Lopburi besides the monkeys?

[ev1lchris]

I went for a day trip down to Lopburi because I was really excited to see the monkeys. It was really good for me.

However, I didn't stay the night in town. I was wondering, what kind of night life is there in Lopburi? Is there a fairly large expat community? I only got the spend a few hours there but I'm curious to know what else I could check out. I want to try and convince a couple of friends to come back with me.

[Merylhighground]

Lopburi is an odd town as there isn't too much there even for the casual tourist. Only real history nuts seem to stay there for a night (or more) I put in a lot of time there over the years as I liked to go there when I wanted to escape 'farangdom' though I've not been in a couple of years so my info could be out of date.

There are very few expats in Lopburi and what little nightlife there is, is much very Thai Style.

There is/was a decent bar at Noom GH off Rachdamnoen rd. (first or second alley on the left walking away from Na Sanprakhran (station) rd).

The gaffer there is a friendly 'Old school' Thai Peua Cheewit former beach bum type, speaks excellent English and has/had built up a decent bar there though the clientèle is mainly backpackers on the North/South trip.

Not far from Noom GH behind Wat Mahathat is a long standing Thai nightclub Jan Jao which has live music from a long established band who on seeing a Westerner in the crowd will churn out some decent quality 'rock standard covers' (Led Zep/Floyd/Eagles/Purple etc) as well as get the place jumping (Thurs to Sun when it's busiest) with their Peua Cheewit tunes and covers. As a bonus they also have friendly 'Promo' girls there and some English is spoken if needed.

There are a few Thai nightclubs scattered around Town but getting around late at night can be a bit of a pain. One time I was there I was taken to a small cluster of places just over the river by a group of Thai lads. Most were OK but one or two were of a more 'nefarious' type of entertainment......

Enjoy, if for nothing else, the fact that very few Westerners have a night out in Lopburi.

[johnatong]

My wife comes from Lopburi.

As already said it is a quiet town which offers little to the Western tourist.

A couple days would, I suspect, be more than enough for most !

[samsensam]

dated an archeologist from lopburi. we visited, did the monkeys, the temples, her old school, it took a couple of hours, then we left. i dont think i missed anything.

[p_brownstone]

Not really a "Tourist" thing but there are several Brass / Bronze Foundries in Lopburi making Buddha images, Temple Bells and a wide range of other items not connected with religion including Bronze tableware, bowls, statues, animals (some very large)etc.

Interesting if you like that sort of thing.

Patrick

[SantiSuk]

Merylhighground. Great post.

If you could introduce me to that group of Thai lads who took you to a cluster of places including some of the "....more nefarious type of entertainment .." I would certainly plan on dropping by for a weekend there. Looks worth a cheap night anyway!

[tomyumchai]

apart from taking photos under that huge gold monkeys nutsack (outside the hotel, which i nearly fell out the window of 8 years ago) theres not much more to the place.

[chrisdodd]

Lopburi is an odd town as there isn't too much there even for the casual tourist. Only real history nuts seem to stay there for a night (or more) I put in a lot of time there over the years as I liked to go there when I wanted to escape 'farangdom' though I've not been in a couple of years so my info could be out of date.

There are very few expats in Lopburi and what little nightlife there is, is much very Thai Style.

There is/was a decent bar at Noom GH off Rachdamnoen rd. (first or second alley on the left walking away from Na Sanprakhran (station) rd).

The gaffer there is a friendly 'Old school' Thai Peua Cheewit former beach bum type, speaks excellent English and has/had built up a decent bar there though the clientèle is mainly backpackers on the North/South trip.

Not far from Noom GH behind Wat Mahathat is a long standing Thai nightclub Jan Jao which has live music from a long established band who on seeing a Westerner in the crowd will churn out some decent quality 'rock standard covers' (Led Zep/Floyd/Eagles/Purple etc) as well as get the place jumping (Thurs to Sun when it's busiest) with their Peua Cheewit tunes and covers. As a bonus they also have friendly 'Promo' girls there and some English is spoken if needed.

There are a few Thai nightclubs scattered around Town but getting around late at night can be a bit of a pain. One time I was there I was taken to a small cluster of places just over the river by a group of Thai lads. Most were OK but one or two were of a more 'nefarious' type of entertainment......

Enjoy, if for nothing else, the fact that very few Westerners have a night out in Lopburi.

I live here with my wife...we don't club it but the information you provided is still relevant. As soon as I can pry my wife away from her family......we're out of here

[chrisdodd]

dated an archeologist from lopburi. we visited, did the monkeys, the temples, her old school, it took a couple of hours, then we left. i dont think i missed anyth

Edited April 8, 2016 by chrisdodd

[fishbrando]

I've been to Lopburi a few times. The best time to go is during the King Narai festival in February (this year it was Feb 13-21). Everyone dresses up in period garb and there is plenty of food and music. I saw plenty of foreigners there during the festival period. It feels like a different world...except for all the mobile phones and selfie-sticks.

Other than that there's not much. I saw a reggae rock bar near the temple but I didn't check it out.

Hotels in the city center (near the train station) are pretty bad in general, but they're cheap. The ones on the outskirts are a bit better. The usual hotel review websites will help you out. If you get a hotel near the university, you can ride the songthaew into the city center.

Taxis are a ripoff in general as the usually are in smaller towns. If you want to take a taxi from the train station, it is 100 baht minimum. I tried to bargain them down but they told me it was "standard price".

Lopburi has plenty of good and cheap eats. Even my Thai friends were surprised at how cheap it was.

Watch out for those monkeys. I heard a story of a woman who was wearing big hoop earrings and one of the monkeys came up and ripped it off her ear. Keep your phones in your pocket and hold on tightly to your belongings.

Watch out for soi dogs too, especially if your hotel is on the outskirts.

[sandrabbit]

I was staying in Saraburi for work and if you like your horticulture between Saraburi and Lopburi on the highway are the national gardens of Thailand and I admit to being very impressed with them although it seems the Thai's are not as it was absolutely deserted. I know nothing about nightlife in Lopburi but Saraburi is bouncing on the weekends.

[dick turpin]

Travel to Lopburi from up the road purely because it is my local immigration

reporting office. But there is something weird, almost uncomfortable, about

the place which I can't quite put my finger on, never quite feels like am still

in Thailand

[Merylhighground]

If you could introduce me to that group of Thai lads who took you to a cluster of places including some of the "....more nefarious type of entertainment .." I would certainly plan on dropping by for a weekend there. Looks worth a cheap night anyway!

The nefarious places were of the 'fishbowl' type usually not to the liking of we Westerners, well not this delicate one anyway, but they were still there last time I went.

I'd say Lopburi is worth a night or two. The promotion pretties at Jan Jao were always very friendly and a good reason for many return visits.

I think the lack of 'expats' and tourists was, for me, a reason (apart from work) I used to visit fairly often. I'd always encourage anyone to get off 'the beaten' path if they can. Lopburi strikes a nice balance between touristy or totally Thai.

I used to love evening 'sundowners' in the duck restaurant nearly opposite the train station, watching the trains rumbling North and South to places more populated and sophisticated, and if I was single, making an utter nuisance of meself with the cute waitresses.

As an addition to my earlier post; The ruins in Lopburi are of mild historical import and interest though the museum at Narai's Palace is well worth a visit and the beautiful grounds are pleasant to wander around, especially at weekends when there aren't gangs of hideous school-kids marauding around, the Nearby Baan Chao Phraya Witchayen (Often translated as 'Governer's residence or Mansion) is worth a peep....Lopburi Zoo is also an OK place to kill an hour or two in the 'New Town'. Getting into all of Lopburi's attractions for Thai price (and saving yourself a whopping 100 or so baht) is ludicrously easy. A few words of Thai and the price drops without a blink of an eye...

[The manic]

Can somebody explain where the fishbowl bath houses are or any massage parlour or girly bars.