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A train edging through the stalls of the Maeklong Railway Market as vendors pull back their awnings
Visitors photographing a train as it passes through the stalls of the Maeklong Railway Market
The rock walls of Hellfire Pass, the cutting dug by hand for the Death Railway
Boats and wooden shophouses along the canal of the Amphawa Floating Market

Things to do in Central Thailand: Bangkok and Ayutthaya

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Photo: Takeshi Aida, CC BY-SA 2.0

Samut Songkhram

Watch the train roll through the Maeklong Railway Market

Check dates and prices

Photo: S5A-0043, CC BY 2.0

Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi

Walk the Death Railway cutting at Hellfire Pass with the audio guide

Check dates and prices

Photo: Nina R, CC BY 2.0

Amphawa, Samut Songkhram

Eat from the boats at Amphawa, then look for fireflies

Check dates and prices

Photo: Igor Ovsyannykov, CC0

Central Thailand is the flat, rice-growing basin of the Chao Phraya river, and the heart of the country's history. Bangkok sits near the river mouth; Ayutthaya, the capital for four centuries before it, lies an hour or two upstream.

Bangkok and Ayutthaya each have their own page. This page covers the day trips people build around them: the train that runs through the Maeklong market, the canal market at Amphawa, the floating market of Damnoen Saduak, and, to the west, Kanchanaburi, with the bridge over the River Kwai, the Death Railway, Hellfire Pass and the Erawan waterfalls.

Places in this region

6 things to do in Central Thailand

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Visitors photographing a train as it passes through the stalls of the Maeklong Railway Market

Watch the train roll through the Maeklong Railway Market

Samut Songkhram

Half a day from Bangkok, a full day with AmphawaGo alone or with a tour

A seafood and produce market laid on a working railway line, where awnings fold back and stalls retreat inches from a passing train.

Check dates and pricesDay trip: Maeklong train market and Amphawa
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Boats and wooden shophouses along the canal of the Amphawa Floating Market

Eat from the boats at Amphawa, then look for fireflies

Amphawa, Samut Songkhram

An afternoon and eveningFree

A canal market that wakes up in the afternoon, with grilled river prawns cooked in the boats and firefly trips after dark.

Check dates and pricesPrivate evening trip: floating market and fireflies
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The rock walls of Hellfire Pass, the cutting dug by hand for the Death Railway

Walk the Death Railway cutting at Hellfire Pass with the audio guide

Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi

A full day from Bangkok, half a day from KanchanaburiGo alone or with a tour

A rock cutting dug by hand by prisoners of war, now a memorial walk through the jungle with their own voices in your ears.

Check dates and pricesPrivate day trip: River Kwai bridge and Hellfire Pass
Been there?
The Death Railway bridge over the Khwae Yai in Kanchanaburi, with its two postwar central spans

Walk the River Kwai bridge and ride the Death Railway

Kanchanaburi

A full day from BangkokNo booking needed

Walk across the real Death Railway bridge, then ride the line past a wooden viaduct running along the cliff above the river.

Tours in Central Thailand
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Water spilling over limestone into a green pool at Erawan Falls

Climb the seven tiers of Erawan Falls

Erawan National Park, Kanchanaburi

3 to 4 hours in the parkNo booking needed

Climb seven tiers of green pools, swimming with small fish that nibble your feet, up to the one said to look like Erawan's head.

Tours in Central Thailand
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Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Central Thailand yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Which places for what

    Bangkok for the Grand Palace, the temples, the river, the markets and the food. Ayutthaya for the ruins of the old capital and the royal palace at Bang Pa-In. Samut Songkhram for the Maeklong train market and Amphawa. Kanchanaburi for the Second World War history of the Death Railway and for waterfalls.

  • Combining them

    In must30's view, base yourself in Bangkok and make day trips: Ayutthaya to the north, Maeklong, Amphawa and Damnoen Saduak to the south-west. Kanchanaburi deserves a night of its own, as Hellfire Pass and Erawan are far apart and far from Bangkok. Ayutthaya is also on the main line north, a natural first stop on the way to Sukhothai and Chiang Mai.

  • Getting around

    Trains link Bangkok with Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi and the Maeklong line, slowly but cheaply. Vans and buses are faster to Samut Songkhram and Kanchanaburi. For Hellfire Pass, Erawan and the markets in a single day, a tour or a hired driver saves hours.

  • When to go

    November to February is the cool, dry season and the easiest for ruins and markets. March to May is very hot. From about June to October the monsoon brings short, heavy showers. Amphawa runs only Friday to Sunday, so plan that day trip for a weekend.

Questions travellers ask

Can I visit the Maeklong market and Amphawa on the same day?

Yes. Amphawa is about 10 minutes from Samut Songkhram, so the usual plan is a train pass at the Maeklong market in the afternoon, then Amphawa into the evening. It only works from Friday to Sunday, when Amphawa is open.

Is Kanchanaburi a day trip from Bangkok?

It can be, on a long tour, but a night there is better. Hellfire Pass is about 80 km beyond Kanchanaburi town and there is no bus between it and Erawan Falls, so on public transport each takes most of a day.

Which floating market should I choose?

Damnoen Saduak is a morning market, best in its first hours and mostly aimed at visitors. Amphawa runs from the afternoon into the evening at weekends, with more food and a more local crowd, and firefly boats after dark.

Other places to go

Things to do in Thailand

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