A two hour train journey west of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi is a riverside province known for its dramatic scenery and powerful wartime history. This area is closely linked to the construction of the Thailand–Burma Railway during World War II, often referred to as the ‘Death Railway’.
Built under Japanese occupation using forced labour, including Allied prisoners of war and forced Asian workers, thousands lost their lives in extremely harsh conditions. Today, that history is preserved through a number of accessible sites across the region, offering families a thoughtful way to learn about this period alongside time spent in nature.
Beyond its history, Kanchanaburi is also one of Thailand’s most scenic regions; with jungle-covered hills, river landscapes and nearby waterfalls. Kanchanaburi really is a fascinating place to visit in Thailand with kids.
This guide offers our personal recommendation of things to do for families visiting Kanchanaburi, including tips and where we stayed. We stayed for three nights as part of our 9-day Thailand itinerary, which included Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, and staying on Jungle Rafts further upstream on the River Kwai.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, and I receive a small commission.
1. Death Railway Museum
Click here for location
Offering an important and sensitive introduction into the region’s dark history, the Death Railway Museum is a good first stop with kids, helping you all to understand and place into context the rest of the wartime sights in the surrounding area.
The museum explains the Japanese occupation of Thailand during WWII and the appalling conditions endured by POWs who were made to build the Thailand-Burma Railway, later known as the Death Railway. Most of the exhibits and displays are suitable for children, although it’s advisable to stay a few steps ahead of them to check which display is next.
2. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Click here for location
To gain some perspective of the scale of horrors on the Death Railway, you should visit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, which is directly across the road from the museum.
Almost seven thousand Dutch, British and Australian graves are contained here, with the row upon row of gravestones providing a stark reminder of the young ages of many soldiers who suffered here and never returned home. Maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the site is kept in pristine condition, allowing you and the kids to silently reflect.
3. Bridge Over the River Kwai
Click here for location
Ignoring the fact that the famous bridge was actually built over the Mae Klong river, not Kwai, everyone who visits Kanchanaburi spends some time at the Bridge over the River Kwai.
Made internationally famous by Pierre Boulle’s novel and the subsequent Oscar-winning film, visitors either walk across the bridge, float underneath it, or cross by train. Kids tend to love walking across the working railway bridge, especially if you time your visit for when one of the two or three daily trains slowly trundle across the bridge (viewing platforms have been built on the bridge so you can safely watch the trains as they pass).
There are plenty of stalls here for a cold drink or snack before walking across the bridge itself.
4. Ride along the River Kwai
Click here for location
As you wander along the bridge, it’s likely that boatmen will shout up to offer boat rides along the river, ranging from thirty minute trips to longer excursions. It’s an enjoyable way to escape the heat and view the bridge from a different angle, plus the scenery along the riverbank is beautiful.
Expect to pay around THB600 for a thirty minute trip. You can travel further down to visit a temple if you prefer although our kids were suffering from ‘temple-fatigue’ after coming from Bangkok and Ayutthaya.
5. Skywalk
Click here for location
The Kanchanaburi Skywalk is one of the town’s newer attractions, with a glass-bottom viewing platform overlooking the meeting point of the River Kwai Yai and Mae Klong rivers. Entry is 60 THB for adults (kids are free).
The views stretch across the river, temples and surrounding town, with sunset being a particularly lovely time to visit. It is a pleasant stop and one that locals are clearly proud of. However, if you are short on time, we would not go too far out of your way just to see it.
6. Walking Street
Click here for location
Walking Street is a long riverside stretch of market stalls selling food, drinks and nick-nacks. It’s quite a narrow street so wasn’t quite as relaxing as some other Southeast Asian walking streets we’ve sampled, but it definitely had a distinctly local feel, with very few tourists around, which suited us perfectly.
Food options are more tailored to ‘grab-and-eat’ than sit-down-and-chill, so if you think the kids would prefer a break, head to one of the restaurants adjacent to Walking Street, where you’ll be able to sit down and eat at a table.
7. Erawan National Park
Click here for location
READ OUR GUIDE: Visiting Erawan National Park with kids
We arranged a songthaew (a large tuk-tuk) to take us to Erawan National Park, just over an hour from Kanchanaburi. These can either be arranged via your hotel or just approach one of the drivers on the street who will be happy to chat and show you their prices. If you arrive in town on the train and take a songthaew to your accommodation, your driver will usually offer their services then too.
Erawan is one of Thailand’s most popular national parks, famous for its seven-tiered limestone waterfalls. A footpath follows the river past each level in turn. The lower section is fairly easy, but the trail becomes steeper the higher you climb. Kids with a moderate level of fitness should be able to manage the hike to the top, just make sure you take some water and decent footwear.
You can swim in the pools throughout the park, but all swimmers must wear a lifejacket. Pick one up near the Waterfalls 1 and 2 area before heading in. Lifeguards enforce the rule, and lifejackets cost THB20 per person through a convoluted coupon system. Kids versions are available.
READ: Visiting Erawan National Park with kids
Waterfall 4 was the highlight for our boys, with two large boulders providing natural slides into the pool. Waterfall 3 was also great fun, where you can stand beneath the falling water. The higher levels were less suited to swimming, while the lower two were busiest as golf buggies can take visitors there without the walk. Do note that there are fish in the pools that sometimes nibble your feet, but if you keep moving they tend to leave you alone.
We spent around three to four hours here. There is no food or water beyond the Waterfalls 1 and 2 area, so take enough supplies with you, especially if heading to Level 7. Afterwards, there are food stalls outside the main gate by the car park.
If possible, visit midweek, as weekends can be very busy with domestic tourists.
8. Ride the Death Railway to Nam Tok
Click here for location
READ THIS GUIDE: Riding Thailand’s Death Railway
Large sections of what was once the Thailand-Burma railway are still in operation, including a section from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok (the end of the line).
Three local trains run each day between the two stations, but the most convenient is the 10.30am departure from Kanchanaburi that arrives into Nam Tok at 12.05pm. Although they might look uncomfortable from photos, the third-class carriages are a massive hit with kids, and this is definitely one of the best train journeys in Southeast Asia.
With the windows down and jungle views streaming past, this doesn’t feel like just any old train journey. Also, if you’ve spent some time learning about the Death Railway, it’s a vivid reminder of the harsh conditions under which this railway was built.
Kanchanaburi has two railway stations: first in the middle of town and one just before the bridge. For this trip, you should board at the one in the town centre to beat (some) of the crowds (lots of tour groups board at the second station). Make sure you sit on the left hand side of the carriage for the best views crossing the famous bridge and for later in the journey.
Most visitors (tour groups) disembark earlier along the route at Thamkrasae, just past the iconic Death Railway Thamkrasae Bridge, but we continued all the way to Nam Tok and had almost an entire carriage to ourselves, with some of the best scenery coming in this final stretch.
9. Hellfire Pass
Click here for location
As a poignant final history lesson, you should consider stopping into the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre. It’s only twenty minutes from Nam Tok station and is easily reached in a tuk-tuk or songthaew.
Considered to be one of the hardest parts of the entire railway to build, this section of the Death Railway cutting was carved through solid rock by Allied prisoners of war and Asian labourers under brutal conditions during World War II.
As the site is maintained with Australian funding the museum and audio guide place strong emphasis on the Australian POW story. While this is powerful, it does feel incomplete considering the other nationalities who also suffered and died here. Take some time to explain things to your kids so they get the full picture. Regardless of this, the museum is detailed and well-designed, using plenty of clever techniques to bring this period to life.
After the museum, you can head down to the cutting itself and walk along the path for one kilometre until you reach the memorial (longer walks are available but not recommended with younger kids due to the heat and slight hassle of getting back).
10. River Kwai Jungle Rafts
Click here for location
READ OUR GUIDE: River Kwai Jungle Rafts REVIEW
The Jungle Rafts are a floating jungle retreat accessible only by boat, located around two hours from Kanchanaburi town near Hellfire Pass, followed by a 20-minute boat ride. Whilst this is technically an accommodation, it’s an experience in its own right when visiting Kanchanaburi with kids.
Your main activity here is just hanging out, away from electricity, wifi and other distractions (although there is some wifi connection in the reception if you get desperate). As you might expect from jungle rafts on the river, water plays a large part in your day, whether that’s kayaking or jumping into the river and being carried downstream. The rafts are strung in a long line; you jump off one end, let the current carry you along, then climb out and walk back along the rafts to repeat it. It’s great fun but best suited to confident swimmers. Lifejackets are provided for adults and children.
Breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate so although it’s quite expensive, this unplugged, switched-off experience is increasingly a rare treat in today’s world, especially if you’re travelling with kids.
Where to stay in Kanchanaburi with kids
We stayed three nights at The Bridge Residence Hotel. It was one of few places in town we found that had two adjacent rooms (double and twin), which was a good solution for our family.
Breakfast is included, although it pays to get there early-ish as food isn’t always topped up later in the morning. There’s also a small pool and gym, plus easy access to the bustling main bar and restaurant area in Kanchanaburi (good for families until 9.00pm when a slightly different demographic take over and it becomes less pleasant, but still safe).
From there, we continued to River Kwai Jungle Rafts for two nights. There’s no electricity in the rooms, which means no wifi, fans or air-conditioning, so the nights aren’t the most comfortable. If you need a reprieve, there are charging points and weak wifi at reception, but the whole point here is to disconnect and enjoy the riverside setting.
If you want to experience the River Kwai but need aircon, we suggest staying at the The FloatHouse River Kwai, although they don’t offer family rooms. Alternatively, the River Kwai Resotel (which is the sister resort to River Kwai Jungle Rafts) offers family rooms with aircon, but these are in landed huts, not floating directly on the river.
Eating in Kanchanaburi
One evening should definitely be spent at Walking Street for dinner, whether you eat from a stall or at a nearby restaurant. There’s an excellent choice of food on the street and kids will find something new to try for sure.
On other nights, there are lots of options along the main tourist road in Kanchanaburi (River Kwai Road). Everything is family-friendly until around 9.00pm; from then on, be a bit more selective about where you enter. Some of the Australian bars (you’ll recognise them by the singlets, Aussie flags and AFL on the television) attract an unpleasant crowd with something of a herd mentality.
We enjoyed the local Kin Khao Lam Restaurant directly opposite our hotel, as well as pizza at Bell’s Pizzeria.
Getting around Kanchanaburi
Our hotel rented us some rather shoddy bikes for THB50 per person. You can’t expect too much for that price, but they were good enough to get us between the main sights around town. They also provided a few comedy moments, with chains slipping off and us parents cycling with knees practically up to our ears. Good fun but not ones to take on huge distances.
It’s also easy enough to flag down passing tuk-tuks to get around town. These (just about) fit a family of four as they have a side-cart attached to a motorbike. To allow for more space, one of the kids might prefer to sit on the back of the motorbike behind the driver.
For travelling further afield, a songthaew is a fun experience. We used one to get to Erawan National Park and also to Hellfire Pass from Nam Tok Railway Station.
Getting to Kanchanaburi
There are tours and local buses, but the most exciting way to travel is by taking the train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi. It’s a local experience in third-class carriages but it feels like a proper journey. You might arrive slightly hot and windswept, but it’s undoubtedly one you’ll remember.
Tickets are a flat-rate of THB100 per person for non-Thais.
Final thoughts on visiting Kanchanaburi with kids
While many tourists visit Kanchanaburi as a long and exhausting day trip from Bangkok (it’s only a two-hour drive in a minivan), we think it’s definitely worth staying in the region for at least a few nights. We spent five nights in total (three in the town and two upstream on the Jungle Rafts) and found that to be the perfect amount of time.
It’s a fantastic worldschooling destination, with a blend of WWII history and jungle experiences, plus plenty of restaurants, good family accommodation, and easy transport. And after Kanchanaburi, it’s usually onwards to a Thai beach.
You may also like to read:
Thailand with kids travel guide
Thai island hopping with kids guide
Southeast Asia packing list for families