Kamphaeng Phet

3 TIME Pub & Restaurant

Hip bar (at least by the standards of a provincial town), live music.

Daily, 18:00-02:00

About Coffee by Dao

Cozy café with fresh coffee and espresso-derivatives; free Wi-Fi. About halfway between downtown and National Museum/Historical Park.

Closed · opens 8 am

Bami Chakangrao

บะหมี่ชากังราว

Simple, but popular restaurant, mainly serving yellow noodle dishes (e.g., with tom yum soup) and grilled pork skewers. Video clip presenting the restaurant (Thai).

Banana Pub

Night club in the basement of Phet Hotel with a stage for live music and go-go dance.

Banana market

Dozens of stalls selling fresh bananas (ripe or green), fried bananas, bananas baked in honey, and rattan products.

Big C Supercenter

Large shopping mall with a variety of shops, system catering and a cinema.

Cake Pound

เค้กปอนด์

Bakery, coffee shop. Lots of breads, mini pizzas and cake options at reasonable prices. Two muffins for 30 baht, tasty and a good deal. Air-con.

07:00-?·Espresso 35 baht

Clock tower

Landmark and central orientation point. It is made of laterite, thus referring to the ancient monuments of the historical park, that consist of the same material. With its castle-like shape and crenelations, it is also a nod to the city's name: "diamond wall". The bodhi (sacred fig) tree on the other side of the roundabout is used by locals as a meeting point.

Coffee Club

เสือยิ้ม, Suea Yim

Comfortable sofas and some great coffee. They also provide a free pot of green tea with each cup of coffee. Has A/C and Wi-Fi, and serves cakes.

Closed · opens 8 am·Espresso 30 baht

Coffee Mania

Cozy, retro-styled café; offers espresso, cappuccino, frappes, etc. Owner speaks English.

Coffee Today

A popular coffee shop. Cappuccino at 50 baht, selection of sweet snacks, Wi-Fi. On the street corner opposite the town fountain.

Common Coffee

Small café and cocktail bar, large variety of imported beer in bottles.

Daily, 10:00-23:00·Cocktails 129+ baht

Fourest

Restaurant and café with a large garden at the edge of Historical Park. Serves European beers. Live music evenings.

Daily, 11:00-23:00

Kai Yang Phi Paeo

ไก่ย่างพี่แป๋ว

Offers delicious grilled chicken, som tam and other spicy Northeastern Thai dishes. There is an air conditioned and a non-AC room. Video clip (Thai).

Daily, 08:00-17:00

Kamphaeng Phet Chaloemphrakiat Museum

พิพิธภัณฑสถานกำแพงเพชรเฉลิมพระเกียรติ, Phiphithaphanthasathan Kamphaeng Phet Chaloem Phrakiat; also known as "Thai House Museum", พิพิธภัณฑ์เรือนไทย, Phiphithaphan Ruean Thai

Elegant replicas of traditional Thai houses, hosting an exhibition about local and regional history and lifestyle.

Daily, 09:00-16:30; Closed on Sun·10 baht; multimedia room 250 baht per group

Kamphaeng Phet National Museum

พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติกำแพงเพชร, Phiphithaphanthasathan haeng Chat Kamphaeng Phet

Exhibition of bronze sculptures and pottery from different periods of Thai art and Mon art. The highlight is an early 16th-century bronze Shiva statue. Its head and hands were cut off in 1886 by a German trader who tried to smuggle them to Europe. They were however confiscated before he could send them abroad and were reunited with the torso. A replica was then made under orders of King Rama V, given to the German crown prince and is now exhibited at the Berlin Museum of Asian Art.

Wed-Sun, 09:00-16:30·100 baht

Khet Aranyik

Forest district

Thailand's Buddhist clergy was divided into "town monks" who studied, taught and performed ceremonies for the believers, and "forest monks" who went into retreat, dedicated to meditation and asceticism. The bigger part of the historical park, covered with light forest, consists of the hermitage ruins of the latter group. Thanks to the canopy of leaves, it is very pleasant to visit on foot or by bicycle (can be rented by the main entrance). Its main sites are Wat Chang Rop (with its remarkable chedi that is surrounded by 68 stucco elephant figures), Wat Phra Non (with a relatively well-preserved chedi and remains of a Reclining Buddha statue), Wat Phra Si Iriyabot (with the park's only surviving, nine metre high standing Buddha statue). Next to the main entrance to this zone is also the park administration.

Khet Nai

Inner district

The ruins of the temple district of the ancient city of Cha Kang Rao, including Wat Phra Kaeo and Wat Phra That. The Reclining Buddha of Wat Phra Kaeo is arguably the most beautiful statue in the park and one of the best depictions of the Buddha's serene smile from the Sukhothai period. The zone is surrounded by five metre high laterite walls and a 25-metre wide moat. Four of ten forts and gates are relatively well-preserved and can be visited.

Khrua Rim Khlong

ครัวริมคลอง

Rustic open-air restaurant in a garden by the riverside, serving mainly dishes with freshwater fish.

Kitti Restaurant

กิตติโภชนา, Kitti Phochana

Large and long-standing Chinese restaurant with diverse selection of dishes. A little expensive.

Daily, 09:00-22:00

Mae Ping Riverside

แม่ปิงริเวอร์ไซด์

Large choice in dishes, mainly (but not only) freshwater fish; draught beer; seats directly on the riverbank with a beautiful view of the town; frequently live music in the evening.

Main daytime market

Wet market selling fresh food and ready-to-eat dishes as well as craft products.

Mueang Nakhon Chum

Kamphaeng Phet/Cha Kang Rao's sister city on the opposite bank of the Ping River is even older. Its fortification and temple ruins are however in a worse state of preservation. Unlike on the other bank, there is no actual park with fence, cashier, and trim paths, but the ruins are simply dispersed among the landscape, widely ignored by locals and tourists alike. The only historic temple that is still in use, is Wat Phra Borommathat (see below, in the temples section).

Oasis Bar & Restaurant

German owner and chef; German and Thai dishes, burger, pizza, lasagne; various German beers; meeting place of Western expats.

Rong Tiam

โรงเตี๊๊ยม

Cozy and relaxed pub; live music on some days, starting around 21:00.

San Lak Mueang

City pillar shrine

Shrine that houses the symbolic navel of the city which according to the locals' belief is home to the city's guardian spirits.

Sathanee Steak

สถานีสเต็ก

Quaint restaurant and café with antiques in the American 1920s to '50s style. As its name implies, mostly steaks are served. Video.

Shiva shrine

San Phra Isuan

Original place of the Shiva statue that now is kept at the National Museum, there is a replica where locals bring their offerings, asking the deity for blessing of themselves, their families and pets.

Supha Phochana

สุภา โภชนา

Simple, very popular restaurant for authentic Thai food. Specialty of the house is Tom Lueat Moo (soup with clotted pig blood).

Suphap Phat Thai Nakhon Chum

สุภาพผัดไทยนครชุม

Small restaurant and takeaway, supposedly making (according to locals) the best pad Thai.