Tourist information about Phetchaburi (Thailand)

General information about Phetchaburi

Phetchaburi (also Petchaburi, Petburi, Phetchaburi, Phetburi) is a small town and the capital of the province of the same name 120 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, a popular tourist destination (Phetchaburi on the map of Thailand).

There are no beaches here, and the nearest shore is 10 kilometers away. But there are a huge number of interesting sights in the form of temples and palaces. It is quite possible to compare Petchaburi with Ayutthaya, although the scale and age of the temples here are more modest. If you are at least a little interested in the history and culture of Thailand, like to see ancient temples and palaces, then you are strictly recommended to see Petchaburi.

The city has a rich and significant history for the kingdom. It is one of the first and oldest cities in Thailand. The first mention of the settlement on the site of the city dates back to the eighth century, and the most ancient significant sights – the twelfth century. For a short time in the eleventh century, the city was occupied by the Khmer, leaving behind several of its temples in the Khmer style. During the period when Ayutthaya was the capital of the kingdom, Petchaburi became one of the most important centers of the state. It was then that most of the current historical monuments appeared.

There are not a lot of tourists in Petchaburi today, especially Europeans. More often here you can meet Thai tourists and groups of schoolchildren. Basically, people come here with a day excursion, without stopping in the city itself. The tourist infrastructure here is poorly developed, there are very few hotels and guest houses. There are few currency exchange offices here, the exchange rate is unprofitable. So it is better to change money in advance in other tourist cities. There are ATMs. All kinds of shops, as in any other Thai city, abound.

There is no entertainment in Phetchaburi, and in the evening, after a tedious sightseeing, you can only drink beer on the balcony at the hotel, admiring the views of the city and temples, or walk through the emptying streets. At 21 o'clock the whole city falls asleep.

The best places that can be used as a base for a trip to Phetchaburi are Hua Hin, Bangkok or Chaam. From them it is easy to get here by public transport or a rented car or motorbike, and run through the main attractions in a day. In order to explore everything here, it will take two full days.

Weather, tourist seasons in Phetchaburi

Phetchaburi can be visited all year round. In the low season from June to October, there may be frequent rains, but they usually fall in the afternoon or evening, and do not interfere with sightseeing.

Seasons in Phetchaburi by month:

Current weather in Phetchaburi and forecast

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How to get to Phetchaburi

The city is 120 kilometers away from Bangkok, 26 kilometers from Cha-am and 65 from Hua Hin. If you want to visit it for one day, it is best to do it from Hua Hin or Cha-am. It is especially convenient to get acquainted with its sights by rented transport. At the same time, you can do the route both along the main AH2 highway and along the road along the coast, which is also a kind of attraction and is designated as a Scenic Route.

If renting a transport is not your option, then you can still visit Petchaburi even one day by public transport, returning back the same day.

• By train

  A railway line runs through Petchaburi from Bangkok south to Singapore. The railway station here is located about a kilometer from the center (station on the map). The fare from Bangkok starts at 34 baht (see currency of Thailand, exchange rate), from Cha-am – from 8, from Hua Hin - 14.

  From Bangkok from Hualapmphong station 12 trains depart here every day, but their daily travel schedule is inconvenient because there are no morning flights.

  But from Hua Hin and Cha-am there are very convenient morning and evening flights that will allow you to arrive here at 5 or 7 in the morning, and return back at 19 o'clock.

  You can find out the detailed schedule on the website https://www.railway.co.th. There is no need to buy tickets in advance, you can just come to the railway station and buy a ticket to the cheapest third class.

• By bus

  The city is located on the main road from Bangkok to the south, so you can get here by bus not only from Bangkok, Hua Hin or Cha-am, but also from Phuket, Krabi and other southern resorts. However, most buses do not enter the city, but make a stop on the highway near the Big-C shopping center (stop at Big-C on the map). From there, you can get to the city by motorcycle taxi for 50 baht or by minibus, and if you really want to save money, you can also walk (2 kilometers to the city center).

  From Bangkok, buses depart from the Sai Tai Mai South Bus Terminal every 30 minutes during the day; the cost is 120 baht; travel time is 2 hours. Arrive in the center of Phetchaburi at a stop near the night market (bus stop on the map). Minivans also depart from the terminal for 100 baht. They go faster, but there is no room for luggage in them, so it is better not to travel with large suitcases in them.

  Due to the inconvenient location of the southern terminal, it is sometimes much more convenient to get to Petchaburi by minivan from Victory Monument in Bangkok. They cost 100 baht, are sent every 20-30 minutes or more often, according to occupancy. Arriving at their station near the night market (bus stop on the map).

  From Hua Hin, buses depart from the city bus station (see Hua Hin bus station), cost 50 baht.

  You can catch a bus from Chaam to Petchaburi at the stop on the main road (for more information, where stop in Chaam here). The fare is 40 baht.

Transportation to Phetchaburi, what to use to get around

Phetchaburi is a small town. You can move around its center on foot. But not all attractions are located close to the center, and therefore they are best viewed by rented transport, at least by bicycle.

Renting transport here is not as easy as in other popular resorts in Thailand. Rentals are not at every turn here, so you'll have to look. You can ask for help at the hotel reception or to the staff of the guesthouse. Rent for motorbikes starts from 250 baht. A bicycle can be rented for 120 baht. Rent is available at at least two locations in the city: Guesthouse 2N Guesthouse, at 98/3 Moo 2 Tambol Bankoom; Guesthouse Rabieng Rim Nam at 1 Shee Sra Inn Road.

You can also travel around the city by motorcycle taxi (a trip within the city limits is 50 baht) or songteo minibus (the cost of the trip starts from 20 baht along the route, from 50 baht as a taxi).

To drive a car in Thailand, tourists no longer need to obtain an international driver's license (IDP). On May 1, 2021, the long-awaited event finally took place - Thailand ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which it initially joined back in 1968. And now in Thailand, theoretically, it is possible to manage rented transport using ordinary Russian rights. However, so far in Thailand there has not been a practice of adopting national VUS on the roads by police officers, therefore, in order not to punish our rightness every time, we still recommend that you additionally issue an IDP. For more information about renting a transport in Thailand, read here.

The cost of renting a car in Thailand starts from 600 baht when booking for several days. You can find and book a car for rent using the search form and compare prices from different rental companies:

Hotels in Phetchaburi

There are a minimum of hotels here, especially inexpensive guest houses. It will not be possible to arrive, and just walking down the street to find a cheap guesthouse. You will have to search a lot, or contact local taxi drivers or tuk-tukers for help.

You can find and book accommodation in Phetchaburi on these sites or through the search form. All sites have a Russian interface and Russian-language customer support, a lot of reviews from real guests.

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Phetchaburi on Trip.com (💳 Mir cards work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Phetchaburi on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Useful tips

• Beaches. Phetchaburi is traditionally considered a non-beach holiday destination. However, 15 kilometers from the city on the coast there are excellent deserted beaches. To get there, it is best to rent a transport.
• Entertainment. In addition to sightseeing, there is absolutely no entertainment for tourists here. Especially in the evening. The city falls asleep very early, and after 19 hours on the street everything falls asleep rapidly.
• Food. As in any Thai city, there are thousands of street cafes with excellent Thai food. If you want to eat something more familiar, in the Big-C shopping center, a couple of kilometers from the city center on the AH2 highway, you can find the usual European fast food at KFC and other restaurants.
• Currency exchange. The exchange rate here is unprofitable, it is better to change money at other resorts.