Can anyone suggest best way to do this. Train, bus, tour group.

What are the must do/visit when there?

4 minutes ago, flyingscotsman said:

Can anyone suggest best way to do this. Train, bus, tour group.

What are the must do/visit when there?

Just type Kanchanaburi into the search bar. There are multiple threads covering your questions. No need to start a new thread on this.

The only new point is the M81 motorway is now open (from Bang Yai to Kanchanaburi).

Edited October 12, 2025Oct 12 by thainet

I did it years ago with one of the travel firms on second road.

11 hours ago, flyingscotsman said:

Can anyone suggest best way to do this. Train, bus, tour group.

What are the must do/visit when there?

Just get a taxi there , stay two or three nights 

there are two war cemeteries, the largest is Don Rak , there is also a museum across the road  ( I would personally avoid the JEATH museum ) 

Helfire Pass is a short taxi ride away and definitely worth a visit ( get your driver to wait for you ) , there's a short walk through the cuttings or a longer one but the track is harder , if you want to do the longer one your driver can pick you up at the end of it ... 

The Bridge is also worth a visit , looks great at sunset 

then taxi back to Patts or a train to Bangkok ..

 

also 11th November is a fantastic time to visit , they have services for Armistice day , think they start around 10:30 at Don Rak , then afterwards some people go to Chong Kai for a shorter service around 12:00 iirc

Edited October 12, 2025Oct 12 by Stillearly

There’s also the River Kwai Bridge Festival (link). I went several years ago and enjoyed the associated events. Even without anything special going on, I’ve always enjoyed my trips to Kanchanaburi. I’ve always taken the bus to/from Bangkok; since it opened from the New Southern Bus Terminal and before that the Old Southern Bus Terminal.

I hired a car in Hua hin for 900b a day and had complete freedom for the drive to there, and again from hotel to rail, river, food everything

to get there just get the direct bus Pattaya to Kanchanaburi about B350 from memory.

If you go to the 3rd road and Pattaya Klang intersection and walk North on 3rd Road on the beach side for about 100m you will come across the Bus Station.

Its Thai style shophouse/office with seats out front. Lots of writing in Thai over the windows but Kanchanaburi is written in English.

Book a day or so before, the bus goes once a day every day around 10am from memory. Its a big 40 odd seater coach it goes direct but with a couple of toilet stops on the way. Stops at the main Bus station in Kanchanaburi which is a short taxi ride from the river road and its hotels.

On 18/10/2025 at 17:48, bobcat74 said:

to get there just get the direct bus Pattaya to Kanchanaburi about B350 from memory.

If you go to the 3rd road and Pattaya Klang intersection and walk North on 3rd Road on the beach side for about 100m you will come across the Bus Station.

Its Thai style shophouse/office with seats out front. Lots of writing in Thai over the windows but Kanchanaburi is written in English.

Book a day or so before, the bus goes once a day every day around 10am from memory. It’s a big 40 odd seater coach it goes direct but with a couple of toilet stops on the way. Stops at the main Bus station in Kanchanaburi which is a short taxi ride from the river road and its hotels.

 I just took this bus based on the info you shared so just wanted to say thank you and give an update as of July 2026 if anyone is interested in going this route. 
 

the shophouse bus station is as described. There is another one a few doors south. I thought maybe that was it but it did not have “Kanchanaburi” written in romanized characters so I ventured down a bit more and there it was. It does still say Kanchanaburi in the window. 
 

the bus runs daily from Rayong to Kanchanaburi and picks up from the Pattaya klang stop at 10:30. The fare is currently 330thb and cash only. You can buy the ticket early or just show up before the bus arrives and buy it. 
 

the bus is as described. Reclining seats, ice cold ac and curtains on the window. On both the trip there and the trip back the bus never got more than 25% full. Nobody had to have anybody next to them. 
 

the trip up took 7 hours. One toilet break in Chon Buri and one in Nakhon Pathom. It takes sukhumvit all the way up until it passes south of swampy to do pickups is Sri racha and Chonburi. 
 

the trip back departs Kanchanaburi daily at 9:30 am. There is a sign at the bus bay that says it departs daily at 9:00, 13:00, and 17:00. That sign is incorrect. 
 

there is a small ticket booth tucked behind Bay B-1 where you can buy the ticket day of. It is again 330, cash only and when I bought my ticket at 7:45 am she couldn’t break a 1,000. 
 

the trip back took 6 hours. Stopped at the same bathroom break places. It dropped off on Sukhumvit at Pattaya klang at the pedestrian overpass. 
 

I think it also stops at theprassit on the way to rayong. 

4 hours ago, Keyfob said:

 I just took this bus based on the info you shared so just wanted to say thank you and give an update as of July 2026 if anyone is interested in going this route. 
 

the shophouse bus station is as described. There is another one a few doors south. I thought maybe that was it but it did not have “Kanchanaburi” written in romanized characters so I ventured down a bit more and there it was. It does still say Kanchanaburi in the window. 
 

the bus runs daily from Rayong to Kanchanaburi and picks up from the Pattaya klang stop at 10:30. The fare is currently 330thb and cash only. You can buy the ticket early or just show up before the bus arrives and buy it. 
 

the bus is as described. Reclining seats, ice cold ac and curtains on the window. On both the trip there and the trip back the bus never got more than 25% full. Nobody had to have anybody next to them. 
 

the trip up took 7 hours. One toilet break in Chon Buri and one in Nakhon Pathom. It takes sukhumvit all the way up until it passes south of swampy to do pickups is Sri racha and Chonburi. 
 

the trip back departs Kanchanaburi daily at 9:30 am. There is a sign at the bus bay that says it departs daily at 9:00, 13:00, and 17:00. That sign is incorrect. 
 

there is a small ticket booth tucked behind Bay B-1 where you can buy the ticket day of. It is again 330, cash only and when I bought my ticket at 7:45 am she couldn’t break a 1,000. 
 

the trip back took 6 hours. Stopped at the same bathroom break places. It dropped off on Sukhumvit at Pattaya klang at the pedestrian overpass. 
 

I think it also stops at theprassit on the way to rayong. 

Very helpful post with relevant details. You should apply for advanced membership as you are civil and helpful in the yours postings. 

Glad to hear that bus route is still running I thought maybe it might cease because when i went in November it was as you described only maybe 30% full.

Did you enjoy the town itself? It has become a favourite of mine I find the history of the place interesting and it has quite a little laid back bar scene where interestingly most of the ladies i spoke with were from Kanchanaburi province itself instead of the usual maidens of Isan. 

I hired a car from Expat rent a car, had a great time well worth the effort 

12 hours ago, Joeleg said:

Very helpful post with relevant details. You should apply for advanced membership as you are civil and helpful in the yours postings. 

Thank you. I applied when I made 50 posts but I wasn’t approved at the time. Hopefully when I contribute with more quality I can be approved. 
 

Is it appropriate to apply again or do I just keep posting and wait? 

11 hours ago, bobcat74 said:

Glad to hear that bus route is still running I thought maybe it might cease because when i went in November it was as you described only maybe 30% full.

Did you enjoy the town itself? It has become a favourite of mine I find the history of the place interesting and it has quite a little laid back bar scene where interestingly most of the ladies i spoke with were from Kanchanaburi province itself instead of the usual maidens of Isan. 

I very much enjoyed the town, although I did not go to any river boat restaurants or any of the bars because I was trying to wake up early to explore the countryside every morning. 
 

I mostly stayed near the bus terminal and i ate at the night market mostly. Next time I will give myself more days to check out the bars for sure because I noticed just walking around the local areas that the ladies were beautiful. Isaan ladies are beautiful too but the west thai genes are nice. 

9 hours ago, ronthebrummie said:

I hired a car from Expat rent a car, had a great time well worth the effort 

Yeah that’s a great idea and I’d like to do that next time. There were a few really cool looking markets I would have loved to stop at along the way and a private vehicle is just so much more comfortable than a bus. 

8 hours ago, Keyfob said:

Thank you. I applied when I made 50 posts but I wasn’t approved at the time. Hopefully when I contribute with more quality I can be approved. 
 

Is it appropriate to apply again or do I just keep posting and wait? 

DM one of the mods. You have exceeded 50 posts and your posts are civil and informative. Give it a try. 

I am paying 2500 baht taxi from Hua Hin 

Getting there from Pattaya is a multi-leg trip unless you book private transport. The standard route is a minivan or bus to Ekkamai in Bangkok, then a Southern Bus Terminal bus to Kanchanaburi, which adds up to 5 or 6 hours total but costs next to nothing. For two or three people a shared private van at around 3,000 baht all-in is not unreasonable and saves the transfer headache in Bangkok traffic. Once you are there, do not skip the 100-baht train ride to Nam Tok, the trestle bridge section over the gorge is the actual Death Railway experience and it is worth every baht. Erawan waterfall is a solid add-on if you have two days to spare.