Kanchanaburi has a lot of sights and activities to offer children! Besides a day trip visiting magnificent waterfalls and caves, kids will enjoy visiting the Elephant’s World, an elephant conservation camp that cares for retired elephants who used to work in the tourist industry. Tourists are welcome to volunteer to work in the camp by for instance washing the elephants and gathering food for them. A family activity could also be taking Thai cooking classes together to learn how to make the famous Pad Thai and other Thai delicious dishes.

Kanchanaburi province is famous for its nature and historical WWII sites. Notable World War II relics include the bridge on the River Kwai and WWII museums and war cemeteries like the Death Railway Museum or Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. There are several national parks in the region with cascading waterfalls such as Sai Yok and Erawan National Parks along with Khao Laem Lake. Both have excellent trekking routes. There are so many things to see and activities to do in Kanchanaburi!

Kanchanaburi is about 165km from Bangkok. It will take around 2.5 hours by train or car to get to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok, double that time for a round trip travel estimate.
By bus from Bangkok Mochit Bus Terminal (or the old Southern Bus Terminal) to Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal that departs once daily everyday for a three and a half-hour trip.

To get to where the falls are situated, you can take the bus (# 8170) from the Kanchanaburi Bus Station then travel for two hours to the Srinakarind Market stop. From there, it is approximately 1 km to walk to the national park entrance or you can jump in a taxi.

Erawan National Park is in Thailand, northwest of Bangkok in the province of Kanchanaburi towards the Myanmar border.

You can visit the bridge over the River Kwai and its monument, Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, the Kanchanaburi Night Market (also known as the JJ Night Market) to sample local street food and giant tree, an ancient market and the most popular floating market in Thailand for souvenir shopping, Chong Kai war cemetery, Wat Ban Tham, Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail, to name a few.

Kanchanaburi is surely, certainly, definitely worth a not-so-short visit for you and even with your children! Activities in Kanchanaburi cover the gamut of culture-history-nature. Nothing you can want more!

Kanchanaburi is generally safe but travel safety protocols should still be applied and common sense to prevail. The city has dimly-lit sections and taking a taxi is advised to newcomers not familiar with the area.
The latest update as of the first week of August is the extension of restrictions until 31 August.
Kanchanaburi is among the classified Dark Red zones, meaning only food establishments can stay open until 23:00. Social gatherings are maxed at twenty people and checkpoints have been set up to monitor inter-provincial travel. These regulations are in addition to the prevailing safety protocols in the covid-19 pandemic.
Citizens of several countries and Thai nationals from those destinations are allowed to enter Thailand without a visa, except for those coming from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. These are still banned from entering the country because of concerns over the new covid variants.

Two-three days can allow you to do historical activities and visit significant places in Kanchanaburi like the River Kwai Bridge and Burma Railway, the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum and hiking trail and the Don-Rak cemetery, the final resting place of the deceased POWs of World War II.
But if you are nature lovers and want to explore the natural attractions among your activities in Kanchanaburi, four to six days would suffice to do these activities conveniently.

Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by train (which is actually the best way to travel to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok) takes only 2.5 hours to cover the 135 km distance between them.
Trains to Kanchanaburi depart from the Thonburi Railway Station, two trips daily, all the way to Nam Tok, from where you can get a taxi to the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. At the same time, the train ride also goes to the River Kwai Bridge.

Bicycles are good (and healthy activities) ways of getting around Kanchanaburi. The roads are safe and easy to navigate to places you wish to go to. Group activities can be easier in a songthaew (or tuk-tuks) which can be hired for a whole day.

Kanchanaburi is quite easy to pronounce, almost the way it is spelt – kan-cha-nah-bu-ree.

There is no airport in Kanchanaburi. The nearest airport is Don Muang Airport in Bangkok which is 113.8km away from Kanchanaburi. The Suvarnabhumi Airport, also in Bangkok, is 134.4 km away and the Dawe Airport is 145.4 km away from Kanchanaburi.

No swimming activities are allowed in Erawan Falls, as a precaution for visitors safety. On the trails along the way are emerald green ponds visitors are allowed to swim in.

People like to visit Kanchanaburi for its many historical places and attractions, aside from its natural attractions of elephants, hiking trails, amazing parks with equally amazing features and experiences. Visitors have so many activities to do, places to see and experiences to take home as memories.

The bridge over the River Kwai, which was built by conscripted Allied prisoners of war (POWs) by the Japanese forces during World War II as part of the Burma Railway, still stands on the edge of the jungle three miles from the town. It was never destroyed.
The blowing up of the bridge was just a scene in the Hollywood movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” which was popularized by the superstar cast and still is being re-shown often until now. That movie has helped make the bridge, and the river, among the tourist attractions and popular places and activities in Kanchanaburi.

Travel guides and reviews mention ten to fifteen destinations outside of Bangkok and Kanchanaburi is always included in those lists of things to do and activities for nature lovers and travellers with children. Kanchanaburi features, like its national parks and temples, are even listed specifically among some mentions, as interesting activities in Kanchanaburi for families and children. Not to forget the varied accommodation options from budget to mid range hotels.

Kanchanaburi Thailand is one of the places in the country with a good number of magnificent national parks. With easy hiking trails even for children, nature lovers will not run out of experiences and things to see and activities to do in these parks. Here are some of them.
Erawan National Park. Located northwest of Bangkok near the Myanmar border. Far less crowded than other national parks. Known for its seven-tiered waterfalls, its star attraction. Additional attractions are the doctor fish foot spa-like treatment and many caves, one of which has two levels. The hiking trails to the falls are great activities for nature lovers, even children will enjoy seeing a lot of wonderful things along the way.
Sai Yok National Park. Another national park of Kanchanaburi Thailand is located in the Sai Yok District covering 958 square km. Sai Yok National Park is part of the huge Western Forest Complex composed of 19 protected sites in Myanmar and Thailand. Offering mountains, waterfalls and caves, the famous spots in the park are the Khwae Noi River, Sai Yok Lek Waterfall, the Death Railway, Dao Wadung Cave, Khang Khao Cave and Lawa Cave.
Khuen Srinagarindra National Park. Centre of the Srinagarind Reservoir, this 1,532 sq km park is part of the Western Forest Complex protected area. With many caves, the Tham Phra Prang Cave was used as a hiding place by the Thai soldiers during the 18th century Thai-Burma wars. This cave has a Buddha image inside. The most popular feature of the park is the 7-Level Huay Mae Khamin Waterfall that flows to the Khwae Yai River, along with Pha Sawan and Pha Tat Waterfalls.
Other spectacular caves are the 490-ft Tham Sawan with prehistoric cave paintings, the dome-like Tham Neramit with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, Tham Nam Mut and Tham Phra Kho.
Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park. Another of the Kanchanaburi national parks, and also known as Tham Than Loi National Park, the Chaloem Rattanakosin is also part of the Western Forest Complex protected area.
The park’s cave systems are astounding and make it popular. The 300-m long Tham Than Lot Noi has large stalactites and stalagmites. The Tham Than Lot Yai also has these geological features and is where artefacts and human remains believed to be from invading Burmese soldiers during the end of the Ayutthaya Period were found. The park’s famous waterfall is the Than Thong with 15 levels, and the “smaller” Than Ngoen with seven levels.

Wat Tham Sua and Wat Tham Khao Noi. Around 15km outside of Kanchanaburi City is the impressive Wat Tham Sua Temple, right next to the Wat Tham Khao Noi, another temple. The Wat Tham Sua was made in pure Thai architectural style on top of a small hill. The main attraction is the 18metre high and 10metre wide seated Buddha (called Chin Prathanporn) covered with gold mosaic, constructed in 1973. You can walk up the 157 steps or ride a small cable car, to the top, from where you get an amazing 360-degree view of the surroundings. The temple is also called Tiger Cave Temple because its cave used to house a tiger family. The caves are now closed to the public.
Wat Ban Tham (Dragon Head Temple). Just a few kilometres along the Mae Klong River from Kanchanaburi you can find the Wat Ban Tham sometimes called the Dragon’s Head Temple. The most visible thing upon entering the car park is a white sitting Buddha with a jolly expression in the temple front with a golden chedi on top of a mountain from afar. Bright red steps lead you upwards into the mouth of a giant dragon through its body decorated with murals until you reach the first temple cave. There is a Buddha called Luang Por Yai Chinnaraj, beside which is a monk giving blessings.
Kung Im Chapel.
On the outskirts of Kanchanaburi is the distinctive Kung Im Temple next to the Bridge over the River Kwai. Its architecture is Chinese-themed, which gives some visitors the impression that it is a Chinese temple. On the temple grounds are sculptures of dragons, animals, gold coins and a massive Chinese Goddess of Mercy.
The path is painted red and gold and the surroundings are equally colourful – pagodas exquisitely decorated and a huge totem pole decorated with dragons. The temple’s main building roof is done with more dragons and a golden Buddha statue.
Temple hopping in Kanchanaburi Thailand which has some of the most colourful and lavishly adorned temples anywhere would make you glad it was your tourist destination of choice.

Hellfire Pass and the Memorial Museum is a must among the important places and historical things to do in Kanchanaburi.
Hellfire Pass Memorial (also known as Konyu Cutting) is a 4km historic site, one of the most well-known sites in the Thai Burma railway.
The museum is a memorial to the Allied POWs and Asian labourers who were conscripted from the POW camps by the Japanese forces in World War II. There are artefacts, a model of the Pass and many photographs on display, as well as a short video of the conditions the POWs had to endure. The Memorial Museum was officially opened on April 25, 1998, as a joint venture between the Australian and Thailand governments, and is maintained by the Office of Australian War Graves.
There are audio players in the museum available at a small refundable deposit, which plays recordings of POWs telling of their experiences at certain points on the trail. If you are doing the hiking trail without your mobile phone, the museum will lend you a two-way radio for safety precautions. From the museum to the Pass you walk down wooden walkways and stairs. Hellfire Pass is part of a commemorative hiking trail and is well maintained. It takes only 10 minutes from the bottom of the stairs into the Pass.