.is 'the railway man'

[Denim]

In a group you go at the pace of the group. If you wish to spend a little longer somewhere you might be disappointed and have to move on.

 

However, this is assuming you have your own transport. If you do not have your own transport the trip will be difficult going solo unless you throw a lot of money at it.

 

I took my 75 year old mother in our own car and she found it very interesting to see where her uncle Titch had suffered but would never talk about.

 

She hates the Japs to this day but goes to church every week. 

Feelings run deep.

[NCC1701A]

8 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

Hi.  Looking for expert help. 

hotel. 900 baht for a nice new room.

https://goo.gl/maps/fpxqhuvkZRecSmZ99

 

bar area and farang restaurants all within 5 minutes walk from hotel.

https://goo.gl/maps/EopcuQvKBjvm8ZydA

 

https://goo.gl/maps/d5qTVTh2m4UGee1WA

 

scooter rental:

https://goo.gl/maps/tSUuSmnHktkoFtCS7

 

nice place to sit and look at the bridge. food and beer.

https://goo.gl/maps/VWpgqMGGgoULpM2J8

 

had one of the bests times in these bars in Kanchanaburi.

but that was three years ago and bars change very quickly in Thailand.

 

the death railroad is very heavy and best you go alone or with one person who understands what is going on.

it was hard enough to walk in the heat in modern day Thailand with a bottle of water in my hand. Hard to imagine what they went through.   

 

bridge is great. river hotels are great. some as cheap as 500 baht.

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

You won't have problems getting around, assuming adequate funding... there are surely day tours too.. but since the only thing you mention of import is having time... go on your own. That insures your control over that aspect. 

 

Have a good trip - the cemetery can be evocative... 

 

If you have time and transport - Erawan Falls is a bit out of town but quite lovely.  

[alant]

15 hours ago, Fab5BKK said:

1st photo was taken from our hotel.

 

I'd recommend going on your own, with your own mean of transport.

 

Stay minimum 2 nights, 3 could be better (if you don't want to rush):

1 day for Kanchanaburi downtown

1 day for Hellfire Pass

I would tend to agree that 3 night if not more would be a good option.

I like to include a train ride  from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok although I tend to get off at Tham Kra Sae the wooden trestle bridge. Another day for Hellfire pass and the museum. If you can include the Dunlop Location as well (I think you need to reserve but your hotel should be able to do so) that is good but take mozzi repellent. Plus a day at least in town with the museums cemeteries etc. I stay in a quiet resort just the other side of the river but with easy access to the town called the Thai Garden Inn, recommended if you want a place to get away after the beers at night.

[Saltire]

Been living in Kan for 2 years, i'd recommend doing it alone. I find it safe, and enjoy regular trips into the city (I live a couple of hours out so drive in). I normally stay at Sky Resort, good clean hotel by the river 7/800 per night. Breakfast is better outside. I leave the car at the hotel till I leave, and walk everywhere unless its a bit too hot. Many motosai/sidecar taxis who will be happy to give you their number for hotel pickup (you can negotiate the price). Lots of day tours but not my scene so can't comment sorry. 2 to 3 days would be enough I reckon. Best Farang food is Bell's Pizzeria. Many really good small Thai restaurants on the main drag, and lots of street food carts too. The bar scene is also good fun - it's not Pattay or Hua Hin but is still a fun place for a beer. 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Saltire

[paddyfield7]

We went there for 4 days/nights in September 2017. Living in Chiang Mai, we flew to Suvarnabhumi and had a limousine transfer to Kanchanaburi, which took maybe 2.5 hours. We stayed at

 

https://www.uhotelsresorts.com/uinchantreekanchanaburi/

 

which is probably the best hotel in the area, but still very affordable. Nice restaurant and lounge directly at the shore of river Kwai with excellent food and certainly a cold beer in the evening. River Kwai Bridge and the museum is within walking distance. For little money we booked a private boat showing us some places of interest including the cemetry. Sad experience if you are familiar with the needless fights which happened there.

[ylmiri]

Hello forum members, Since this topic is about Kanchanaburi , I take this opportunity to ask couple of questions.

(1) When I arrive from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in the morning at Don Mueng airport (about 11:00 am) I take the train to Hualampong (old train station) and from there I take a bus to a train station to Kanachanburi. What time is the last train to Kanchanaburi? Is there a train late in the afternoon? say about 5 or 6 pm?

(2) I would like to stay in the town center where you could get chinese foods, are there many guest houses there?

(3) Are there many Japanese tourists going there? ( I will speak to them in Japanese, i studied in japan) I want to ask them why they are now hiding behind the backside of USA. And why the Japanese government are keeping the war time crimes from the school children. And making it appears the japanese were the liberators of the Asian countries during the colonial times.

[DPKANKAN]

You say 'looking at the camp'. There is lot more than 1 so which do you refer to? There are many places to visit and learn the history, but if you are only in Mueang Kanchanaburi for just 2 days there is enough to see locally.

Single or with a group both work. As a start visit the Thai Burma Railway Centre. There you will get to understand the Death Railway history. It is next to the main Cemetry. You can walk to it from the train station if you come up by train!

[55Jay]

2 hours ago, paddyfield7 said:

We went there for 4 days/nights in September 2017. Living in Chiang Mai, we flew to Suvarnabhumi and had a limousine transfer to Kanchanaburi, which took maybe 2.5 hours. We stayed at

 

https://www.uhotelsresorts.com/uinchantreekanchanaburi/

 

which is probably the best hotel in the area, but still very affordable. Nice restaurant and lounge directly at the shore of river Kwai with excellent food and certainly a cold beer in the evening. River Kwai Bridge and the museum is within walking distance. For little money we booked a private boat showing us some places of interest including the cemetry. Sad experience if you are familiar with the needless fights which happened there.

Second the linked hotel, stayed there a few times. 

 

The U is a bit further down the track from the main resort/bar zone so it's nice to have your own car or on-call transport.  That.  The higher price.  And visiting during the weekday, it's not overrun with tourists, who often come and go loudly at odd hours of the night, and/or pile into facilties enmasse.   The inmates escaping BKK start filtering in on Friday afternoons.

 

So it felt like a private resort with free run of the relaxing seating areas along the river, pool, and we were often the only ones having breakfast on the terrace overlooking the river - chow was fine but we usually ventured out for dinner elsewhere at night. 

 

Downside, but with a positive offset, is the standard rooms are small, made tighter by the large size beds.  Upside is/was the mattress, pillows and linens are high quality, so once you tuck in, it's a great night's sleep.

[The Theory]

3 hours ago, ylmiri said:

3) Are there many Japanese tourists going there? ( I will speak to them in Japanese, i studied in japan) I want to ask them why they are now hiding behind the backside of USA

Why didn’t you ask them while you were in Japan !!! Ok let me guess,... hummm, you forgot !!! 555

[Max69xl]

23 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

small town, easy to get around and loads of accommodation, but can become busy with tourists, if you go with a group you'll be in the thick of it. if you want time to contemplate and be alone with your thoughts, it can be a moving place, suggest you go independently

There's no people there now. Very slow.

[Max69xl]

3 hours ago, ylmiri said:

Hello forum members, Since this topic is about Kanchanaburi , I take this opportunity to ask couple of questions.

(1) When I arrive from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in the morning at Don Mueng airport (about 11:00 am) I take the train to Hualampong (old train station) and from there I take a bus to a train station to Kanachanburi. What time is the last train to Kanchanaburi? Is there a train late in the afternoon? say about 5 or 6 pm?

(2) I would like to stay in the town center where you could get chinese foods, are there many guest houses there?

(3) Are there many Japanese tourists going there? ( I will speak to them in Japanese, i studied in japan) I want to ask them why they are now hiding behind the backside of USA. And why the Japanese government are keeping the war time crimes from the school children. And making it appears the japanese were the liberators of the Asian countries during the colonial times.

There are never "many" Japanese tourists in Kanchanaburi. Some Japanese do actually know what they did there,some don't because they sort of change the history books. No one stays in the centre of town. There are a lot of guesthouses along the river. River Kwai Road, that's where you stay. The road goes parallel to the river. Many small cheap restaurants and bars. Nice place. 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Max69xl

[Hackney35]

I like to catch the train from bkk for a true Thai experience!! 

Takes ages and isn’t very comfortable but I much prefer it to a coach. It’s almost free - 50 baht or something.

 

https://www.seat61.com/Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai.htm

 

[Sandy Freckle]

I visited last year..., travelled solo..., across from Bkk and stayed a week. It was very, very moving..., found my uncles headstone. I also walked up along the old railway line for quite a distance, twice..., needless to say it was incredibly moving. There is a pathway from a new museum up to hellfire pass, and with special headsets(given out at the carpark) you hear the stories of the guys who endured so much...., anyway as you pass specific wifi stations, the voices of many of the 'old diggers' can be heard relating in their own words specific stories and incidents that occurred all those years ago...., as I said it was very moving. I intend returning there.  
Oh yes...., the town is quite nice to hang out in also..., I met a few locals and expats..., I found them a very friendly and helpful bunch.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Sandy Freckle

[Max69xl]

 

 

8 hours ago, kenk24 said:

You won't have problems getting around, assuming adequate funding... there are surely day tours too.. but since the only thing you mention of import is having time... go on your own. That insures your control over that aspect. 

 

Have a good trip - the cemetery can be evocative... 

 

If you have time and transport - Erawan Falls is a bit out of town but quite lovely.  

I have stayed in Kanchanaburi several years. There are many ways to get there.

Taxi, Van from a tourist agency and the cheapest choice is the aircon bus from the Southern Bus Terminal in BKK. You just take bus no 81. Kanchanaburi is the end station. It takes a about 2 hours and you will end up in the middle of town. From there grab a Tuk Tuk and go to Riwer Kwai Road. There you will find so many guesthouses to choose from. Loads of small restaurants and bars. Also many small tourist agencies who offers trips all around the province. It's a very nice place and cheap.

 

[Max69xl]

6 minutes ago, Hackney35 said:

I like to catch the train from bkk for a true Thai experience!! 

Takes ages and isn’t very comfortable but I much prefer it to a coach. It’s almost free - 50 baht or something.

 

https://www.seat61.com/Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai.htm

 

3 hours and 3:rd class. Wooden benches. 

[Matzzon]

Depends on how you like travelling.

[ylmiri]

58 minutes ago, The Theory said:

Why didn’t you ask them while you were in Japan !!! Ok let me guess,... hummm, you forgot !!! 555

No, in Japan I was busy with the women and I didn't read much about the education department attempt to white wash their war time history.

I want to tell the japanese tourist Japan is a fascist country worship the state and the emperor. They should not be happy seeing the bridge because it was built on the blood of all allies army and asian slaves.

I want them japanese tourists to be ashamed and buy me a beer and a dinner as a gesture of being sorry for all the crimes committed during ww2.

I will graciously accept such apologies and drink my Chang beer and eat my green curry chicken.