Bridge Over the River Kwai |
JEATH Museum |
Kanchanaburi cemetery |
Opening Hours: Bridge over the River Kwai – Open all hours (365 days a year) Admission: Bridge over River Kwai – Admission free Description: The Bridge over the River Kwai and the Death Railway were built by Allied prisoners of war (mostly Australian, British and Dutch) and forced labour from Asian countries during World War II. What to see: The bridge and a number of museums dedicated to this dark chapter in Twentieth Century history are located near the town of Kanchanaburi, 128 km from Bangkok. The bridge is a functioning railway bridge which can also be crossed on foot. It was built by Allied POWs for their Japanese captors in 1943. The history of the Bridge over the River Kwai has been famously retold in a 1957 Oscar winning film of the same name. Don-Rak and Chunk-Kai War Cemeteries contain thousands of graves of British, Dutch, Australian, Malay and Indian POWs who died during construction of the Death Railway. The Thai Burma Railway Museum and War Museum at the Bridge provides a history of the Death Railway. 16,000 Allied POWs and 60,000 forced Asian Labourers are estimated to have died during the construction of the Railway which runs 415 km from Thailand into Burma. Ban Kao National Museum contains exhibits of Neolithic man found during the construction of the railway. Getting There: Address: All attractions within 3km of Kanchanaburi town By Bus: from the Southern Bus terminal in Thonburi. The journey takes approximately 3 hours and costs around 100 Thai Baht ($1.3) each way. By Train: Trains to Kanchanburi leave from Bangkok Noi train station to Kanchanaburi daily. At the weekends there are special trains which depart at 6.30am and take passengers beyond Kanchanaburi across the Bridge itself. Booking is advised for the weekend trains. Tour: Starts at 6am with a pick up from your hotel. You will be returned to your hotel at 5pm. The tour includes all entrance fees, lunch, an elephant ride and a trip on a bamboo raft. Click below to book. |
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