Kanchanaburi is a small town in the Kanchanaburi Province, located around 126 kilometres (78.3 miles) west of Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. This quaint, laid back town is situated around the amazing River Kwai and surrounding maintain ranges which actually makes the temperature in Kanchanaburi a little cooler than many other areas in central Thailand.
Kanchanaburi is renowned for its unfortunate role in WWII and home to the famous Bridge On The River Kwai, Death Railway, Hellfire Pass and War Museums. Each year tourists come in their thousands from around the world to learn about the history first hand and pay their respects to the brave soldiers who lost their lives.
Although the recent history of WWII does attract a lot of visitors, there are also many other reasons which make Kanchanaburi an excellent place visit. Kanchanaburi offers stunning natural surroundings, national parks, beautiful temples and one of Thailand’s largest trees. There are also many sports and activities to do in Kanchanaburi such as, river rafting, cave exploring, boat rides, quad biking, golf, trekking and of course the magnificent 7 tier Erawan Waterfalls.
So, whether you’re looking for a couple of days escape from Bangkok or a longer stay for a week or two, Kanchanaburi is an amazing place to visit, steeped in history, culture, beautiful surroundings and lots of things to see and do. To find out more about visiting Kanchanaburi, including top travel tips, visitor information and advice checkout our Kanchanaburi travel guide.
Here we take an in-depth look at the best ways to get from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi.
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Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by Bus
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by Public Bus
Ordinary Buses to Kanchanaburi leave from various locations in Bangkok, including the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), the Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit) and from Khao San Road.
Buses leave regularly throughout the day from both of the main bus terminals in Bangkok. Buses from the Southern Bus Terminal depart every 30 minutes from 4am through to 10pm. From the Northern Bus Terminal buses leave every hour from 5am through to 4pm.
Whether you are going from the Southern or Northern Bus Terminal, there are two classes of service on offer, 1st class and 2nd class. 1st class gives you a little more comfort and room and costs 120 baht and 2nd class costs 80 baht. Both 1st and 2nd class buses are pretty comfortable though and you’ll be glad to know that both have air-conditioning.
Journey times do vary, expect the journey to take 3 hours for buses departing the Southern Bus Terminal and 4 hours for buses departing from the Northern Bus Terminal.
TIP – If you are coming from Don Meuang Airport, going from the Northern Bus Terminal is a better option as it is closer and will save you some time and money overall.
There is also another service from Tara Tour, departing from their office on Samsen Road (near Khao San Road). A minivan will pick you up and take you to the bus station, where you change onto a larger ordinary bus.
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by Minivan
There are a range of Minivan companies covering the route between Bangkok to Kanchanaburi. Minivans depart from multiple locations across the Bangkok including, the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), the Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit), Chatuchak Minibus Station, as well as Khao San Road. Here are some of the best minivan/minibus services to get you to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok.
Minibus from the Southern Bus Terminal
Minibuses operated by Win Happy depart frequently through the day, starting at 6am to 6pm. They have a new fleet of minibuses (2019) which have comfortable seats, air-conditioning and can take up to 20 people. If you have a large amount of luggage you will need to book an extra seat.
Operator: Win Happy
Ticket Price: 150 Baht
Departure Location: Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai)
Arrival Location: Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal, U-Thong Soi 6 Road
Minivan from the Northern Bus Terminal (Chatuchak Minivan Station)
Minivans operated by Monsiri Travel depart six times per day, starting at 6am through to 5pm. The minivan is a 8 seater, offers a decent comfortable ride and has air-conditioning. You may need to book an extra seat if you have lots of luggage.
Operator: Monsiri Travel
Ticket Price: 135 Baht
Departure Location: Mochit New Van Terminal, Bangkok
Arrival Location: Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal, U-Thong Soi 6 Road
Minivan from Khao San Road
Minivans operated by Mama Travel depart three times per day, at 7.10am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm. The minivan can take 8 passengers, has air-conditioning and offers a good comfortable ride. Again if you have lots of luggage you may need to book an extra seat.
Operator: Mama Travel
Ticket Price: 289 Baht
Departure Location: 144 Khaosan road, Bangkok
Arrival Location: Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal, U-Thong Soi 6 Road
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by Train
Train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Thonburi – Nam Tok Train on River Kwai Bridge
Traveling by train is by no means the quickest or most comfortable way to get from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi. However it is a popular trip amongst travelers as it gives you the chance to see the greater urban area of Bangkok, travel through the lush countryside and into the mountainous region of the province of Kanchanaburi.
To get the train to Kanchanaburi, you will need to get to the Thonburi Train Station (not Bangkok’s main train station (Hua Lamphong)). The station is located at Rotfai Road, Siriraj Subdistrict, Bangkok Noi District on the west side of the chaya Paraya River in Bangkok.
To get there you can grab a taxi, which will cost around 150 Baht if your staying around Khao San Road. Alternatively you can take the river boat to either Wang Lang Pier (Siriraj) (#10) or the Thonburi Railway Pier (#11). Checkout the maps below to see how to get to Thonburi Train Station from both Piers.
The Distance to the train station from Thonburi Railway Pier is around 1km and will take about 12 minutes if you are walking. The Distance from the Wang Lang Pier is slightly longer, around 1.4km and is about a 17 minute walk. If you have heavy luggage or a backpack you can always grab a motorbike taxi to take you to the station from the piers, which should cost around 20 Baht from Thonburi Railway Pier and 30 Baht from Wang Lang Pier.
Wang Lang Pier(Siriraj) to Thonburi Train Station
Thonburi Railway Pier to Thonburi Train Station
The train journey from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi runs on the Thonburi – Nam Tok train line. There are two daily departures from Thonburi Train Station to Kanchanaburi. The first train to leave Bangkok is the #257 at 7.50 am and the second is the #259 at 1.55 pm.
On your return, there are three daily departures from Kanchanaburi to Bangkok. The first to leave is the #260 at 07.19 am, second is the #258 at 2.48 pm and third and final train to leave is the #486 at 5.41 pm.
The train fare from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi is 100 Baht, there is no need to book a ticket in advance, just arrive and buy a ticket at the ticket desk. If you get there early there are plenty of awesome street food stalls about to have a bite to eat while you wait for the train.
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi by Taxi
Private Minivan Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Private Taxi Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Traveling to Kanchanaburi by private taxi is by far the best way to get there, you can get picked up from your hotel, enjoy a comfortable ride and you’ll be able to stop along the way. Taking a taxi is also the quickest method of transport at around 3 hours.
Getting a private taxi or minivan to Kanchanaburi isn’t cheap, you’ll be looking at around 3000 baht ($97) but it could be a good option if your traveling in a group or as a family. Find the best taxi companies to take you from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi using our search feature below.
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