4 Best Sights in Around Bangkok, Thailand

This museum on spacious grounds in the center of the Old City was opened by the king and queen of Thailand in 1961. Its many exhibits include Buddhist sculpture from the Dvaravati, Lopburi, Ayutthayan, and U-Thong periods. Also on display is a jewel-encrusted sword with which one Ayutthayan prince killed his brother in an elephant-back duel.

The letters in the first part of its name an acronym for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand, and Holland, this museum sits a little more than 2 km (1 mile) downriver from the Bridge on the River Kwai. The museum, founded in 1977 by a monk from the adjoining Wat Chaichumpol, is housed in a replica of the bamboo huts that were used to hold prisoners of war. On display are railway spikes, aerial photographs, newspaper clippings, and original sketches by ex-prisoners depicting their living conditions.

Next to Phra Pathom Chedi is the Phra Pathom Chedi National Museum, which contains Dvaravati artifacts such as images of the Buddha, stone carvings, and stuccos from the 6th to the 11th century.

A walk through the center's nine chronologically arranged galleries provides a good overview of the railway's history. Though small, the center is well designed and packed with informative displays. The second-floor coffee shop at the end of the exhibits has a view of the adjacent Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.