Ratchaburi, about 100 km west of Bangkok, is best known for Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, but there is much more: limestone hills full of caves, giant glazed “dragon jars” made in local kilns, a temple that keeps the art of large shadow puppets alive, and the cool, hilly countryside of Suan Phueng near the Myanmar border. It makes an easy road trip from Bangkok or a stop on the way to Kanchanaburi or Hua Hin.<\/p>\n
Vans and buses run from Bangkok’s southern bus terminal to Ratchaburi town and to Damnoen Saduak, and trains on the southern line stop at Ratchaburi station. The sights are spread across the province, from the floating market in the east to Suan Phueng in the west, so a car gives the most flexibility.<\/p>\n
Thailand’s most famous floating market: canals crowded with wooden boats selling fruit, noodles and snacks. It is busiest and most atmospheric early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive. Agree on boat prices before you set off.<\/p>\n
In a handsome former provincial hall, the museum covers the province’s long history, from prehistoric finds to Dvaravati and Khmer art and local ceramics.<\/p>\n
This temple in Photharam preserves nang yai, large leather shadow puppets used to tell the Ramakien. A museum displays the panels, and performances are held at set times; check the schedule before you go.<\/p>\n
Limestone cliffs rising above a lake on the edge of town, with walking paths and viewpoints. Nearby caves on the same range contain old Buddha images carved in the Dvaravati period.<\/p>\n
A cave with impressive stalactites and stalagmites; guided walks lead through the chambers.<\/p>\n
Ratchaburi is famous for glazed earthenware jars decorated with dragons. Several kilns and shops in town welcome visitors to watch the making process and buy ceramics.<\/p>\n
A hilly district near the Myanmar border with cool air, farm stays, resorts, Karen communities and viewpoints; popular for weekend breaks.<\/p>\n
The town sits on the Mae Klong River, with an evening market and riverside walks.<\/p>\n
Day 1:<\/strong> start at Damnoen Saduak at dawn, then visit a dragon jar workshop and the National Museum in town, ending at Khao Ngu Stone Park for sunset. Day 2:<\/strong> see nang yai at Wat Khanon, then head west to the hills of Suan Phueng.<\/p>\n Songkran<\/strong> in April is celebrated with merit-making and water play in Ratchaburi town and around the floating market areas. Temple fairs and cultural events, including shadow-puppet performances, take place through the year. Dates change; check with TAT, and read our Songkran etiquette and survival guide<\/a> before joining the water fights.<\/p>\n King Taksin’s campaigns passed through this province: the siege of the Burmese camp at Bang Kaeo, Ratchaburi<\/a>. The full story with maps is on our King Taksin trail site (in Thai).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yes, if you go early. Later in the day it becomes crowded and more touristy.<\/p>\n Wat Khanon holds performances on certain days; check the current schedule.<\/p>\n The floating market, dragon jars, caves and the cool hills of Suan Phueng.<\/p>\n Boat noodles and fruit at the floating market. See our Ratchaburi food guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cover photo: Khao Ngoo Rock Park.jpg<\/a> \u00b7 Manoonp \u00b7 CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a> \u00b7 Wikimedia Commons<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ratchaburi guide: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Khao Ngu Stone Park, nang yai shadow puppets, dragon jars, Suan Phueng and a 2-day route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[187],"class_list":["post-5720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-ratchaburi-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5779,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5720\/revisions\/5779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5720"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Festivals and events<\/h2>\n
On King Taksin’s trail<\/h3>\n
Travel tips<\/h2>\n
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FAQ<\/h2>\n
Is Damnoen Saduak worth visiting?<\/h3>\n
Can I see a nang yai performance?<\/h3>\n
What is Ratchaburi known for?<\/h3>\n
What should I eat?<\/h3>\n
More from songkran.com<\/h2>\n
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