Hotels Guide Thailand
Central Thailand travel guide
Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0

Central Thailand travel guide

Updated |Editorial policy

Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi and the Hua Hin coast. How Central Thailand fits together and where to stay for each kind of trip.

Central Thailand is the flat, fertile basin of the Chao Phraya River and the land around it, from the rice plains north of Bangkok to the Kanchanaburi hills on the Myanmar border and the beach towns of the upper Gulf coast. Almost every trip to Thailand passes through it, because Bangkok’s two airports are here.

What the region covers

  • Bangkok is the capital and the country’s largest hotel market, with neighbourhoods as different as the old town around Rattanakosin, the riverside, Silom and Sukhumvit.
  • Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the former royal capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 80 km north of Bangkok. Many people visit on a day trip; staying a night lets you see the temples in the early morning and evening.
  • Kanchanaburi is known for the bridge over the River Kwai, the Second World War cemeteries and museums, Erawan waterfall and riverside raft resorts.
  • Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi contain Hua Hin and Cha-am, the closest established beach resorts to Bangkok, popular with Thai families and long-stay visitors.
  • Nakhon Pathom, Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi are where the floating and railway markets that appear on many itineraries are found.

When to go

The cool, dry season from November to February is the most comfortable time. March to May is the hottest period, and the rainy season usually runs from about June to October. Rain tends to come in heavy afternoon or evening showers rather than all day, so city travel is still very workable in the wet months.

Where to stay

For a first visit, most travellers base themselves in Bangkok and take day trips. If you want a slower pace, split the trip: a few nights in the city, then two or three in Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi or Hua Hin. Each is reachable by road or rail in about two to four hours.

Provinces

  • Bangkok

    Riverside, Rattanakosin, Silom, Siam, Sukhumvit and more. Which Bangkok neighbourhood suits your trip, how to get around and when to visit.

  • Kanchanaburi

    Kanchanaburi town, the River Kwai raft resorts, Erawan and Sai Yok, and Sangkhla Buri compared. Where to stay and what to see.

  • Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

    Should you stay overnight in Ayutthaya? The island old city, the riverside and Bang Pa-In compared, plus when to visit the temples.

  • Prachuap Khiri Khan

    Hua Hin, Khao Takiab, Pranburi, Sam Roi Yot and Prachuap town compared. Where to stay on the royal coast south of Bangkok.