Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is the River Kwai town plus Erawan falls. Give it two nights if you want both. The bridge is a morning. Hellfire Pass and the seven tiers do not fit the same afternoon.
Kanchanaburi is a river town west of Bangkok, not an island and not a ruin loop. The steel bridge and Khwae Yai Bridge station are the postcard. The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre and the allied war cemetery are the part that should take longer than the selfie. Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting) is about 80 km northwest, by road past Nam Tok, with an Australian-run interpretive centre. The cutting is a memorial walk, not a waterfall stop.
Ordinary SRT trains to Kanchanaburi and Nam Tok leave from Thonburi station on the west bank. They have not moved to Krung Thep Aphiwat. That is the mistake first-timers make. Weekend tourist extras sometimes use Hua Lamphong; read the train number. Tickets on the ordinary sets are often day-of, third class. Foreign tourist fares apply. Floods have shut the Tha Kilen to Nam Tok stretch before; check SRT 1690 before you plan the viaduct as a must.
Where to stay
Sleep in town if you want the cemetery, the museum, and a morning train. Sleep upriver if the raft or the gorge is the mood and you have a car. Erawan is a 1.5 hour road each way; a park-gate hotel only helps if the falls are the entire next day.
| Area | Who it fits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Town and the river bend | Museums, night market, songthaews | Road noise. Easy logistics. |
| Tha Makham / bridge | People who want the bridge at dusk | Tour buses. Fine for one night. |
| Sai Yok / upriver | A quieter second night | Far from Erawan. Pick one hinterland, not both. |
Erawan National Park
Seven limestone tiers along about 1.5 km of stream. Lower pools are the family stop. Tier 7 is stairs, roots, and a turnaround clock. The DNP fee table used in 2024-2026 lists 300 THB for a foreign adult and 150 THB for a foreign child, plus 30 THB per car or 20 THB per motorbike. Thai adult tickets are 60 THB. Carry cash. The park shop lists 08:00 to 16:30. Gate cutoffs are not clearly posted on the same page; arrive before 09:00 if you want the top.
Local bus 8170 runs from Kanchanaburi bus station in about 1.5 hours. Ask the driver the last bus back before you walk up. Heavy rain closes tiers. After the September 2026 floods the park reopened and then paused swimming when the water ran red. Call 034 574 222 or the DNP hotline 1362 the morning you go. Check on arrival.
Season
November to February is the comfortable inland window. Erawan's pools are prettier after rain, which is also when trails fail. The river town works year-round. This is not Andaman or Lower Gulf logic.
Keep going
Book
- Kanchanaburi staysTown or river
Two nights if Erawan is on the list. One night if you only want the bridge.
Search stays 
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi trainsTrip.comConfirm the origin station. Ordinary Nam Tok trains still mean Thonburi.
Search trains
Erawan and Hellfire PassToursA car for both hinterland sites beats a missed 8170.
See tickets
Common questions
- Which Bangkok station for the Death Railway?
- Thonburi for the daily ordinary trains to Kanchanaburi and Nam Tok. Krung Thep Aphiwat does not run that branch. Weekend tourist trains are a separate listing; read the number.
- Can you do Erawan and the bridge in one day from Bangkok?
- You can see the bridge. You will short-change Erawan or sit in a van. Stay two nights in Kanchanaburi if the falls matter.
- Is Hellfire Pass on the train?
- No. Nam Tok is the end of the passenger line. The cutting is farther up Highway 323 by road. Arrange the car before you leave town.