Bangkok - Day Trips from Bangkok (Chapter)

This is the Day Trips from Bangkok chapter from Lonely Planet's Bangkok guidebook.

Want to escape the city? This chapter includes the very best excursions from Bangkok - and they can all be completed in a day. Must-sees include Ayuthaya’s historical park, Amphawa’s floating market, and the Death Railway Bridge at Kanchanaburi.

• Thailand’s heroic former capital, Ayuthaya is a Unesco World Heritage site and a major pilgrimage site for anyone interested in ancient history.
• Ko Samet, only a few hours from Bangkok, has famously squeaky sand beaches and a range of accommodation to fit any budget.
• Amphawa’s canal-side setting and ancient wooden houses look like they are straight out of a movie set, and homestays can provide a firsthand experience of this unique community.
• Phetchaburi’s temples and peak-roofed wooden houses combine to form the epitome of central Thai life.
• History is only a train ride away in Kanchanaburi, where museums and touching monuments bring home the area’s past as a WWII labour camp.
• Khao Yai National Park, one of Thailand’s biggest and best preserves, is where mountainous monsoon forests boast hun¬dreds of resident species.

Coverage includes: Ayuthaya Historical Park, Ko Samet, Amphawa, Phetchaburi, Kanchanaburi and Khao Yai national Park.