In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Lopburi
ลพบุรี
Go for one night, not a base: the Khmer prangs, King Narai's palace and the monkey streets fit a half-day, and trains from Bangkok take about 3 h.
Lopburi is one of Thailand's oldest cities, a former second capital under King Narai, 153 km north of Bangkok. Its Old Town packs Khmer-era prangs, a 17th-century palace museum and the famous crab-eating macaques into a walkable few blocks. Most travellers see it in a half-day; one night lets you add the sunflower fields or the hill temple.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- ลพบุรี
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot, 35°C+), Sep–Oct (rain)Mar–May (hot, 95°F+), Sep–Oct (rain)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist Police (English, 24 h) 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced drink | ฿30–70 |
| Noodle soup or rice dish | ฿40–80 |
| Beer: draught / can at a shop | ฿60–120 / ฿35–55 |
| Blue local bus ride | ฿8 |
| Phra Prang Sam Yot entry, foreigners | ฿50 |
| King Narai's Palace entry, foreigners | ฿150 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BKK · Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok)
- About 3–3.5 h by road; no airport in Lopburi
- DMK · Don Mueang (Bangkok)
- About 2.5–3 h by road; minivans leave Mo Chit nearby
Typical fares
- Train Bangkok → Lopburi, third class
- about ฿50, about 3 h (check)
- Minivan Mo Chit → Lopburi
- about ฿110, about 2 h (check)
- Train Lopburi → Ayutthaya, third class
- about ฿20, about 1 h (check)
Get around
Old Town is walkable: the station, Phra Prang Sam Yot, San Phra Kan and King Narai's Palace sit within about 1.5 km. The blue local bus circles between the New Town bus station and the TAT office for 8 baht. Motorcycle taxis and car taxis cover longer hops; ride-hailing apps were reported unavailable in 2024, so check on arrival.Old Town is walkable: the station, Phra Prang Sam Yot, San Phra Kan and King Narai's Palace sit within about 0.9 mi. The blue local bus circles between the New Town bus station and the TAT office for 8 baht. Motorcycle taxis and car taxis cover longer hops; ride-hailing apps were reported unavailable in 2024, so check on arrival.
See and do
Known for
- Phra Prang Sam Yot
- King Narai's Palace and museum
- The Old Town macaques
- Sunflower fields (Nov–Dec)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ayutthaya | Train from Lopburi station, about 1 h; third class around ฿20 | About 1.5 h |
| Saraburi | Bus or car on Hwy 1, about 1 h | About 1–1.5 h |
| Sing Buri | Bus on Rte 311, about 1 h | About 1–1.5 h |
| Ang Thong | Bus or car via Rte 32/3196, about 1 h | About 1–1.5 h |
| Suphanburi | Local bus, about 3 h | About 3 h |
| Chai Nat | Bus or car on Hwy 1/Rte 311, about 1.5 h | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Old Town (around the station and Narai Maharat Rd)
- Walk to every sight; some blocks have monkeys on the roofs. Cheapest rooms.
- New Town (Hwy 1, Big C area)
- Chain hotels, malls and parking; 6–8 km from the ruins, so you need a car or taxi.Chain hotels, malls and parking; 3.7–5 mi from the ruins, so you need a car or taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Too expensive | แพงไปphaeng pai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Don't touch the monkeys | อย่าแตะลิงya tae ling |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Macaques grab bags, glasses, phones and food: keep zips closed, don't feed them, and don't carry visible snacks near San Phra Kan or Phra Prang Sam Yot.
- Some Old Town hotels sit inside the monkey zone; rooms without screened windows mean keeping windows shut.
- King Narai's Palace museum closes Mondays and Tuesdays and on public holidays.
- Sunflower fields are seasonal: bloom is roughly Nov–Dec, and most fields are around Pa Sak Jolasid Dam, 40+ km away.
- Lopburi has no Grab or Bolt coverage reported as of 2024: agree taxi fares before you get in.
Lopburi is a low-crime provincial town; the real hazard is the macaques, which bite and steal. Keep food and bags out of reach, don't provoke them, and wash any bite immediately and get medical advice.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lopburi yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Phra Prang Sam Yot
- King Narai's Palace and museum
- The Old Town macaques
- Sunflower fields (Nov–Dec)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Lopburi City official site: www.lopburicity.com/
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- State Railway of Thailand: www.railway.co.th/
- Wikivoyage: Lopburi, revision 5277175 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5277175
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Lopburiลพบุรี
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Lopburi; most are in Bangkok. The US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish missions are all in Bangkok — check the address before you travel.
Monkeys bite: wash any wound and seek medical care the same day.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/lopburi). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.