4 Days 3 Nights

Leave Bangkok by using highway

No 35 (Thon Buri-Pak Tor). Many

petrol stations are located along the

way. Turn left to cross the bridge to

Samut Sakhon province. Once you

get off the bridge, you will see an

LPG gas station, and past this point is

a resting stop for PTT where you can

fill up on NGV gas. Pass the Mahachai

New Town to reach the intersection

to Samut Sakhon City. You will spot

the Mahachai Hospital (0-3442-4990).

Keep going straight to the end of the

road to visit the City Pillar Shrine,

situated near the Mahachai Port

where you can park your car.

Heading towards Samut

Songkhram, you will spot a Bangchak

petrol station just before you reach

Phra Ram 2 (Rama II) checkpoint,

and along the way you will see salt

beds and shops. At 62 km, there is

the original Khun Lin Restaurant selling

good food. There is a left turn to

the entrance of Wat Bang Jakreng.

Going in the soi, follow a sign for Wat

Satthatham.

Recommended: Wat Satthatham

is a Mon temple housing the country’s

only teak ordination hall engraved

and inlaid with pearls. You can also

pay respects to Lord Buddha’s relics

there.

Then turn left, go up the bridge

and head to the city area. Turn right

at the three-pronged intersection,

cross the railway line and turn right.

Go straight and turn left at the

first traffic light intersection before

crossing Mae Klong Canal. You will

find a PTT petrol station and a counter

service center. Pass Wat Chong Lom

and Wat Kaew Fa, turn left at the

tourist information centre and cross

the Somdet Phra Amarin Bridge. Turn

right at the intersection and pass Wat

Thong Khung. Then turn right at a

three-pronged intersection, pass Wat

Bang Khae Noi, cross the Kwai Om

Bridge, and find Wat Bang Kung on

your left (there will be signs to tell you

directions to this place).

Recommended: Wat Bang Kung

(unseen in Thailand) has its ordination

hall covered with the roots and

branches of a banyan tree.

Leave the temple for the

floating market, take a right turn to

go back to the intersection. Keep

straight to pass Amphawa Hospital

(0-3475-1846-7, 0-3475-2560).

When you reach a three-pronged

intersection, take a left turn towards

Amphawa district and drive for about

three km on highway No 35. Heading

to Amphawa district, you will find a

yellow-painted bridge in less than

one km, cross the bridge and turn left

to visit Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram.

Inside the temple hall, there are

beautiful wall paintings.

TIP: You can park your car inside

the temple and school compound to

visit the Amphawa Floating Market.

Wake up at 6am to give food

offerings to Buddhist monks on their

morning alms round along the river.

Most accommodations also have

boat trip tour packages on daily

basis. In the afternoon, you can drive

on highway No 35 heading back to

Bangkok.

Ban Rak Amphawa

provides accommodation

and you can park your car at the

Vegetarian Hall. You can walk to

the floating market. There is also

a boat trip to watch fireflies.

Visit Don Hoi Lot on your way

back. When you reach the entrance

of Wat Bang Jakreng, where you

earlier used to go to Wat Satthatham,

be prepared because the entrance

to Do Hoi Lot is another four km

further. You should also pay respects

to the highly-revered shrine of Krom

Luang Chumphon Khet Udomsak, the

father of the Thai navy.

TIP: Beyond the parking lot’s

entrance, there are restaurants where

you can eat while waiting to see

the Razor Clam shells emerge at

around 6pm on the sandbar sediments.

Or you can opt to take a boat trip

through the coastal mangrove forest.

Use highway No 35 and drive

to Phetchaburi province. When you

reach the intersection at Muang

Phetchaburi, take a right turn to the

end of the road to visit Khao Luang

Cave. There are local tour guides

to take you around. The cave has

three chambers and the second one

is the most beautiful with a balcony

engraved with the names of all royal

family members in the King Rama IV.

King Rama V named this chamber

Wiman Chakri, a heaven of the

Chakri dynasty.

Leaving Khao Luang Cave, use

the same route to reach highway

No 4 and keep straight until 195 km,

there is a PTT petrol station. Turn left

at the intersection towards Cha Am

district. When you reach the city

area, drive eight km further from the

entrance to Cha Am Beach at 216 km.

Recommended

Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, often

referred as “the palace of love and

hope”, opens from 8am to 4pm

everyday except on Wednesday.

There is also the Sirindhorn International

Environment Park featuring the

energy-saving system and other

learning activities.

Return to the Cha Am

Intersection and visit the beach.

After that, drive along the main

road towards Hua Hin. When you

reach the intersection to the beach,

turn right and park your car in front of

the beach entrance. Recommended:

Hua Hin Market is a good place to

shop and get some food.

At the Lucky Seafood 2

Restaurant, located near the jetty,

you can select live fish from the

front of the restaurant for your

delicious meal.

Drive further down to the far

south part of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

On the way there are many petrol

stations. The road is not so safe to

drive at night because there are

many tour buses. Keep straight along

highway No 4 until you reach 345 km,

then turn left and drive on for six km.

Duangjai Seafood at the Hua

Hin Market Intersection offers

good food at reasonable prices.

Recommended: Phrachomklao Na

Wako Science Park. Visitors can enter

free-of-charge from 9am to 4pm.

Use highway No 4 and exercise

caution at 364-365 km, which is a

dangerous left-turn curve and at

372 km, another dangerous left-turn

curve with road surface erosion. At

376 km, there is a garage. At 382 km

is the entrance to Ban Krut Beach,

located 10 km further.

Lan Platu Ruay

(0-3251-2275) offers all dishes

made from mackerel fish. The

must-try dish here is a spicy and

sour red curry soup called Kaeng

Som Prik Nok. The place is

situated in Soi Hua Hin 55 or on

Chom Sin Road. Call them in

advance to check availability

because mackerel fish is seasonal.

Restaurants:

Tha Reu Pattrakhan (Kia Nguan 3 Seafood)

at the Mahachai Port; Tel 0-3441-1084

Hai Piang in Hua Hin; Tel 0-3251-1072, 0-3251-2070

Souvenir Shops

Nu Lek Bencharong in Samut Sakhon’s

Krathum Baen district; Tel 0-3484-3371

Talad Khong Dee Mae Klong on Rama II Road

at 69 km in Samut Songkhram.

Hospitals

Samut Sakhon Hospital Tel 0-3442-7099

Cha Am Hospital Tel 0-3247-1007

Hua Hin Hospital Tel 0-3252-0401, 0-3252-0371

Police

Muang Samut Sakhon Police Station

Tel 0-3442-9271-5

Amphawa Police Station in Samut Songkhram

Tel 0-3475-1300, -3472-5625-7

Tourist Authority of Thailand’s Central Region

Area 2 Office covering Phetchaburi,

Samut Songkhram and Samut Sakhon

Tel 0-3247-1005-6