Bangkok is a great place to visit, and there’s plenty for you to see and do there, but if you want to escape the big city and see a bit more of Thailand, these are the 3 day trips we’d recommend.
A floating market tour is an essential day trip from Bangkok. But choose the right market! We explain more below.
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Best Day Trips From Bangkok
Briefly, these are the 3 best day trips we recommend to places near Bangkok, we’ll explain more further down the page about choosing particular tours and which tours to avoid.
Most tourists will visit Damnoen Saduak floating market from Bangkok. But it’s not the best one!
Damnoen Saduak is crowded and commercialised. We just don’t like the vibe there. We’ve visited several, much better, floating markets close to Bangkok. However, some are only open on certain days of the week or at certain times, so Damnoen Saduak may be your only option.
Combine your floating market tour with a visit to Maeklong market. It’s a must-see and not far away.
This market is far more authentic, and seeing the train pass through is really spectacular. It’s less commercial than train street in Hanoi. (We last visited Hanoi in 2025)
Ayutthaya Day Trip From Bangkok
My kids, exploring the ruins of Ayutthaya for the first time. It’s a wonderful place to visit from Bangkok.
The Historic City of Ayutthaya is UNESCO-listed. Siam’s second historic capital (after Sukhothai) founded around 135. The Burmese overthrew the city in the 18th century.
Explore the ruins of Ancient Ayutthaya, visit famous Wats and enjoy the Chao Phraya River, which connects Ayutthaya to Bangkok.
There is a very easy and affordable way to visit Ayutthaya from Bangkok and your guide will take you to all of the key historic Wats of the complex. This is very helpful because I’m certain we missed some! Book this day trip to Ayutthaya here. The drive time is only about 1.5 hours from Bangkok.
If you can stay overnight in Ayutthaya, a sunset river cruise is a lovely thing to do, we did this with our kids when they were small.
An Ayutthaya 24 Hour Pass With A Fun Itinerary
You can now buy an Ayutthaya day pass (here) which combines Ayutthaya’s cultural and historic highlights with speciality cafes, dining, water park admission and a cooking class. Basically it cuts your costs by 20%. This pass is active for 24 hours and you can enjoy the included activities in any order you like.
I have to say that having explored the ruins of Ayutthaya myself with small kids, breaks for drinks and ice pops would be very welcome indeed!
Ayutthaya’s Japanese Village admission. Here you can explore the history and culture of the Japanese settlers in Ayutthaya through exhibits and traditional gardens. (here)
3D ice pops and a signature drink at a cafe with special views near Wat Mahathat. (here)
Try a Wat Chai ice pop and a signature drink at a cafe near Wat Chaiwattanaram.
Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, one of Ayutthaya’s historic sites. Elephant rides are available and included in the pass, but you don’t have to ride if you are ethically opposed. You can interact with them and take photos.
Try Boat Noodles, a famous local dish at a top-recommended boat noodle establishment.
Enjoy access to The Rabbit Water Park, Ayutthaya. Cool off with family-friendly pools and slides.
Enjoy a 60-minute massage at a spa.
Coffee at a stylish café.
Dine on authentic Thai cuisine with scenic views of the river at a lovely restaurant.
The River Kwai at Kanchanaburi, and the infamous bridge. This is a must-see for anyone with connections to WW11 and the POWs.
You can get to Kanchanaburi easily by bus or train, but the journey time will be 2.5 to 3.5 hours, which isn’t ideal for a day trip. It’s fine if you’d like to stay for a few days or a weekend. If so, book your transport here.
This tour focusses on Kanchanaburi’s incredible wartime history. Knowledgeable guides will take you to the Hellfire Pass Memorial that showcases the stories of resilience during WWII.
You may then walk through Hellfire Pass to comprehend the human effort that built it. POWs were forced to cut the pass through a mountain.
Ride the historic “Death Railway,” from Namtoc Station, built by Allied POWs in WWII and see the iconic bridge, made well known by the 1957 movie. The railway was built to connect Thailand and Myanmar, albeit with great loss of life.
Take a walk down memory lane with the movie clip below.
The line crosses Tham Krasae wooden viaduct, above the Khwae Noi River and the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. It’s actually pronounced Kway.
Also in Kanchanaburi, you can visit the War Cemetery, memorials to those who died during the railway’s construction.
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
