Bangkok is a vibrant city that combines a lot of the best features of its traditional Southeast Asian heritage with the conveniences and luxuries of modern urban living. But, as any vacationer knows, city-based holidays can be exhausting. So, try these five daytrips from Bangkok to round out your experiences while staying in the Thai capital.
1) Ayutthaya
Once the glittery capital of Thailand, the city of Ayutthaya was devastated by fires during conflict with the Burmese in 1769. One of my favorite daytrips from Bangkok is visiting the mid-sized modern city that’s grown around the ruins of the ancient palaces, monasteries and temples.
The city sits at the confluence of three rivers, and most of the historical sites can be found on the compact riverine island that sits in the middle of the city. While I simply enjoy exploring without any set itinerary, the main attraction in Ayutthaya is the array of charmingly old-and-new temples. On arrival from Bangkok, you can take taxis or tuk tuks around the city to find the sites, but most independent travelers opt to rent bicycles or scooters from one of the local guesthouses and explore that way.
For a different take on the city, and if you’re a water baby at heart, the Thai Boat Museum hosts an interesting collection of Thai traditional watercraft. And, for extra time on the water on your daytrip, there are a few cruise lines that run trips from Bangkok to Ayutthaya (and vice versa). These cruises are not budget options, as they usually include a sightseeing tour while you’re in Ayutthaya and a meal while you’re on the boat. Most of these require you to take a bus back to Bangkok.
If you prefer to do your traveling on land, it takes about an hour and a half to get to Ayutthaya from Bangkok, if you take a bus or train, and so it’s a perfect distance for a day jaunt if you’re based in Bangkok.
2) Amphawa Floating Market
There’s something mysterious and must-see about the habit of selling goods from a floating shop. Many visitors to Bangkok will sign up for tours to Damnoen Saduak, the “floating market” that caters to tourists. That one is fun too, no doubt about it, but for authenticity, head over to the village of Amphawa on a weekend afternoon.
Here, farmers and other vendors sell their products as they have for centuries. Fruit and other foods, flowers and pretty much anything else needed or wanted for daily living, all from riverfront stalls and boat-riding vendors. You can also buy snacks and on-the-go meals here, prepared on the slim canal boats and handed over for a few baht. Seafood is popular.
Amphawa Floating Market will take about an hour and half to reach by car from Bangkok. Taking a taxi there and back is convenient, but it’s cheaper to catch the minibus from Victory Monument.
3) The River Kwai
Can you whistle the tune? While most Westerners have heard of the Kwai River from the movie and book of the same name, or from history texts outlining the plight of prisoners during World War II, there are more reasons to visit Kanchanaburi. For one, it’s beautiful. There are actually two Kwai rivers: Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai. The banks of both are lined with thickets of bamboo and perfect for taking a leisurely rafting trip, or buzzing past on a long-tail.
The war-related sites, if you do want to visit them, are poignant and easy to find. The famous iron bridge made as part of the Death Railway to Burma is three kilometers north of town. More than 100,000 people died during the construction of the railway, including about 16,000 POWs. In addition, the War Cemetery and the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum both remind us of the sacrifices made during World War II.
When planning your trip to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok, consider signing up for one of the day excursions offered by hotels, hostels and travel agencies all over the city. These operations manage to fit a lot into a short amount of time, and have the tourist wheel pretty well greased. But, if climbing into a van with a lot of other farang isn’t how you like to roll, you can hop a public bus at the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok or a train from the Thonburi Station. If you know you don’t want to book a package tour, you might consider making your Konchanaburi excursion a two-day trip to make sure that you catch everything you want to without having to rush back to the bus or train station.
4) Khao Yai National Park
For a complete escape from urban Asia, check out Khao Yai National Park, which is a habitat of tigers, Asian black bears and other wildlife.
The park is large by any country’s standards, at more than 2,000 square kilometers, but an enjoyable day can be spent doing short trail walks and visiting one of the waterfalls. If the Haew Suwat waterfall looks familiar, it could be because you saw it in the film The Beach, with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Day visitors should consider getting an official guide from the park to take them on a walk. While guides are not required for exploring, they’re helpful for finding the best trails and for potential sightings of animals, including gibbons, monkeys, lizards, and snakes.
Khao Yai also offers a chance to take an elephant ride through the jungle—if you haven’t experienced this yet, now’s the time. In addition to the domesticated elephants you can ride, the park has a population of wild elephants too, but they’re not as easy to spot as some of the other creatures living in the park.
If you have access to a car, you will be able to cover more ground within the park, of course. You could drive up from Bangkok, or rent a car or a taxi (with a driver) in Pak Chong, the closest town to the main entrance of Khao Yai. Pak Chong is also the destination you should ask for when arranging for a bus or train ticket from Bangkok. It’s about 200 kilometers from the capital, and travel time is usually about two hours. From Pak Chong to the park, catch a songthaew or hire a taxi or motorbike.
5) The Beach
A sunny beachfront city popular with Russian tourists, Pattaya is only two hours by bus from Bangkok, and is be a good destination for people who want to get in as much waterfront sunbathing as possible before flying home from the Thai capital.
The busy beach at Pattaya and the boulevard that runs along it are great for walking, people-watching, and, of course, sunbathing. As with many urban beaches, the water is not as clear and clean as elsewhere in Thailand, but if you’re not a beach purist, you’ll have an enjoyable day.
And, if swimming is your top reason for seeking out a beach, consider taking a quick ferry ride over to the Coral Island (Koh Larn) or asking a taxi to take you to one of the beaches that is less busy, for example the beach to the south of Buddha Hill.
The main beach is lined with clusters of umbrellas shading loungers and other chairs, which you’ll have to pay an hourly rate for. The vendors who rent the chairs will be able to sell you cold drinks, or direct you to a nearby 7-11. On my trips to Pattaya, I enjoy watching the parasailers and jetskiiers who go by, and haggling with the hawkers patrolling the strip.
If your itinerary could extend to an overnight stay, Pattaya’s nightlife is also a draw for the go-go bar and ladyboy show crowd.
Pattaya’s easy to get to, with plenty of buses leaving from Bangkok throughout the day. For a trip on a full-sized bus try the Ekkamai bus station; minibuses depart regularly from Victoria Monument, and there’s also bus transport with the option of hotel drop-off from the Suvarnabhumi airport.
What’s your favorite day trip from Bangkok? Share in the comments!
