Overnight Getaways in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
An hour and a half north of the city, the train from Krung Thep Aphiwat slows into Ayutthaya and the brick spires of a fifteenth-century capital start appearing between the shophouses. Bangkok is unusually well placed for short escapes: the Gulf coast is two hours east, national-park mountains around three hours north-east, and a river town with a weekend floating market barely ninety minutes west. One night covers most of them, and transport is cheap and frequent enough that booking far ahead rarely matters outside long weekends and public holidays.
Where to go
Ayutthaya suits a slow overnight, with bicycles, riverside guesthouses and ruins that empty out once the day tours leave. Kanchanaburi combines the Death Railway and the River Kwai bridge with the seven tiers of Erawan Falls, and is better over two nights than one. Khao Yai, roughly three hours north-east, pairs national-park wildlife drives with the GranMonte and PB Valley vineyards near Pak Chong. For sea, Ko Samet is the quickest island, by bus to Ban Phe then a short ferry, while Hua Hin offers a long flat beach and the Cicada night market. Amphawa is the shortest trip of all.
How to travel
Long-distance trains now leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal at Bang Sue, reachable on the MRT Blue Line; Hua Lamphong keeps only a reduced service. Buses and minivans split by direction: Ekkamai for Pattaya and Rayong, Mo Chit near Chatuchak for the north and north-east, Sai Tai Mai for the west and south. Minivans are fastest but cramped, while the slower fan-cooled trains are far more pleasant. Friday evenings out and Sunday afternoons back are the congested slots, and Songkran fills everything. For Khao Yai or Kanchanaburi, a hired car with driver is often the sane option.