Kanchanaburi is an awesome travel destination in Thailand, and one that should be on everyone’s Thailand itinerary if they have the time. And we are guessing since you have found our travel guide, you are interested in visiting Kanchanaburi too!
In this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary, we will explore beautiful countryside, unique Buddhist temples and learn about important chapters in Kanchanaburi’s history!
It’s important to know that Japan occupied Thailand during WWII, and that Kanchanaburi endured horrific events during that time. It played a key role in building the ‘Death Railway’ between Burma and Thailand, to which many prisoners of war lost their lives. More on this to come later in this Kanchanaburi travel guide!
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The Perfect 3 Day Kanchanaburi Itinerary – Best Things To Do
The first day of this 3 day Kanchanaburi adventure takes you to see impressive Buddhist temples, gigantic ancient trees and some of Kanchanaburi’s top sites to see! Prepared to be charmed by this small town in Thailand’s central region.
The South region of Kanchanaburi is not connected by public transport, so you will need to either rent private transport or a driver. Alternatively, you can book onto a tour too! We personally rented a scooter from our host at Home of River Kwai and had a great time exploring the countryside!
➤ Take a look on 12Go on how to get to Kanchanaburi!
Day 1 – Temples, Sightseeing and Night Markets
Wat Ban Tham (Dragon Temple)
Wat Ban Tham, also known as the Dragon Temple, is one of Kanchanaburi’s most unique Buddhist temples, a visit here is a great way to start your itinerary. When you arrive, the first thing you’ll notice is the huge Dragon statue crawling along the hillside.
Spoiler alert, this temple requires quite a bit of climbing up stairs, so keep that in mind for your visit. Following the bright red stairway up the mountainside and into the belly of the Dragon is only the first part of this amazing complex!
After you exit the Dragon, you will then enter the cave temple to be humbled by a large Buddha. It is believed that this cave temple has been a place of worship since the Sukhothai period, that’s over 700 years old!
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If you’re feeling adventurous, carry on through the cave and up the metal spiral staircase to hike to the very top of the mountain. Be warned, this is sweaty work on a hot day!
Wat Ban Tham’s entrance is free, and visitors can freely roam. As this is an active Buddhist temple, always remember to dress moderately, covering your legs and shoulders.
Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple)
We did not expect to come across such a unique temple complex in the countryside just south of Kanchanaburi! Perched on top of a hill surrounded by flat farmland, Wat Than Suea and Wat Tham Khao Noi’s silhouette stands tall, cutting through the horizon like a bold castle.
Built in the mid-70s, this temple complex incorporates Thai and Chinese style, as you can see when comparing Wat Tham Suea and Wat Tham Khao side by side. But the real gem of the temples here is the large mosaic Buddha standing 18m tall, which many people travel from around the region to visit and pray to.
It’s also popular to climb the long spiral staircase to the top of the temple to appreciate the special statue and take in the awesome panoramic views of the surrounding area!
Also, the name ‘Tiger Cave Temple’ comes from a monk who discovered a tiger in a nearby cave. Rather than the tiger attacking the monk, he meditates in the tiger’s cave. This is also the same case for the famous Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi!
Tham Kaew Kanchanaphisek (Crystal Cave)
Visitors come here to experience the stalagmites and stalactites (crystal-like mineral deposits) glisten from the cave walls. From the outside, you can also enjoy some pretty decent panoramic views of the countryside and rice fields!
Unfortunately for us, we weren’t able to spend long here or enter the cave as there was a pack of uninviting street dogs putting us off. Hopefully, this isn’t always the case as we hadn’t read of any reoccurring issues here!
Giant Raintree (Monkey Pod Tree)
Hopefully, you enjoyed the ride from the Crystal Cave as much as we did! Cruising through the country roads surrounded by mountains, banana plants and exotic nature really enhanced this journey. On to the next highlight of this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary, the infamous Giant Raintree!
At a staggering 20m tall and over 50m wide, this historical tree is a natural beauty and should not be missed. It’s believed to be well over 100 years old, and during the rainy season its leaves actually fold up, allowing the ground beneath to absorb the rainfall, how clever! Hence the name, ‘raintree’.
Entrance and parking are free here, you will also find food vendors and clothes merchants selling the usual tourist items.
Explore Kanchanaburi’s Waterfront
Take a stroll along Kanchanaburi’s riverfront and enjoy the scenic views. From here, you can see water houses peacefully float on the River Kwai with the epic backdrop of mountains in the distance. You can pay to walk on the Kanchanaburi Skywalk but we thought this was a bit of a gimic for what you get.
Here, you can find street food vendors set up along the walkway for fresh drinks and hot cooked food. There’s also a pretty nifty astroturf running track that heads in the direction of Wat Thewa Sangkharam, which is worth checking out too!
And lastly, just around the corner, you can find the remains of Kanchanburi’s old city wall. This used to protect the city from attacks and invasion due to its strategic location on the River Kwai. Most of the wall is largely ruined now, except for this section that was restored in 2006, and more of the wall that surrounds the abandoned paper mill.
Watch the train crossing over River Khwae Bridge at sunset
We recommend heading to the River Khwae Bridge for the early evening, not only will you hopefully catch a beautiful sunset, but you can also witness the last train of the day pass over the bridge! You can even be on the bridge as the train passes over, just make sure to stand in one of the dedicated areas so the train can safely pass.
Across the bridge, you will also notice a small night market called ‘Concentration Camp Market’. As the name suggests, this was a former concentration camp during WWII when Japan occupied Thailand, and it is named so as not to forget the dark events which took place there.
JJ Night Market
What better way to spend an evening in Kanchanaburi than to wander around JJ Night Market, enjoying street food and market shopping. JJ Night Market is pretty big as far as night markets go, obviously not as big as Bangkok’s Chatuchak Night Market, but it’s a great thing to do on this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary!
Day 2 – Day trip to Erawan Falls and Hellfire Pass
Moving on to day 2 of this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary, we have a big day to the national parks planned. Make sure to leave early on this day, as Erawan Falls and Hellfire Pass are further away than Google Maps seems to think. We recommend leaving Kanchanaburi by 8:00am to make the most of your day.
❗Important❗- Buses run from Kanchanaburi to Erawan Falls and Kanchanaburi to Hellfire Pass, but not between the two (i.e. Erawan to Hellfire Pass). We recommend either renting a car or a scooter, or alternatively booking on to a private tour with a minivan.
Erawan Falls
🛵 Travel time: Approximately 1.5hrs by public bus, and roughly 2hrs by scooter with a few breaks to stretch.
First up, we have the infamous Erawan Falls. This is one of the top things to do near Kanchanaburi, and for good reason! It’s a beautiful 7 tier waterfall, and when the sun hits just right, the water shimmers in a hypnotic turquoise blue.
It’s a great place to cool off on a hot day and swim in the pools of the waterfalls, all while being surrounded by an amazing national park. It’s important to note you are not allowed to swim without a life jacket, so they are available to rent for 20 baht onsite. Public safety is important in Erawan National Park, with lifeguards monitoring each waterfall.
Falls 1-4 are easily accessible through a combination of concrete walkways and stairs. Whereas the journey to falls 5-7 is harder to reach, so wear appropriate footwear and bring water for the heat. You can also expect monkeys the further you go up the falls.
The entrance to Erawan Falls is 300 baht per person and 20 baht for a scooter. The facilities are very good and very well kept. There are plenty of modern toilet facilities and restaurants inside the park.
If you go for a swim in the falls, you can also expect to be nibbled by the resident fish trying to eat the dead skin on your legs and feet, it’s certainly an odd feeling!
➤ Not sure how to get to Erawan Falls? Take a look at a guided tour on GetYourGuide!
Hellfire Pass
🛵 Travel time: From Erawan Falls, the journey by scooter or car takes around 1 hour 15 minutes.
The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre is extremely informative, explaining how allied prisoners of war were captured and enslaved by the Japanese during WWII, to be used as labourers to build what is now known as the ‘Death Railway’ in both Thailand and Burma.
It’s estimated that around 90,000 Southeast Asians and 16,000 allied prisoners of war died under these unforgiving conditions, so it’s important to be respectful during your visit.
💡 If you'd like to know more about the impact of Thai-Burma railway construction, the National Museum Australia website has more information here.
After you’ve finished in the interpretive centre, you can embark on a 30 – 40 minute roundtrip trail to the memorial, through one of the cuttings that had to be manually carved from the hillside.
If you want to do the longer scenic trail, taking 2-3hrs, you will need to grab a walkie-talkie from the Hellfire Pass centre. They do this for the safety of tourists while they are out in the jungle. This trail has to be started before 2pm as they close the entrance mid afternoon.
The centre closes at 4:00pm, but you can still access the short memorial trail after hours as this does not closes. The staff are incredibly helpful and happy to answer any questions.
On your way back to Kanchanaburi, visit Tham Krasae Railway Bridge, this is an impressive section of the Thai-Burma railway that can be easily visited and is still in use! It’s a great spot to watch the train pass.
➤ Prefer to visit as part of a tour? Take a look at this Hellfire Pass day trip on GetYourGuide!
Day 3 – Abandoned Paper Mill, Paddle Boarding and Nature
On to the final day of this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary! Day 2 is jam packed, so it’s important to have a slower day on day 3, visiting temples, abandoned factories and relaxing on the River Kwai. Let’s take a look at what’s in store!
Wat Thewa Sangkharam
Start your morning with a peaceful visit to Wat Thewa Sangkharam. A quick stop is enough, there isn’t too much to see here and it isn’t over busy with tourists. As of December 2024, the main temple is under construction for renovation, but the whole complex is beautiful and still worth a visit!
Kanchanaburi Paper Mill
This was one of our favourite sites to see in Kanchanaburi! Come and witness an abandoned European-style paper mill in the heart of Thailand. Built in 1933 and opened in 1938, it is in fact Thailand’s first paper mill for making banknotes and other paper products. It ended operations in 1987 and has since been abandoned.
The owners nearly sold the land and property for a hefty sum, but the locals were able to protest and save the paper mill to be preserved as a museum and public centre as part of Kanchanaburi’s heritage.
As of now, you can wander the grounds for free and take some great photos, there’s something so interesting about abandoned urban buildings! There are friendly guards at the gate you need to sign in with, and then you are good to go!
Paddleboard along the River Kwai with Paddle and More Travel
Embark on a guided SUP tour and spend 2-3 glorious hours peacefully paddling along the River Kwai with the awesome team from Paddle and More.
We found this company when looking for a transfer from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya, and we are so glad that we booked to do some paddle boarding too. Aof was really fun and took some great photos of us paddle boarding (on an actual camera too!).
For 700 baht per person, you get a paddle board, dry bag, drinking water and an awesome instructor! The team will drive you 6km upstream, and drop you off with the gear so you can start the adventure back downriver. It was timed perfectly to catch the sunset and the train bridge crossing around 5:30pm as the tour came to an end.
Here’s a link to Paddle and More’s website if you’d like to take a look!
And that brings us to the end of this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary. We hope that you have had fun reading about our personal experience visiting this great little city and that you found this Kanchanaburi travel guide useful in planning your own trip! We think that Kanchanaburi is the perfect blend of relaxing, historical and adventurous; great for any traveller!
Where to stay in Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is relatively small, but if you are staying in the south of town and need to reach the north, it’s the best part of a 1 hour walk. Over the span of a few days in the heat it can get tiring when you have a lot of sightseeing to do! Staying centrally near the walking street, or near to River Khwae Bridge would be a good idea if you don’t plan to get a scooter.
Home of River Kwai – Clean private double rooms in the south of Kanchanaburi. The host is lovely and they have great reviews on Agoda!
Canaan Guesthouse and Homestay – Private rooms in a great location on a budget. Book in just a few easy steps on Agoda!
Tamarind Guesthouse Kanchanaburi – Great location near the River Khwae Bridge, a great budget option in Kanchanaburi. Check rates and dates on Agoda.
Yayei Homestay – A great option if you fancy staying outside of Kanchanaburi in the national parks. Very tropical on the outskirts of the jungle! You can catch a train from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok to get here. Take a look on Agoda!
Best Restaurants in Kanchanaburi
On’s Thai-Issan Vegan – We ate here at least once a day, sometimes twice and we even did a cooking sampling 5 dishes! It’s safe to say we really enjoyed eating here, and so do hundreds of others! On’s restaurant was always busy for every meal, every day and is absolutely worth visiting!
At On’s you can find all of the classic Thai dishes, they do a great Khao Soi and Mango sticky rice! Their portions are HUGE and very affordable.
Jasmine by Mae Taew – As we are vegan, this was naturally our second favourite place in town! At Mae Taew’s you can get a fresh plate of Thai Jay food for around 40 baht each with rice.
How to get around Kanchanaburi
🚶♀️Walking – Some of Kanchanaburi is walking if you stay centrally, but for most of the activities outlined in this travel guide you will likely need some form of transport to get about.
🛵 Scooter rental – We rented a scooter from our host at our accommodation. We found this to be the most flexible and convenient way to get around Kanchanaburi to see the highlights mentioned in this 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary. Always follow local law and wear a helmet.
🚕 Grab – if you don’t feel comfortable renting a vehicle, Grab is widely available in Kanchanaburi and is a great way to travel around. Simply download the app, sign up and order a ride!
🛺 Tuk tuk – if you don’t like the hassle of relying on apps, just flag down one of the Tuk tuk passing by and negotiate a fair price for the ride.
How to get to Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi can easily be reached from many parts of Thailand, which is great for travellers such as yourselves! Take a look on 12Go to compare different modes of transport.
🚂 Train – Kanchanaburi has a train station and can easily be reached by train from Bangkok. If you travelling from the south (such as Surat Thani), you will likely need to change at Ban Pong or Ratchaburi, and continue your journey by bus (461). We had a great time riding the sleeper train from Surat Thani to Ban Pong.
🚌 Bus – You can get to Kanchanaburi by bus from places like Bangkok and Ratchaburi. Check local timetables from your relevant starting destination or check 12Go here.
🚐 Minivan – Thailand has a pretty nifty network of private minivan routes all over the country, and it’s a popular way to get around! Take a look on 12Go if a minivan works for you!
Travelling from Phuket or Surat Thani? Check our guide on how to get to Kanchanaburi!
Best Time to Visit Kanchanaburi
☀️ The best time to visit Kanchanaburi is from November to February, during the cool and dry season. The weather is comfortable, with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 30°C, making it perfect for enjoying outdoor spots like Erawan National Park, Hellfire Pass, and the River Khwae Bridge.
Though it can get hot, this time of year offers ideal conditions to explore without the heat or rain slowing you down. We visited in mid-December and had great, sunny weather!
Klook.comHow many days to spend in Kanchanaburi
You might be wondering how many days to spend in Kanchanaburi? We’ve written this 3 day Kanchanaburi guide because we think 3 days is the perfect amount. This gives you 2 days to explore in and around Kanchanaburi, and a day trip exploring the national parks.
With 2 days in Kanchanaburi, you could remove the paddle boarding and the temples in the south, or remove the day trip to the national parks if this doesn’t interest you. 2 days in Kanchanaburi will be faster paced but totally doable, just pick and choose the activities that interest you!
We don’t recommend 1 day in Kanchanaburi as you will only have time to skim the main tourist sites in town, missing out on exploring the beautiful areas that surround Kanchanaburi.
Is Kanchanaburi worth visiting?
Yes! Kanchanaburi is absolutely worth visiting and we loved our 3 days there. Being out in the nature, paddle boarding along the river and learning all about Kanchanaburi’s history. It’s a great place to add to your Thailand itinerary!
That’s the end of our 3 day Kanchanaburi itinerary and if you need any more help planning – send us a message on Instagram (@thesunrisedreamers) or leave a comment below!
If you have enjoyed this Kanchanaburi travel guide, check out our other Thailand posts!
- 1 Month Thailand Itinerary
- 2 Week South Thailand Itinerary
- 3 Day Bangkok Itinerary
- 4 Day Phuket Itinerary
- 3 Day Koh Samui Itinerary
- 3 Day Koh Tao Itinerary
- 3 Day Koh Lanta Itinerary
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