Just slightly over 2 hours drive from Bangkok, the coastal province of Phetchaburi makes for an underrated day trip from the Thai capital. Its location, by the northern end of the Malay peninsula and facing the Gulf of Thailand, gives visitors the best of both worlds. It is as easy to find a nice beach for swimming or a jungle canopy to hike through as it is to marvel at centuries-old hilltop palaces and impressive temple ruins. Its capital, which also goes by the name Phetchaburi, doesn’t have a shortage of impressive buildings that belie its small population.
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