Bangkok is an amazing city for the traveler to explore and always recommends taking the time to discover some one-day trips for your vacation. Read one for more adventure in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ayutthaya Historical Park
Photo from Bangkok UNESCO
Up until 1767 Ayuthaya was actually Thailand’s capital city but is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is loaded with impressive ruins, beautiful temples and loads of ancient history. The temples here are absolutely magnificent and make sure to check out the Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit, the palace that resembles the Grand Palace of Bangkok. Inside the temple you will find one of the largest sculptures of Buddha in all of Thailand. Also worth checking out here is the area known as the Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol, where hundreds of Buddha statues are located and buildings are wrapped in colorful fabrics. Getting here is easy, either by bus, taxi or joining a tour group. Visitors to the historic park should consider either renting a bicycle, car with driver or tuk-tuk in order to get around as there is about 15 square kilometers of ground to cover.
Khao Yai National Park
Photo from Wild watch thailand
It was established at Thailand’s first national park in 1962 and is located about 100 miles from Bangkok, making it a little far for a day trip but absolutely worth it. Hiring a driver to get there gives you the most flexibility but buses are also available from Victory Monument. The national park is home to high peaks which offer incredible birding opportunities, cooler temperatures and the chance to see a variety of wildlife. Some 200 elephants call this park home and if visitors are lucky enough they will have the chance to see them as they gather around the roadside salt licks. Other mammals here include tigers, leopards, bear, various gibbons and macaques and some large and rather scary pythons. One of the best ways to get around the park once you are here is to rent a car or motorbike from Pak Chong and spend the night in the park if you don’t have your own vehicle it is easy to hitchhike as well.
Samut Songkhram
Photo from Black buddha
Arriving here by car only takes about an hour, or take a passenger van or the train in order to reach this small province that is not as well known as the others around it. Make sure to head to the Khlon Khon district along the coastline to visit the swimming monkeys, it is easy to hire a boat to take you there and once you have arrived be prepared for the hundreds of monkeys that swim out to greet you, just make sure to pick up some bananas for them before you head out. Also here is the Amphawa Floating Market, an evening market that operates Friday to Sunday and provides visitors with a more authentic feel than other larger more touristy markets. The Market on the Railway is something to check out as stalls are either on or alongside the train tracks and when the train comes through eight times a day, the stalls pick themselves up out of the way.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Photo from One step 4ward
It is the country’s most famous floating market and located just 50 miles from Bangkok. Although nowadays the vendors sell more souvenirs than goods bought by locals, it is a good example of how commerce used to be in Thailand. This buzzing market is best in the early mornings before the crowds arrive and the intense heat starts. To get there, hire a boat from any pier that lines the Th Sukhaphiban 1, the land route to the floating market area. Sellers arrive in this market in the wee hours of the morning, with boats loaded with exotic fruits and colorful flowers; a scene that has been widely photographed by photographers all over the world. It is well worth it to hire the boat to explore the nearby more peaceful canals once you are through the market, to gain the appreciation of how the locals live.
Ancient Siam
Photo from Vimeo
This open-air museum south of Bangkok is one of the largest open-air museums in the world and features replicas of Thailand’s most important historical sites. This is perhaps the best place to come if you don’t have a whole lot of time to visit all of Thailand. There are a wealth of architectural styles, shops and important figures depicted here. Although most of the buildings are replicas there are also real buildings that have been rescued from demolition and placed here instead. Rent a bike or golf cart to get around the area as it is quite large. The models are impressive, detailed and large enough to walk in and tour around. This authentic museum focuses on showing visitors famous buildings, temples and people, all within a serene village like feel.
Kanchanaburi
Photo from Blog goway
Most visitors who come to this province, located just a bus ride away from Bangkok, come for the Bridge Over the River Kwai, a bridge that was the start of the infamous World War II Death Railway to Burma. In fact, pretty much all of the sites here have something to do with WWII making it the perfect place for any history buff. The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre gives visitors a great introduction of the Death Railway and its history, as well as there are two war cemeteries to visit. The most popular is the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery where 7,000 POW’s were laid to rest after giving their life for the construction of the Death Railway. There are also many notable temples located throughout the province. In the northwest visitors will find waterfalls, caves, lakes and breathtaking scenery.
Article from Escapehere.com Written by Lindsay MacNevin