Best Hotels in Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is one of the coolest places to visit in the whole of Thailand, and it is a little bit less explored than most other places in the country. Like anything in life, I do not think there is one definite answer for the best area to stay. It is going to depend a lot on your tastes, so I have broken down the best areas to stay for nightlife, nature, and sightseeing, along with my experience staying in one of the famous floating hotels on the River Kwai.

Where to Stay in Kanchanaburi Town or Countryside

There are three main areas where you can stay in Kanchanaburi: within the town, on the outskirts of the town, and way out of the town. There is a bit more to it than that, and I will break it down below.

There are two areas within the town that I want to explore: Tham Norong and Pak Phraek. Tham Norong is the area near the bus station and near the Walking Street, so this is the ultimate place for convenience. As soon as you get off the bus, you will be right there near your hotel. This is actually a big advantage when we look at some of the places that are way outside of the town, where some hotels are another hour’s drive away.

You also have the advantage of being near the Walking Street. This is the best place to grab a beer at night, and there are quite a few decent bars here. In this area there is also the night market, so there are some good and cheap snacks here too. I have to say, though, that I do not think Kanchanaburi has the best nightlife in Thailand, especially since you are probably coming from Bangkok, which does have some of the best nightlife. Personally, I think Tham Norong is the best area for budget travellers or backpackers, with most places coming in around 1,000 Thai Baht a night.

Staying within the town but a little bit further north is Pak Phraek, which in my opinion is the best area to stay for convenient sightseeing while still being in a central and accessible location. Pak Phraek is the best area for sightseeing because it is the area closest to the bridge over the River Kwai and the JEATH War Museum. If you do not know a lot about Kanchanaburi, one of the reasons to come here is to explore the World War II history.

Where to Stay in Kanchanaburi for Riverside Nature

The bridge over the River Kwai is in the area of Pak Phraek, as is the JEATH War Museum, where you can learn more about the World War II history in the area. There is not much here in terms of bars or nightlife, however, there are quite a lot of quaint cafes. This area has a bit more of a natural feel to it, as it is possible to stroll along the River Kwai. In fact, some of the hotels are actually on the river.

If you do not feel like staying in one of the floating hotels, this would be a good place to stay. You wake up and have the river right there, which would be a really peaceful, relaxing, beautiful experience. Google Maps tells me this is about a 50-minute walk to the Walking Street, which is a bit far. However, the benefit of staying within the town is that it should be pretty easy to get a taxi.

One thing to note is that Grab does not work in Kanchanaburi, so you have to hail a taxi or organise one through your hotel. You should be able to do this from the bar area to your hotel in Pak Phraek, and it should be pretty affordable.

If you go a little further north of Pak Phraek, there are even more places to stay on the River Kwai. At a glance, these hotels seem a little nicer than the ones within the town and are certainly located within a more natural setting. Here you will be able to rent bicycles or kayaks and paddleboard on the river.

These hotels have the added advantage of being in a natural setting while still just about being accessible from the town. This is the best place to stay if you want to enjoy the nature of Kanchanaburi but still might want to go into town in the evening. You should be able to get a taxi, and it should take about 20 minutes to get to the Walking Street.

Where to Stay Near Erawan Falls in Kanchanaburi

As you get further outside of the town, there are some more interesting and unique places to stay. Kanchanaburi is a good place to go camping or even glamping in Thailand. You do not need to bring a tent to campsites, as you will be able to rent one from the campsite. We even have glamping sites, which are kind of like big fancy tents to stay in.

Finally, there are a handful of elephant sanctuaries that offer overnight stays. The overnight stays cost 5,800 Thai Baht, so this is a bit pricey, but you get to spend a lot of time with elephants in an elephant camp. They will have a whole programme involved where you get to bathe, feed, and walk with the elephants. The advantage of doing this here is that these will be much less crowded than the ones in Phuket, Chiang Mai, or pretty much anywhere else you will go.

Kanchanaburi has some of the best natural beauty spots in the whole country and some of the most unique hotels. The two areas way outside of the city that I am looking at are Sai Yok and Erawan Falls. Both of these areas are over an hour’s drive from the town. If you follow the road north from the town, it eventually splits: one road goes east and one goes west, taking you to either Sai Yok or Erawan Falls respectively.

These locations are also about an hour’s drive from each other, so you will have to choose wisely which one you want to stay at. Obviously, being so far away, it is not very easy to get a taxi and you definitely cannot go and visit the bars and restaurants very easily.

Erawan National Park is home to Erawan Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country. This is a seven-tier cascade and waterfall that you can hike along, and it takes a couple of hours to explore the area. It is definitely an advantage being situated close to the falls because this gets very busy. I would make sure to wake up early and get there.

You cannot actually stay at Erawan Falls, but you can stay in some nearby locations. You will find similar spots to what I explained before, with a lot more glamping and camping spots. This area is definitely cheaper to stay in than Sai Yok. Most hotels here cost around 1,000 to 1,500 Thai Baht, although there are some fancier ones for around 3,000 Thai Baht per night.

Staying in a Floating Hotel in Kanchanaburi

Sai Yok is home to, in my opinion, some of the coolest hotels in the whole of Thailand. I chose to stay at Jungle River Rafts, which is one of a number of floating hotels on the River Kwai, as well as some really upscale glamping spots. A lot of these hotels in the area seem to be owned by the same parent company, Serenata Hotels.

They own three floating hotels on the river: Jungle River Rafts, which is the one I stayed in, The FloatHouse, and the River Kwai Resotel. They also own a luxury cabin and an onsen place called Hintok River Camp. All of these places look amazing. However, the cheapest one available is about 4,400 Thai Baht a night, which is definitely pretty expensive for Thailand. Some rooms in these hotels range up to about 15,000 Thai Baht a night, so it is definitely not a cheap place to stay.

Because it is in the middle of the river, it is not very easy to get to. First, you have to get dropped off at a pier, at which point there will be someone waiting to greet you. Eventually, a longtail boat will pull up, you will get in, and it is about a 15- to 20-minute ride up the river. This is a really beautiful, scenic ride, which is part of the experience of staying here.

Once you arrive at the hotel, someone explains the rules. There is actually no electricity on the floating hotels, so they explain the rules around gas lights and things like that, as well as the restaurant opening hours and what you can and cannot do when swimming. Each cabin has a porch area with a hammock and sun decks on the river, which is perfect for sitting and chilling out.

Floating Hotel Activities and Safety on the River

You are able to swim in the river, but you must wear life jackets, and quite frankly, you are going to need them. This river runs fast. I would not want to get in this river without life jackets, and they recommend that you can float from one end of the hotel down to the other. Like I said, this moves pretty quickly, so this is over in about a minute or two, but it is a fun experience.

Annoyingly, our cabin was the final one, so this was the area where most people got out of the river and they were kind of climbing on our deck. Also, because we were number one, my wife Jordan actually had to jump in to save a child who had missed it. This river runs so quickly that to get out you have to grab a rope and pull yourself in. The child just missed it and started screaming. My wife managed to get her out at the next stop. If she had not done that, the child would have been swept down the river before we even knew it, and if we were not there to see it, it would have been a while before anyone noticed.

One thing I know about staying in these hotels is that it is definitely not very convenient to see the rest of Kanchanaburi. The boat journey to and from your hotel is included in the price. However, if you want additional rides in that boat, it is pretty extortionate at 1,000 Thai Baht per person each way. If you want to go and see the bridge over the River Kwai or the Death Railway, that is going to cost you 2,000 Thai Baht per person to get there and back to your hotel. They do run guided tours from these hotels, but again, they are extremely overpriced.

When I stayed in Kanchanaburi, I spent two days staying in the town and then on my final night moved to one of the floating hotels. This allowed me to see pretty much everything I wanted to see in Kanchanaburi and still experience this amazing hotel. Personally, I think this would be the best option for most people, because it is going to get pretty pricey if you spend more than a night or two here.