Provinces

Bangkok (กรุงเทพ) is a bustling modern Asian city with glitzy malls, gleaming skytrains and glamorous clubs, but it still retains its old charms. Markets, canals, riverboats, and street food are everywhere you look. Bangkok is a world-class city. It’s a non-stop, exhilarating, sensual overload, and it’s well worth spending at least a few days here, or even a few years.

Suphan Buri (สุพรรณบุรี) is a Central Thai province. It is mostly flat and agricultural so a lot of the tourism is centered around local culture and religious sites. There are some small mountains and some national parkland that has forested areas and some waterfalls.

Sing Buri (สิงห์บุรี) is located in Central Thailand along the Chao Phraya River Valley. Most tourist attractions in the province center around temples, or experiencing local culture.

Saraburi (สระบุรี) is a Central Thai Province along the main railway line north of Bangkok. It has a few national parks, and some of the best rock climbing in Thailand.

Samut Songkhram (สมุทรสงคราม) is a Central Province along the coast west of Bangkok. It is best known for the Maeklong Railway Market and the Amphawa Floating Market.

Samut Sakhon (สมุทรสาคร) is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, but there are places that can feel removed from the hustle and bustle. The province is mostly coastal so there is great seafood, nice markets, and some interesting salt ponds.

Samut Prakan (สมุทรปราการ) is the southernmost province in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. The province does have some nice escapes from the city, including the famous Green Lung, and the seaside area of Bang Pu.

Ratchaburi (ราชบุรี) is a province west of Bangkok most famous for the floating markets of Damnoen Saduak. Further out near the Myanmar border are forest-covered limestone mountains, caves, and wetlands.

Ayutthaya (อยุธยา), a former capitol of Thailand is a short journey north from Bangkok and one well worth taking. Before being sacked by the Burmese army in 1767, the city was one of the main trading hubs in Asia.

Phetchaburi (เพชรบุรี) Province connects the southern peninsular provinces to the Central Region of Thailand. Nearly half the province along the border with Myanmar is occupied by Thailand’s largest national park. Phetchaburi has some beaches that may not be the postcard-perfect varieties found elsewhere in Thailand, but are still quite nice.

Pathum Thani (ปทุมธานี) is part of the Greater Bangkok Metropolitan Area and many parts look and feel just like Bangkok. There are also agricultural areas of picturesque rice fields all criss crossed by canals.

Nonthaburi (นนทบุรี) is a Central Thai Province that is part of the Greater Metropolitan Bangkok Area. It is mostly urban with the same feel as most non-central Bangkok areas. The most interesting place to visit here is Koh Kret – an island formed by a canal that was dug to shorten the distance of the Chao Phraya River.

Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม) is a province in Central Thailand historically known as a major fruit growing area. Today parts of it fall within the Bangkok Metropolitan Area and much of the province is industrial and manufacturing areas. Nakhon Pathom also has some major university campuses.

Nakhon Nayok (นครนายก) is a small province in Central Thailand known for its fruit orchards. The province has a number of waterfalls, and parts of the stunning Khao Yai National Park sit within the province.

Lopburi (ลพบุรี) is a province in Central Thailand that has long been a part of the Kingdom stretching back past the Ayutthaya Period to the Sukothai era. Today it’s most famous for the wild monkeys that have made a home for themselves in the provincial capital.

Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี) is a paradise for outdoor adventurers and history buffs. Most of the province is jungle, caves, large reservoir lakes, national parks, and waterfalls. It’s also home to the notorious WWII “Death Railway” and has some great museums and historical sites from the railroad route.

Chai Nat (ชัยนาท) is one of the provinces of Central Thailand’s rice basket area. The Chao Phraya River flows through the province and is dammed there for flood control and irrigation purposes. The dam dates to 1957 and is Thailand’s first.

Ang Thong (อ่างทอง) is located in Central Thailand in the heart of the country’s rice basket. The Chao Phraya River flows through the province, along with other rivers and many smaller canals. This, combined with very flat geography make Ang Thong an area of mostly rice fields.