Like our off-the- beaten path tips? Get even more
ideas in a handy printable format you can take with you on your
trip! Day Trips from Bangkok
Floating market at Damnoen Saduak
Our first adventure outside of Bangkok
was a trip to Damnoen Saduak (4 hours southwest of Bangkok) to see one
of the last remaining "authentic" floating markets in Thailand, where
merchants row through narrow canals selling goods. These markets where
quite common throughout Thailand until the canals where filled in to
build modern roads! Half the adventure was getting here. Our cabby
dropped us off at one of Bangkok's bus
stations and shook his hand
wildly at a bus right about to leave. We raced on the bus and proceeded
to congratulate ourselves for catching the bus just before it departed!
Thirty minutes later, a ticket collector ask us where we were going and
rolled his eyes as we pointed it
out on our map! It turned out we were on the wrong bus, and after
several confused minutes and ambiguous hand signals, we learned that we
were at least headed in the right direction. We got dropped off at a
highway junction, and we walked 2km into town to catch another bus. Ten
Baht (approx. 20 cents) got us on the right bus. Soon thereafter, we
arrived at our destination and checked into the only hotel in town,
which, not surprisingly, also offered rooms by the hour...definitely not
the most charming place we stayed in on our trip. We woke up at 6am to
beat the tour buses to the market, and hired a boat to get a closer look
at the market and ride through the canals.
14 kinds of rice!?
Petchaburi, Cha-am, and Hua-Hin
Undaunted, we boarded another bus and continued south to Petchaburi, a small town that's home to historic temples and the king's former summer palace. We loved wandering the streets and visiting temples. It was fun to be stopped by children wanting to practice saying "halo" and shaking our hands. At one temple, we were given bread rolls and tea. The highlight, though, were the night markets -- each night people wheel in carts and set up shop to sell every imaginable food, from fresh Asian fruits to BBQ chicken to Pad Thai noodles and fiery hot curry. Everything was cheaper than we could have ever imagined. For example, a big noodle lunch with meat and sodas for two cost $1! From Petchaburi, we headed south to Cha-am and Hua-Hin -- beach resorts for locals escaping Bangkok on weekends. After growing up in California, we were a bit under whelmed by crowded beaches, but we enjoyed ourselves by renting a scooter and driving around town, and by watching locals do aerobics, en-masse, on a boardwalk along the beach.
Ayuthaya
We also took a day trip to Ayuthaya,
the capital of Thailand during the 17th century. We rented bicycles and
rode around to see the temples. The architecture was very similar to
what we'd seen at Angkor in Cambodia, but not nearly as grand or well
preserved. Still, there was something very mystical about the
overgrown temples and Buddha figures that was hard to imagine seeing
anywhere else.
Questions and Answers
For day trips how many places we shall go , start time and return time, cost per person - please give the details .
Are there any worthwhile day trips by rail from Bangkok
Like our off-the- beaten path tips? Get even more ideas in a handy printable format you can take with you on your trip! Click here to buy our guides!