River Kwai Tour: History and Scenic Railway

Experience the historic River Kwai Tour, exploring WWII landmarks and embarking on a scenic Death Railway journey. Visit the infamous bridge, war cemetery, JEATH Museum, and enjoy a buffet lunch. Round trip transfer included.

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kanchanaburi War Cemetery - Itinerary:
  • Pick up from various hotels in Bangkok.
  • Depart Bangkok for Kanchanaburi by minibus.Arrival at Kanchanaburi and visit the War Cemetery of the allied prisoners of World War II.
  • JEATH War Museum - - Jeath Museum (the museum of World War II)
  • Bridge Over the River Kwai - Walk along the bridge over…
What's Included
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Round Trip Transfer
  • English Speaking guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The trip includes a visit to the infamous bridge on the River Kwai, built by Allied prisoners of war (POW) during World War II. It includes a visit to a war cemetery containing the graves of an estimated 9,000 Allied soldiers who died while building the bridge and constructing the notorious -Death Railway-. At the JEATH Museum, guests will see a replica…

Location
Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom
Silom Road
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(199 Ratings)
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Greg_l
Apr 22, 2025
In respect to our grandfather - Our tour started with an on time pick up. Van drove our tour of 6 people comfortably to cemetary. Guide Rach was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He looked up some graves that we wanted to see and took us directly. What was especially nice is that he took many photos and shared. The tour exceeded our expectations as tribute to men who worked on railway. If you are interested in history, and respect the efforts and honor those, this trip is well worth. Our grandfathsr was a POW in Dutch KNIL who worked on the railroad. It was uncredible for son and I to see the actual locations of the many harrowing stories he shared with us. A bucket list tour for us in respect to my grandfather and his experiences as POW here
Review provided by Viator
Eag51757
Mar 30, 2025
Japanese Atrocities in Thailand WWII a tour to appreciate more Peace ✌️ - Very good information about WWII in Indochina and actions of Japanese soldiers and invaders in the building of a train track for pure military goals with total disregard of prisoners of war’s rights:(
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_s
Mar 28, 2025
Great tour, great guide - Fabulous tour with a great guide, Mr Oom. This was great value and we visited all the key sites plus we rode on a train on part of the remaining Burma Railway. Would recommend this tour to everyone.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_s
Mar 24, 2025
Amazing Experience - A must do. - Picked up from local hotel in Bangkok by mini bus. Long day but worth every penny for a once in a lifetime experience. Visiting JEATH museum with re creation of POW hut/accommodation, then a visit to Commonwealth War Graves, which were superbly kept. Followed by 1 hour trip on railway from Kanchanaburi to Wang Po covering a stretch of the railway built by POW’s. Wang Po being close to the border of Burma, with a chance to walk along a stretch of track built with a cliff wall one side and a drop of about 100ft the other into the river. Amazing poignant experience. Then lunch at WangPo station and mini bus back to Bangkok. Our tour guide Watson was very informative and attentive.
Review provided by Viator
Jamaica
Mar 21, 2025
WOW!! A MUST-DO When Visiting Thailand!! - A very thorough, all-day Tour of the actual Bridge over the River Kwai. Took a boat ride down the River Kwai to the actual Bridge itself, after a thorough tour of a museum that contained information and photos of the actual bridge itself both before and after it's bombing, as well as photos of the POW'S working and living on/around the Bridge during WWII. POW possessions were also on display as well as an unexploded bomb intended to destroy the Bridge during WWII, as well as the knives and bayonets the Japanese used to control the POW'S. We walked over and around the Bridge, were served a delicious all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, and learned all about this historic event from our very well-educated Tour Guide. A historical Tour WELL-WORTH MY TIME and a tour I'LL NEVER FORGET! 🙂👍
Review provided by Viator
Janab814
Mar 19, 2025
River Kwai Day Trip from Bangkok - Our guide Rach was great. He kept us moving through a busy but non rushed day and took great photographs along the way. He used time getting to the site to give us context for our visit including helpful images on an iPad. Our driver was also great but I don't remember his name. Good value/full day, small group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
929briand
Mar 18, 2025
Good river Kwai trip - Good trip to river Kwai. Do not add 300 baht river cruise in a long boat as is overpriced for 5 min trip. Add in museum by steel bridge and train station
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_s
Mar 13, 2025
Pay for your seat - We traveled with a small group which is better than a bus full and we approached that we had several breaks. From Kway bridge we had a short ride with the old original train, so didn’t expect AC. There were tourists and locals too and the train stopped in several villages. Attention, there is only one train a day, don’t be late at the meeting point. The only thing that surprised us was that the tour mentioned that the ride with the train is included, but didn’t mention that we have to pay an additional 300 Bats for the seat, if not, we have to stand up. Sure, everyone paid to have a seat. I suggest that the agency mention we have to pay an additional 300 in cash to the guide, or better, to include the cost of the seat in the tour’s price.
Review provided by Viator
Rijumon_d
Apr 1, 2025
Disappointing Experience with Poor Guidance - We booked the River Kwai Day Trip from Bangkok on March 31, 2025, through Viator, expecting a well-organized tour with an English-speaking guide. While the tour itinerary, transport, and destination were well planned, our experience was significantly let down by the assigned guide, Rach from Sunleisure World. Good points: ✔️ Timely pickup and well-maintained AC van ✔️ The destinations and journey were well-structured ✔️ Smooth driving and good vehicle condition Disappointments: ❌ Unexpected Additional Charges & Misleading Information – The tour included a train journey, but our guide insisted we pay extra for a boat ride (300 Baht) and an unnecessary "upgrade" (200 Baht) to a first-class train coach. We declined, only to find plenty of available seats in the economy coach, proving his claim was misleading. ❌ Lack of Proper Guidance – Unlike other guides, he never informed us about the best scenic seats on the train, leading to a subpar experience as we scrambled for better views. ❌ Rushed and Unaccommodating – Every site visit was hurried, allowing barely 15 minutes per location, which left us no time to properly explore or take photos. Instead of guiding us to key viewpoints, he was more focused on taking group photos rather than helping individuals capture memories. ❌ Poor Communication & Engagement – His English was memorized and robotic, making it difficult to ask questions or get proper responses. He lacked engagement and seemed uninterested in the group's experience. ❌ Lack of Food Information – No explanation of vegetarian options or allergens was provided, and meal timings were unclear from the beginning. Overall, the tour had great potential, but the poor guiding service ruined the experience. Viator should ensure better-trained, interactive guides who prioritize customer experience rather than pushing unnecessary upsells. Would not recommend Sunleisure World unless the guide quality improves.
Review provided by Viator
Haroldwdelta
Mar 24, 2025
Not the greatest experience - I got a call from the tour guide 7pm the night before and was told that the meeting point was changed to a different hotel twice as far away. The van that picked us up was tiny, we had to sit sideways the whole day to fit in the seats. Poorly planned out, we had 20 minutes at the cemetery, 30 minutes at the museum then pushed to pay extra 300 Baht for the boat ride up the river. When we arrived at the bridge, which was supposed to be the highlite of the trip, we were told we had 5 minutes to see the bridge before the train arrived. The train ride was amazing, loved the view. When we arrived at the end of the line we had lunch, which was just ok, mostly because we had to fight of the millions of flies constantly harassing us. Then on the ride back everyone was overheating because the AC in the van wasn’t working right, which wasn’t surprising because the insulation and panelling was all missing from the interior. My recommendation is to book a bus and self guide. We didn’t learn anything we didn’t read at each location and could have been a lot more comfortable and a lot less rushed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $62
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).