A bridge to far and the Thai-Burma Death Railway at Kanchanaburi

I have always been curious about seeing the Death Railway ever since I saw the movie A Bridge to Far. Yes, I know the movie was filmed in Sri Lanka but the actual site by the river is well worth a visit. A few years ago while staying in Bangkok we decided to do a day trip to see the Thai-Burma Death Railway over the river Kwai. We booked with an agency at the hotel we were staying. The mini bus turned up at the appointed time and away we went. It is about 2-3 hours travel time even though it is only 80 miles from Bangkok. It could be faster but will depend on traffic congestion. The early start of around 6.30am managed to avoid the traffic in the morning but coming back was less successful with a lot of traffic congestion. We had limited time but if we did it again I would take the train as it sounds fun. We also did not have enough time to go all the way to Hellfire Pass so it would be worthwhile to stay a few nights.

The tour we choose visited the Commonwealth War Cemetery which is beautifully kept. Across the road is the Death Museum which I found very interesting and you can see how the prisoners lived during their incarceration. Then it is a short ride to the bridge where you have time to walk across it. Afterwards we took a train ride across the bridge to Wangpo. It is a lovely train ride through the countryside. We did not do the Tiger temple, boat trip or any other side trip. It was a full enough day with what we decided to do. It costs around 40 pounds each to do a tour from Bangkok. Below is a website of a tour company with good reviews.

http://www.viator.com/tours/Bangkok/Thai-Burma-Death-Railway-Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai-Tour-from-Bangkok/d343-3685BKK36C