River Kwai Tour: Explore WWII History

Experience the historic River Kwai Tour, exploring WWII landmarks and embarking on a scenic Death Railway journey. Visit the infamous bridge, war cemetery, JEATH Museum, and enjoy a buffet lunch. Round trip transfer included.

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kanchanaburi War Cemetery - Itinerary:
  • Pick up from various hotels in Bangkok.
  • Depart Bangkok for Kanchanaburi by minibus.Arrival at Kanchanaburi and visit the War Cemetery of the allied prisoners of World War II.
  • JEATH War Museum - - Jeath Museum (the museum of World War II)
  • Bridge Over the River Kwai - Walk along the bridge over…
What's Included
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Round Trip Transfer
  • English Speaking guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The trip includes a visit to the infamous bridge on the River Kwai, built by Allied prisoners of war (POW) during World War II. It includes a visit to a war cemetery containing the graves of an estimated 9,000 Allied soldiers who died while building the bridge and constructing the notorious -Death Railway-. At the JEATH Museum, guests will see a replica…

Location
Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom
Silom Road
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(204 Ratings)
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Richard_b
Aug 15, 2025
Not to be missed - Great tour that takes you back in time to see the Bridge over the river Kuai and ride the actual train that the POW'S and other citizens rode in. The stop at the cemetery was very moving.
Review provided by Viator
Sammi
Jul 17, 2025
Great historical trip - Great experience and knowledge guide (Thank you Oom). The train experience was fantastic and lunch had options for each of us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R1106hfjodieb
Jul 1, 2025
River Kwai tour - Really great trip. Knowledgeable and interesting guide. Good value. Full day. Historically interesting. awesome being on the bridge over the river Kwai
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca_g
Jun 17, 2025
Must do - Great trip, covers WWII history in Kanchanaburi. Rach, the tour guide, was charming and had extensive knowledge. He was very concerned with the guests and the quality of the tour. The driver did a great job.
Review provided by Viator
Greg_l
Apr 22, 2025
In respect to our grandfather - Our tour started with an on time pick up. Van drove our tour of 6 people comfortably to cemetary. Guide Rach was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He looked up some graves that we wanted to see and took us directly. What was especially nice is that he took many photos and shared. The tour exceeded our expectations as tribute to men who worked on railway. If you are interested in history, and respect the efforts and honor those, this trip is well worth. Our grandfathsr was a POW in Dutch KNIL who worked on the railroad. It was uncredible for son and I to see the actual locations of the many harrowing stories he shared with us. A bucket list tour for us in respect to my grandfather and his experiences as POW here
Review provided by Viator
Eag51757
Mar 30, 2025
Japanese Atrocities in Thailand WWII a tour to appreciate more Peace ✌️ - Very good information about WWII in Indochina and actions of Japanese soldiers and invaders in the building of a train track for pure military goals with total disregard of prisoners of war’s rights:(
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_s
Mar 28, 2025
Great tour, great guide - Fabulous tour with a great guide, Mr Oom. This was great value and we visited all the key sites plus we rode on a train on part of the remaining Burma Railway. Would recommend this tour to everyone.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_s
Mar 24, 2025
Amazing Experience - A must do. - Picked up from local hotel in Bangkok by mini bus. Long day but worth every penny for a once in a lifetime experience. Visiting JEATH museum with re creation of POW hut/accommodation, then a visit to Commonwealth War Graves, which were superbly kept. Followed by 1 hour trip on railway from Kanchanaburi to Wang Po covering a stretch of the railway built by POW’s. Wang Po being close to the border of Burma, with a chance to walk along a stretch of track built with a cliff wall one side and a drop of about 100ft the other into the river. Amazing poignant experience. Then lunch at WangPo station and mini bus back to Bangkok. Our tour guide Watson was very informative and attentive.
Review provided by Viator
Rijumon_d
Apr 1, 2025
Disappointing Experience with Poor Guidance - We booked the River Kwai Day Trip from Bangkok on March 31, 2025, through Viator, expecting a well-organized tour with an English-speaking guide. While the tour itinerary, transport, and destination were well planned, our experience was significantly let down by the assigned guide, Rach from Sunleisure World. Good points: ✔️ Timely pickup and well-maintained AC van ✔️ The destinations and journey were well-structured ✔️ Smooth driving and good vehicle condition Disappointments: ❌ Unexpected Additional Charges & Misleading Information – The tour included a train journey, but our guide insisted we pay extra for a boat ride (300 Baht) and an unnecessary "upgrade" (200 Baht) to a first-class train coach. We declined, only to find plenty of available seats in the economy coach, proving his claim was misleading. ❌ Lack of Proper Guidance – Unlike other guides, he never informed us about the best scenic seats on the train, leading to a subpar experience as we scrambled for better views. ❌ Rushed and Unaccommodating – Every site visit was hurried, allowing barely 15 minutes per location, which left us no time to properly explore or take photos. Instead of guiding us to key viewpoints, he was more focused on taking group photos rather than helping individuals capture memories. ❌ Poor Communication & Engagement – His English was memorized and robotic, making it difficult to ask questions or get proper responses. He lacked engagement and seemed uninterested in the group's experience. ❌ Lack of Food Information – No explanation of vegetarian options or allergens was provided, and meal timings were unclear from the beginning. Overall, the tour had great potential, but the poor guiding service ruined the experience. Viator should ensure better-trained, interactive guides who prioritize customer experience rather than pushing unnecessary upsells. Would not recommend Sunleisure World unless the guide quality improves.
Review provided by Viator
Connector657863
Aug 12, 2025
We were had! - After reluctantly agreeing to collect us from our hotel our "guide"arrived 20 minutes late in a clapped out bomb of a car with no seat belts and apparently only one gear. After a slow but hair raising half hour drive we pulled in to a petrol station where our van and driver were waiting. I opened the door to get in and alarmed the driver who was asleep in the front seat. He glared at me and uttered not a single word for the rest of the day. Our guide, Oom, told us that the other couple who had booked to come had cancelled so it would be just us. The van was tired, rattly and the air con didn't work. Oom spent the next 1/2 hour holding up his ipad showing us movie trailers from The Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Railwayman, ignoring the fact we'd seen both movies. The coffee stop was good. The visit to the immaculately kept WWII Memorial Cemetery in Kanchanaburi was very moving but too rushed and he was not very informative. Next stop was the JEATH Museum (which we thought was the main museum. Only afterwards did we realise that the main museum is by the cemetery and he didn't take us there or even mention it! ) It was very run down and hugely disappointing. We were rushed through a replica POW bamboo hut which had faded, dirty pictures scruffily hung around and then bundled into a longboat for the ride up the river to the bridge. We enjoyed the boat ride. We walked over the bridge and then caught the train, crossing the bridge and travelling for 1/2 hour up into the hills through beautiful scenery. Sobering thinking of the thousands of lives that were lost along the way. Our lunch stop was good with a great view. We were disappointed not to see Hellfire Pass but you need 2 days to do that. Oom slept the whole 2 hours back to Bangkok and the driver was silent. We pulled up and Oom said "I get out here, the driver will take you back." And that was that. The driver silently and I felt begrudgingly dropped us off at the hotel and we were left thinking we'd been had.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $93
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).