Where am I again?
Region: Central Thailand> Province: Kanchanaburi> Location: Kanchanaburi

Getting There and Away

Train

There are services twice a day to and from Bangkok's Thonburi railway station. Despite the fact that the fare is only 13 baht for Thais, all foreigners are obliged to pay a flat fee of 100 baht regardless of which station they are travelling to. If you're very keen on travelling by train, then it's a not unpleasant journey, though you will have to sit on a hard wooden bench and put up with the rather uncomfortable conditions. The service always runs late on its return to Bangkok so if you are relying on a connection you need to add at least one hour to the 3 hour journey time.

Times to Bangkok Thonburi are 07:20 and 14:50. Journey time 3 hours.
Times to Nam Tok are 06:07, 10:30 and 16:30. Journey time 2 hours

Bus

Many people arrive at the town's bus station located just to the east of the central commercial district and a short hop to the riverside guesthouses and hotels. Buses to Bangkok run every 15 minutes for second class air-con and every 20 minutes for first class. These all go to Bangkok's southern bus terminal. There are also hourly services to Mo Chit, Bangkok's northern terminal - useful if you're planning on heading further north by bus. The journey can take anything from 2 to 4 hours. There are also regular services to other towns in the region.

If you prefer to visit some of the regional attractions without an organised tour, then there are also local bus services from the bus station as follows:

Erawan Waterfall and National Park - every 50 minutes, 08:00 to 17:20, 40 baht. Journey time 1.5 hours.
Sai Yok Noi/Yai Falls - every 30 minutes, 06:00 to 18:30, 40/48 baht. Journey time 2 hours.
Wat Tham Mungkornthong - every 30 minutes, 08:30 to 17:20, 8 baht. Journey time 20 minutes.

(Please note that fares have recently risen due to oil price rises, and no doubt will do so again.)

Getting Around

Arrivals at both the bus and train stations are met by the usual collection of songthaew and samlor drivers all desperate to whisk you off to your guesthouse. Songthaew drivers will ask for about 20B per person (minimum of 4) to take you down to Maenam Kwai or Rong Heep Oil Rds. Samlor drivers can only take 2 but will ask for around 100B down to Maenam Kwai. It's always worth haggling but don't expect them to move too much. Be wary of those who accept commission payments from guesthouses as this practice is not particularly popular amongst most of the guesthouse owners. Remember that many guesthouses will pick you up if you phone them ahead of your arrival.

Public songthaews operate from Saeng Chuto road just up from the bus station. The flat fare is 8B and they run from Tesco Lotus up to the River Kwai Bridge via Thanon Maenam Kwai. They just go when they're full.

Perhaps the best way to get around is by hiring a bicycle. Many guesthouses now offer bikes (as well as motorbikes) to rent and along Maenam Kwai there are a handful of rental shops. Prices start around 40B per day, which isn't bad at all. Given that Kanchanaburi is spread out for 5km along the river, it's a brilliant way to see the town and some of the nearby attractions.

Motorbikes are also rented out all over town for between 200 and 300B a day, but, as always, only rent one if you can secure a decent helmet and remember that Thailand is not a good place to try riding a motorbike for the first time.