River Khwae Bridge
River Khwae Bridge
4
About
Allied prisoners of war during World War II were forced to build the 258-mile Death Railway by Japanese forces. About a hundred thousand conscripted Asian labourers and 16,000 prisoners of war died on the whole project.
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  • Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed
    Dhaka City, Bangladesh1,544 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was shot here
    I was eager to visit this bridge as I watched the movie "The Bridge on River Kwai". I went there by train from Bangkok; there is weekend tourist train that goes to River kwai Station. This old bridge and the surroundings are beautiful place to visit! Fascinating views of river kwai and the bridge. There are hotels, parking areas and small restaurants, food shops situated in this place.
    Visited October 2022
    Traveled solo
    Written September 26, 2023
  • Darani B
    Sydney, Australia34 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Moving experience. Railway Museum very worthwhile not the Jeath museum.
    Very interesting and moving trip. Traveled by train to River Kwai Yai and return to Thonburi station. Walking across the bridge was scenic. Jeath museum was very average. Quick look only. Cemetery and Railway museum excellent.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 27, 2023
  • FellowTraveler324989
    46 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Poignant
    If you are interested in history and you want to remember the men who died at the brutal hands of the Japanese during WWII, this is a must see place. History must not forget them. I walked the bridge and further into the jungle beyond and just remembered the fallen brave souls. This is still a live railway and I watched as a huge slow moving passenger train rumbled over the bridge. There are lots of cheap street food stalls on the end of the bridge and some great restaurants too, all very reasonably priced. Kanchanburi is overall a lovely place and the Thai people are very graceful and helpful. 60,000 of their people also died during the building o this bridge.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 5, 2023
  • Russell W
    Hervey Bay, Australia19 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Train travel to the Bridge Over the River Kwai and beyond.
    Travel to the Bridge over the River Kwai by train. Take a MRT train to Bang Khun Non MRT (BL04) and then exit station. Walk a short distance towards the railway crossing. If you are fortunate to time things right, jump aboard a SRT train heading towards Thonburi, the next station. Or turn left at the railway crossing and walk about 750 metres to Thonburi railway station. At Thonburi purchase a return ticket to Nam Tok for THB200, train departs at 7:50 am. Train travel is third class, no airconditioning, open windows, find the seats that are cushioned. This is a relaxing journey towards Kanchanaburi with travel through the countryside, generally with a cooling breeze flowing through the carriage. At this stage, the carriages are not crowded. Plenty of room to choose a seat. On the outward journey, select a seat on the left side of carriage to get the best views of the River Kwai and the steel bridge, and the Wampo Viaduct (trestle bridge). When you arrive at Kanchanaburi, be prepared for the onslaught of tourists off tourist coaches, together with their guides, as they board the train and travel on it for about an hour. This is why you choose your "left side seat" before reaching Kanchanaburi. When the "tourists" depart the train, peace reigns again, all the way to Nam Tok, arriving at 12:30pm (generally runs to time). There are a number of small restaurants at Nam Tok railway station to purchase a quick take away meal before reboarding the train and departing for the return journey at 1:00pm. Remember to sit on the right hand side this trip. The "tourist" onslaught is repeated again as you approach the Wampo Viaduct and River Kwai Bridge. They will depart on arrival at Kanchanaburi, and again peace is returned. Train then heads towards Thonburi (Bangkok) arriving at 17:40 pm. To save youself a walk back to the nearest MRT, get off the train (with most of the other travellers aboard) at Jaran Sanitwong Station (one stop before the terminus at Thonburi) and walk the short distance to Bang Khun Non MRT station. There is no restaurant car on this train, but vendors board at various stations to sell drinks and food, all at very affordable prices.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 10, 2024
  • juphil48
    Chislehurst, United Kingdom21 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Moving and thought provoking
    Trip didn’t go quite to plan due to heavy traffic leaving Bangkok which meant that we missed first leg of the train trip. This wasn’t a problem as we did the return trip so didn’t feel we had missed anything. Museum only small, but worth seeing and cemetery very moving. Lunch was ok, but a little cold. Overall we enjoyed the trip.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 14, 2024
  • mckjl3
    Washington DC, District of Columbia115 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun experience!
    We rode the train from Kanchanaburi over the bridge and beyond plus circled back to be able to walk on the bridge later in the day. The ride over the river is very picturesque and seeing the train cross while standing on the bridge is really fun! We got ice cream and stood for a few minutes while it went by.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 16, 2024
  • macedonboy
    Glasgow, United Kingdom185,662 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quirky, But Great Experience & History
    A bridge made famous by a book, a movie and the brutal treatment of Allied POWs and civilians pressed into its construction by WW2 Japan. Much of the present structure dates back to the original construction and there is a side platform on the track for tourists. If you're getting a train ticket to Kanchanaburi, I recommend getting the ticket to the Saphan Kwae Yai stop as the train will cross the bridge.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 11, 2024
  • michaelmP9679DF
    Zurich, Switzerland2,615 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Two Day Trip from Hua Hin
    We made a two day trip from Hua Hin. Nearby very good Hotels and great local Thai Restaurants. This place is unique. Take your time to arrive early to avoid crowds
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 14, 2024
  • Trail52559575772
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I like Kanchanaburi
    We had the opportunity to go here because we attended an academic camp at our school, all high school levels. We traveled by bus, we sat with friends we love and when we arrived at the The place was very beautiful, so we took photos first. When we finished taking photos, the teacher asked us to form groups to play games that the teachers and elders at the camp had arranged for us. There were wet and not wet games, but every game was fun At night there are activities and water. Plenty of food to eat This group performance activity was very fun And when we returned, we took lots of pictures of the atmosphere and took pictures for our friends. Also took a group photo. After taking photos, we all went to eat breakfast before returning. The teacher also stopped by a cafe for us to take photos and eat snacks. Visit the ancient place before returning again.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written June 27, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles4,315 reviews
Excellent
1,600
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1,713
Average
812
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131
Terrible
59

Alex H
Port St. Mary, UK2,596 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Despite reading people’s reviews of crowds and photograph taking, you need to see this for yourself before making up your mind.
Like an other main tour attraction, yes there are crowds but if you arrive at a clever time and don’t let yourself be brought down by people taking photos, you can still have a fantastic time like we did.
We arrived at 8:45am, later than we anticipated, after we walked from the main road area. This is before the morning train arrives from Bangkok so the crowds were not bad whatsoever. In fact we managed to take a fair few pictures where there’s no one else in them but the view or us. The first train arrives at around 10:45am in Kanchanaburi, so after this time I can imagine crowds picking up. We arrived the day before on the later train and woke up early to go and see the Bridge.
The bridge itself is still in operation and is breathtaking to see. The history behind it is harrowing but it is a magnificent site.

Be clever with your arrival time and you will love this place, seriously.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Orgonite John
Los Osos, CA8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
If you enjoy history and south east Asia this is a must. Many foot massage shops, barbers, restaurants and museums. The surrounding area is full of great street food and shops. I found a great selection of tumbled stones for my artwork at a great price. The bridge it lit up at night and is a beautiful. Very sad story behind the history but is a tribute to all of those who paid the price for world peace.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike W
124 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
I had always wanted to visit the bridge and finally got the chance to experience walking over it. As you enter the area around the bridge it's obvious that a large tourism industry has built up around the bridge. On one side are a lot of market stall selling food and souvenirs while over the bridge are more upmarket type restaurants. Walking over the bridge was a bit of an effort-trying to avoid getting into photo shots and peoples selfies was almost impossible. I could not believe how many shots some people wanted all with different facial or hand placements-a sign of the times. Glad that we got the opportunity to visit Hellfire Pass the next day and travel over the bridge on our return trip back into Kanchanaburi. Overall, a worthwhile visit but not quite what I had expected.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

julesj182018
Weston super Mare, UK20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
Booked through our hotel this day trip to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai trip. Cost £92 for two of us which included air conditioned vehicle, lunch and entry to the Kwai museum. Pick up was spot on time wise. Long journey up to Kanchanaburi but the coach was very comfortable. The museum was small but very well laid out and informative. When we got to the bridge we had enough time to walk across, wait for the train and take photos. In particular I should mention that our guide was excellent. Really knowledgeable and interesting orator.

In summary this is a brilliant day trip and very important that we all know the horrific story behind this.
Written March 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Voyager720269
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
We traveled with a small group booking from Bangkok with pick ups at several hotels. Pick up was 6.00 am, on time and a reasonably comfortable mini bus. The guide was well prepared and informative giving good background information and facts prior to reaching the destination stops.
The war cemetery is poignant and moving, the museum could be more emotive as it really doesn’t convey the atmosphere of a POW camp, the bridge itself is impressive in the context of the construction and the train journey is worth it, particularly in the final stage.
However, the whole experience was seriously dampened by the hours spent getting there and back. The tours are sold with a‘nominal’ 2-3 hours travelling……we doubled that on the return!! Bangkok is just solid traffic from miles out and progress was so slow that my wife and I, both mid 70’s, decided to get out and walk back to our hotel…..a 15 minute walk that saved us at least another hour in a mini bus !!!
Take the trip…….but be prepared for a long, frustrating and tedious journey!
Written March 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chayut Limpasut
Kanchanaburi, Thailand10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2022
Bridge over the River Kwai (Kanchanaburi), the highlight of the province If traveling or in the city, do not miss to stop and take pictures of the atmosphere. In the morning, many tourists come to take photos. I took pictures of the beautiful view of the Railway Bridge and the River Kwai.
Written January 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Russell W
Hervey Bay, Australia19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Friends
Travel to the Bridge over the River Kwai by train. Take a MRT train to Bang Khun Non MRT (BL04) and then exit station. Walk a short distance towards the railway crossing. If you are fortunate to time things right, jump aboard a SRT train heading towards Thonburi, the next station. Or turn left at the railway crossing and walk about 750 metres to Thonburi railway station. At Thonburi purchase a return ticket to Nam Tok for THB200, train departs at 7:50 am. Train travel is third class, no airconditioning, open windows, find the seats that are cushioned. This is a relaxing journey towards Kanchanaburi with travel through the countryside, generally with a cooling breeze flowing through the carriage. At this stage, the carriages are not crowded. Plenty of room to choose a seat. On the outward journey, select a seat on the left side of carriage to get the best views of the River Kwai and the steel bridge, and the Wampo Viaduct (trestle bridge). When you arrive at Kanchanaburi, be prepared for the onslaught of tourists off tourist coaches, together with their guides, as they board the train and travel on it for about an hour. This is why you choose your "left side seat" before reaching Kanchanaburi. When the "tourists" depart the train, peace reigns again, all the way to Nam Tok, arriving at 12:30pm (generally runs to time). There are a number of small restaurants at Nam Tok railway station to purchase a quick take away meal before reboarding the train and departing for the return journey at 1:00pm. Remember to sit on the right hand side this trip. The "tourist" onslaught is repeated again as you approach the Wampo Viaduct and River Kwai Bridge. They will depart on arrival at Kanchanaburi, and again peace is returned. Train then heads towards Thonburi (Bangkok) arriving at 17:40 pm. To save youself a walk back to the nearest MRT, get off the train (with most of the other travellers aboard) at Jaran Sanitwong Station (one stop before the terminus at Thonburi) and walk the short distance to Bang Khun Non MRT station. There is no restaurant car on this train, but vendors board at various stations to sell drinks and food, all at very affordable prices.
Written March 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HsingE
Cape Town, South Africa70 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Solo
This is an informative and interesting, yet sobering experience. I intend going again once l'm able to travel again. The train ride is fun and there are lots of photo and shopping opportunities around the train station. The history of the bridge and the souls who built it is a reminder of hardships endured. It is an experience you shouldn't miss. Will load a photo when l'm not on my phone later.
Written April 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FellowTraveler324989
46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
If you are interested in history and you want to remember the men who died at the brutal hands of the Japanese during WWII, this is a must see place. History must not forget them. I walked the bridge and further into the jungle beyond and just remembered the fallen brave souls. This is still a live railway and I watched as a huge slow moving passenger train rumbled over the bridge. There are lots of cheap street food stalls on the end of the bridge and some great restaurants too, all very reasonably priced. Kanchanburi is overall a lovely place and the Thai people are very graceful and helpful. 60,000 of their people also died during the building o this bridge.
Written December 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Linda K
Wales, UK894 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
There is not much of the original bridge left but it is still worth visiting nonetheless. It is quite touching to walk over the bridge knowing that so many people lost their lives building this railway.

You can do this in a day from Bangkok, the train leaves Thonburi train station at 07:45 and arrives in Kanchanaburi around 11. The train returns at 14:45 arriving back at Thonburi around 17:40. This is enough time to visit the bridge, the museum and the cemetery. The cost of the train is 100bht one way. However, Kanchanaburi is a great place to stay and there is a lot more to see and do here so I recommend staying a night or two.
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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River Khwae Bridge - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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