An easy escape from Bangkok, Phetchaburi (เพชรบุรี) should be on every cultural traveler’s itinerary. It has temples, palaces and cave shrines, but best of all, Phetburi, as it's usually called, remains an untouched and largely untouristed provincial town, complete with riverside markets and old teak shophouses. It's a great place for random wandering and makes a convenient stop on your way to the beach.
Phetchaburi is a visible timeline of kingdoms that have migrated across Southeast Asia. During the 11th century, the Khmer empire settled in, although their control was relatively short-lived. As Khmer power diminished, Phetchaburi became a strategic royal fort during the Thai-based Sukhothai and Ayuthaya kingdoms, and in the 17th century, it flourished as a trading post between Myanmar (Burma) and Ayuthaya. Though the great temples of the former capital were destroyed, the town is often referred to as a ‘Living Ayuthaya’ because the smaller but similar ones live on.
This national historical park sits regally atop Khao Wang (Palace Hill), surveying the city with subdued opulence. Rama IV built the palace and dozens of…
Thailand’s largest national park is surprisingly close to civilisation but shelters an intense tangle of wilderness that sees relatively few tourists. It…
Centrally located, gleaming white Wat Mahathat is one impressive temple. The showpiece is a 42m-tall five-tiered Ayuthaya-style prang (corn-cob shaped…
About 4km north of town is Khao Luang Cave, a dramatic stalactite-stuffed cavern that's one of Thailand’s most impressive cave shrines, and a favourite of…
This expansive temple, founded in the late Ayuthaya era, holds quite a bit of history. Foremost are the faded murals inside the beautiful bòht (ordination…
Construction of this elegant summer palace, an incredible art-nouveau creation, began in 1910 at the behest of Rama V (who died just after the project was…
This hillside monastery, 2km west of town, sprawls through several large caverns converted into simple Buddha shrines and meditation rooms. There are some…
A 13th-century remnant of the time when the Angkor (Khmer) kingdom stretched from present-day Cambodia all the way to the Malay peninsula, this shrine was…
The main attraction at this temple, also known as Wat Phra Non (the Reclining Buddha Temple), is 43m long. It's almost as big as the famous Wat Pho in…
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughoutPhetchaburi.
See
This national historical park sits regally atop Khao Wang (Palace Hill), surveying the city with subdued opulence. Rama IV built the palace and dozens of…
See
Thailand’s largest national park is surprisingly close to civilisation but shelters an intense tangle of wilderness that sees relatively few tourists. It…
See
Centrally located, gleaming white Wat Mahathat is one impressive temple. The showpiece is a 42m-tall five-tiered Ayuthaya-style prang (corn-cob shaped…
See
About 4km north of town is Khao Luang Cave, a dramatic stalactite-stuffed cavern that's one of Thailand’s most impressive cave shrines, and a favourite of…
See
This expansive temple, founded in the late Ayuthaya era, holds quite a bit of history. Foremost are the faded murals inside the beautiful bòht (ordination…
See
Construction of this elegant summer palace, an incredible art-nouveau creation, began in 1910 at the behest of Rama V (who died just after the project was…
See
This hillside monastery, 2km west of town, sprawls through several large caverns converted into simple Buddha shrines and meditation rooms. There are some…
See
A 13th-century remnant of the time when the Angkor (Khmer) kingdom stretched from present-day Cambodia all the way to the Malay peninsula, this shrine was…
See
The main attraction at this temple, also known as Wat Phra Non (the Reclining Buddha Temple), is 43m long. It's almost as big as the famous Wat Pho in…
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