The Most Beautiful Destination , Ratchaburi , Thailand
Ratchaburi is the land of the Mae Klong Basin civilization with the foggy Tanao Si Mountains. It is one province in the west of central Thailand which is full of various geographical features; for example, the low-lying land along the fertile Mae Klong Basin, fields, and Tanao Si Mountains which lie in to east stretching to meet the Thailand-Myanmar border
From legend and historical evidence, it is assumed that Ratchaburi used to be one of the civilized kingdoms of Suvarnabhumi in the past, from the reign of the Great King Asoka of India, who announced the Lord Buddha's teachings through this land around 325 B.C.
Many kinds of art can be found in Ratchaburi, which is why it is called “a city of arts.” There is the art of temples, the art of puppets, the contemporary art, Art for the Heart, etc., the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was chosen the Ratchaburi province as one of the 12 "The city that you don't want to miss" under the concept "Community Arts of Ratchaburi". Other important places to visit in Ratchaburi are:
Temples Inside the City Gates in Chiang Mai
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Wat Phan Tao:
This teak temple is one of my favorites and recently just opened about being renovated.
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Wat Pra Singh:
This is one of the most popular and crowded in town. It’s famous for Lion Buddha Image and golden chedis (a mound-like structure containing relics) with elephants.
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Wat Chedi Luang:
This is the second most popular and one of tallest structures in town. The brick chedi ruins dates to 1441 and features a few remaining elephant statues.
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Wat Chiang Man:
This is the oldest in town and known for elephant chedi from 1297. It is one of the best for photography.
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Wat Saen Muang Ma Luang (Wat Hua Khuang):
This small and slightly hidden temple is down a small road near north gate of the city. It is also stunning for photographs.
Temples Outside the Chiang Mai City Gates
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Wat Lok Molee:
This temple is one of one of city’s older temples. It is just outside of the north gate to the old city. It is popular during the lantern festival and always has cool decorations.
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Wat Sri Suphan:
The silver temple is just south of city walls. It is stunning except for the fact that women cannot go inside the main temple.
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Wat Buppharam and Wat Mahawan:
These are two of the three stunningly beautiful Burmese temples near Tha Phae Gate.
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NaSatta Park:
(25 Kilometres from Damnoensaduak Floating Market), NaSatta Park is a unique experience for people of all ages to discover the cultural heritage of Thailand in an educative and playfulway. Stretching out over 7 hectares, park exhibits accurately reconstructed temples, houses and Buddha statues from various historical periods and regions of Thailand. In the park stories come to life through spectacular light and sound animations and the displays of wax and fiberglass figures in reconstructed environments.
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Damnoensaduak Floating Market:
It is an identity of Ratchaburi and is also well known around the world. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is in the Damnoen Saduak district. It shows the people's life style and the importance of the river as the means of commerce. The vendors would paddle their boats up and down the waterways selling and bartering their merchandise. Nowadays, many tourists from around the world come to visit because it shows an old fascinating style tradition. That is why the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market became the top ten of famous places in Thailand.
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Khao Chong Pran Cave Bat:
Khao Chong Phran is located in Tao Pun sub-district, Photharam district, 17 kilometres north of Ratchaburi. The most famous thing to see at Khao Chong Phran is a giant flock of more than a million bats flying out of the cave together and forming a large black and long line across the sky.
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Khao Bin Cave:
Khao Bin Cave is the most beautiful cave in Ratchaburi. It is located 20 kilometres from the town along the route to Chom Bueng district.The cave extends 300 metres from the mouth and offers truly amazing scenes of plentiful stalactite and stalagmite formations.
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Museum Wat Khanon Nang Yai:
Wat Kho non-Nang Yai is in Photharam district. It is 10 kilometres from Photharam district. It is an old form of entertainment which gathers many kinds of arts, for example Thai designs, sculpturing, mask playing and Thai literature. At present, Ratchaburi province is organizing a Nang Yai performance for tourists. There are about 330 Nang Yai puppets all of which are still in perfect condition to be shown on screen.
How to reach Ratchaburi
The nearest airport to Ratchaburi is Don Muang (DMK) Airport which is 94.3 km away. Other nearby airports include Suvarnabhumi (BKK) (102.6 km), Utapao (UTP) (159.7 km) and Dawe (TVY) (185.1 km). There are plenty of transport options to reach Ratchaburi. This city is on the major north-south line with trains stopping at regular intervals. The town has the main Ratchaburi train station as well as a very small station further along the river. But both stations are within a relatively short distance from town. A train journey from Bangkok to Ratchaburi costs in the region of $1-$2 – although the rate can change with the train and class of seat – and travel time is about 2.5 hours.
A regular bus route runs to Ratchaburi from Bangkok, which arrives at the station located to the southwest of town. The bus departs from the Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal every 20 minutes and costs about $2.50
Alternative options include hiring a car and travelling along Highway No. 35 and turning right at Highway No.4.
Once you are here you can visit the popular tourist destination using the following:
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Walk:
Ratchaburi is a small city that is easy to navigate on foot.
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Tuk-tuk:
A popular, affordable, and three-wheeled motorized vehicle that can be found throughout the city.
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Rent a motorbike or bicycle:
A great way to explore the city and its surrounding areas at your own pace. Rental shops can be found throughout the city.
Ratchaburi to nearby cities and islands
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Ratchaburi to Kanchanaburi
The cheapest way to get from Ratchaburi to Kanchanaburi is to drive which costs ₹800 - ₹1,200 and takes 1h 18m.
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Ratchaburi to Surat Thani
There are several trains and the frequency is also good. it takes around 10 hrs to reach this island
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Ratchaburi to Krabi
The cheapest way to get from Ratchaburi to Krabi is to train and bus which costs ₹2,600 - ₹6,500 and takes 11h.
