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Region: Bangkok And Surrounds> Province: Ratchaburi>Location: Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi sights and attractions
Ratchaburi National Museum - Small but interesting
By the river on Woradet Rd, Ratchaburi
Description
This interesting museum is housed in what was originally the large pink town hall - built in 1922 - the museum opened in 1988. Definetly worth visiting if you are in town, the museum has quite a comprehensive collection of artifacts and displays details the historical development of Ratchaburi along with a collection of handicrafts and other goods produced locally.
The section dedicated to the dragon jars (the large ceamic pots that you see all over Thailand) is particularly interesting. There is a small shop on site with a hanful of books and toursit trinkets for sale.
Opening Hours: Wed to Sat 09.00-16.00
How to get there: Travel info The museum is at the western end of Ratchaburi near the river - a short walk from the centre of town.
Khao Wang - The scenic point of the province
3km to the south-west of central Ratchaburi on Sreesuriyawong Rd
Description
This pretty yellow wat at the top of low hill had its beginnings as a king's palace back in 1877. King Rama V had the place built to welcome a group of Portuguese envoys, and he himself only stayed there once. The palace was converted to a monastry during the reign of Rama VII (1925 to 1935).
About 30 monks are cloistered there today living a particularly strict Buddhist existence - they aren't even allowed to handle money. It's quite a centre of activity among Thais who come to make a Buddhist merit or consult the monks.
If you're very keen you can inquire about staying at a retreat in the temple complex, but this not for tourists. There's really nothing special here, including the view of the city, and unless you're a Buddhist or student of the faith there's no real reason to make the trip.
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
How to get there: Green songtheaws leave from in front of the police station and will take you there for 7B. From the road, it's a brisk 5m walk up the hill to the wat at the top, which sits behind Khao Wang School. You might be able to hitch a ride in the back on one of the pick-ups that regularly drive up the hill.
Khao Ngu - Soaring heights and monkey fights
7km west of Ratchaburi on Khao Ngu Rd
Description
At Khao Ngu you'll find caves cut into the sides of a series of staggering limestone mountains that seem to rise out of nowhere out of the otherwise flat scenery. Khao Ngu (meaning Snake Mountain in Thai) has long been popular with Thais as well as hundreds of chubby monkeys that you can treat feed bananas or corn to for 5B.
Buddhist artwork in one of the caves, Phra Phutthachai Tham Reussii, dates back to the 7th century and includes an inscription in Sanskrit, the merit of the hermit with Gupta.
About 400m off the main road you'll come to a statue of a cobra protecting another of the mountains. Energetic visitors can climb up a series of 446 steps to find a small Buddhist pavilion. It's really quite a stunning view from the top, and you can easily see back to Ratchaburi and spot many temples and farmhouses dotting the countryside.
Keep going and you'll find more caves that look rather run-down. These contain various ancient stone Buddha images, often in pieces piled on the floor amongst crisp packets and coke cans. If you get bored looking at the caves, sit down somewhere and watch the frustrated local mongrels chasing the swarms of monkeys around. The monkeys have a good time even if the dogs do not.
How to get there: You can get there by taking a yellow songtheaw from the Ratchaburi night market for 13B-16B. Jump out when you see a gold-painted Buddha statue carved into the side of one of the mountains.
Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat - An ancient prang by the river
By the riverbank on Waradet Rd around 1.5km to the west of Ratchaburi
Description
Known for its prang which is styled in ancient times after Angkor Wat, this wat is about a 1.5km walk to the west of Ratchaburi along the riverside. The prang is believed to date back to the 10th or 11th century but was modified in the intervening years. The wat is quite pleasant and there are a few food vendors at the site.
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
How to get there: The prang is about 1.5km from the centre of Ratchaburi. You can walk by there by heading along the river away from the railway track, past the museum.
Other minor attractions - Bats, puppets and markets
Description
There's a bunch of other things rarely visited by forigners if you find you've got some time to kill around Ratchaburi.
About 10km past Khao Ngu is another limestone mountain called Khao Chongpran. Within its bowels is a cave called Phra Non, which comes alive from about 17:30 each evening as thousands upon thousands of bats wing out for the night's exploits. They pour out in a line that's a bit like that the pollution from a very unenvironmentally-friendly factory as the sun sets behind nearby hills. If you venture inside the cave, you'll find a 9m-long lying Buddha. You can get there by taking a yellow songtheaw from next to the night market, but you might have problems getting back into town after dusk if you don't arrange for a tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi to pick you up.
Enjoy a royal Thai pastime of old at Nang Yai Wat Khanon. Nang Yai or large puppets are made from animal hides and plays using the instruments were performed exclusively for the royal family. This is the only place in Thailand where the tradition is preserved, and if you time your visit right you can see a performance of the puppets set to classical Thai music.
Another possible daytrip is to a miniature floating market just next to Wat Chanthakharm, south-west of Ratchaburi. A traditional Thai community lives along the river sans the boatloads of happy-snapping interlopers that often crowd Damnoen Saduak. To get there you have to arrange for a tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi from Ratchaburi and even that might take some work - some sections of the road are quite bumpy.