'''Phetchaburi''' (????????) - pronounced and sometimes spelled '''Phetburi''' - is the provincial capital of Phetchaburi Province.

Understand

Phetchaburi City is the capital city of Phetchaburi Province, and is located about 75 miles south-west of Bangkok. The city is one of the oldest settlements in Thailand, mentioned in historical records dating to the 8th century, and having significant standing artifacts dating to the 12th century. There are numerous temples in and around the city center and market area, in addition to the Royal Palace known informally as Khao Wang that dominates the skyline. The city is situated on the River Phet ("diamond" in Thai), which originates in the Kaeng Krachan National Park and flows into the Gulf of Siam at Baan Laem.

Phetchaburi is a predominantly agricultural province, and the city reflects this with a large and thriving traditional market, buzzing with activity from pre-dawn until mid-day, and replete with the aromas of everything. It is very much a working city, with few tourists, nor the infrastructure to support them.

Get in

From Bangkok, the '''blue''' express bus from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal will take you directly to Phetchaburi's bus terminal, which is adjacent to a night market. The express buses leave Bangkok at least every hour, and you should allow three hours for the journey, which will cost 100-150 baht. Take care to avoid the '''blue and orange''' bus, as this will stop many times and will take much longer to reach Phetchaburi.

You can also reach Phetchaburi by train from Hua Lamphong; the journey normally takes around four hours, but can occasionally take longer. This will cost 100-250 baht, depending on the type of train.

A taxi from Bangkok should cost no more than 2000 baht and should take around two hours.

Get around

Phetchaburi itself is blissfully free of traffic snarls, except on the main North-South highway that bisects the Province but by-passes the town.

There are no meter taxis. There are tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxis, and for a slow cruise around the market area, plenty of traditional two-seat pedal-power tricycle taxis. Whatever your means of transportation, it would be a good idea to have your destination written down in Thai for the driver.

For longer journeys around the Province there are local buses (trucks with benches) available from the market area, but you need to ask the drivers for their destinations (you will quickly be directed to the correct bus).

Most of the important temples (except Khao Wang) are within walking distance of the market area.

See

Temple junkies will be satisfied for days with the town itself but the highlight is definitely the mountain.

  • ''Khao Wang'', the famous old royal palace complex on the mountain has a huge, very elegant stupa, some caves with bats, shrines and animal sacrifices, a well-scuplted, vast gold-plated reclining buddha and a museum. Depending on the entrance you take you may be charged a tourist tax. The main entrance is infested by extremely chubby and impertinent monkeys. You can buy bananas for them from numerous small retailers.
  • Do

    Buy

    In Phetchaburi you can buy all of the staples of daily life as a Buddhist in Thailand with great convenience, but as regards souvenirs, there are just a few small but adequate shops around the base of the cable car that serves the Khao Wang palace. For Thai silk and clothing, the '''Big C''' hypermarket on the main highway carries a modest selection, as do a handful of shops in the market area.

    Serious souvenir-hunters might wish to head South about 40 miles to '''Hua Hin''', where there are plenty of high class souvenir shops.

    Phetchaburi province is famous throughout Thailand for its Thai desserts - '''Khanom Thai''' - delicious candy-like finger food made from egg, palm sugar, coconut, and a binding agent, usually crushed beans or flour. The main North-South highway is dotted with large stores offering a bewildering variety of such sweetmeats, if your waistline can cope.

    Eat

    Like all Thai cities, Phetchaburi has hundreds of restaurants and cafes, serving almost every variety of Thai food. Many of them specialise in just a few menu items, so the trick is to decide what you want to eat before you decide on where to eat. There is almost no English language signage, so specific recommendations are not especially helpful. On the other hand, whichever of these cafes or restaurants you choose to frequent, your chances of not being served a wholesome Thai dish are very low.

    If you wish to be "safe," the two hotels mentioned below have restaurants that will likely not disappoint you. In addition, the '''Big C''' has several Western-style franchises under its roof (e.g., Chester's Grill, KFC), with air conditioning and English language menus. But be advised this establishment suffers from severe noise pollution.

    Apart from a few Chinese restaurants, the aforementioned Big C franchises, and two pizza parlors in peripheral locations, anything other than Thai food is almost impossible to find in Phetchaburi city.

    Drink

    Sleep

    The best hotel is the '''Royal Diamond''', located near the by-pass (tel: +66 3241 1061). It is not close to the market area (although it is close to Khao Wang), but can provide transportation. Rates around 1200 baht.

    The hotels in the market area are mostly old converted shop-houses, and are aimed at commercial travellers.

    The exception is the '''Rabieng Rim Nam Guesthouse''', located on Chisa-in Road near the bridge over the river (tel: +66 3242 5707). This provides inexpensive (although noisy) accommodation for less than 300 baht, and also offers local tours and motorbike and bicycle rentals. The Rabieng Rim Nam provides a great place to stay provided you bring ear plugs. The staff is friendly and speaks English well enough. If you choose to stay here, you should check the walls of your room VERY carefully as there are many peepholes between at least three of the upper rooms.

    The husband "TOM" of the hotel owner is a jungle guide. He offers inexpensive trips into the the KAENG KRACHAN NATIONAL PARK and parks nearby, see more information at [www.rabiengrimnum.com]. Also local wildlife can be seen right out the window of the restaurant... giant freaking water lizards. It's worth it to sit and drink a big Chang (beer). By the time you're finished you'll no doubt catch a glimpse of one of these amazing and dangerous animals.

    Get out

    Phetchaburi city is 10 miles from the coast. The nearest easily accessible seaside village is '''Chao Samran''', which has a few small hotels and guest houses, and one luxury resort. It is a tranquil spot, ideal for seekers of peace and solitude (except on long weekends). Legend has it that this beach was a favourite place of relaxation for Thai royalty during the 17th and 18th centuries while Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand.

    '''Puek Tian''' is a few miles to the south of Chao Samran, and is somewhat larger and more popular, although evidently dilapidated. It is distinguished by the very large statues of imaginary figures from Thai literature dispersed around the beach area.

    About 25 miles south of Phetchaburi lies '''Cha-am''', a rapidly developing resort with a fine long beach that is immensely popular with Thai families. There are also many good hotels and guest houses aimed at visitors from overseas, especially from Northern Europe.

    The whole of the Western half of the province is given over to the '''Kaeng Krachan National Park''', the largest such park in Thailand, and a pristine evergreen jungle covering more than 1,000 square miles that remains mostly unexplored to this day. The park headquarters can provide details of hiking, rafting and camping opportunities (tel: +66 3245 9291).