Thailand Guide
The central plains
The Bridge over the River Kwai
Price: Free
Address: 5km north of the bus station
For most people, the plain steel arches of the Bridge over the River Kwai come as a disappointment: as a World War II memorial it lacks both the emotive punch of the museums and the perceptible drama of spots further up the line, and as a bridge it looks nothing out of the ordinary – certainly not as awesomely hard to construct as it appears in David Lean's famous 1957 film, Bridge on the River Kwai (which was in fact shot in Sri Lanka). But it is the link with the multi-Oscar-winning film, of course, that draws tour buses by the dozen, and makes the Bridge approach seethe with trinket-sellers and touts. For all the commercialization of the place, however, you can't really come to the Kwai and not see it.
The fording of the Kwai Yai at the point just north of Kanchanaburi known as Tha Makkham was one of the first major obstacles in the construction of the Thailand– Burma Railway. Sections of a steel bridge were brought up from Java and reassembled by POWs using only pulleys and derricks. A temporary wooden bridge was built alongside it, taking its first train in February 1943; three months later the steel bridge was finished. Both bridges were severely damaged by Allied bombers (rather than commando-saboteurs as in the film) in 1944 and 1945, but the steel bridge was repaired after the war and is still in use today.
In fact the best way to see the Bridge is by taking the train over it: the Kanchanaburi– Nam Tok train crosses it three times a day in each direction, stopping briefly at the River Kwai Bridge station on the east bank of the river. Alternatively, take any pick-up heading north up Thanon Saeng Chuto and then walk the 850m from the junction, hire a cycle taxi, or cycle yourself – it's 5km from the bus station. You can also charter longtail boats from the pier beside the Bridge for trips to JEATH or out to sights along the Kwai Yai (B800 for an hour's outing).