Kanchanaburi : Michelin's recommendations

This former garrison town, founded in the 17C to defend the border from Burmese attacks, now makes a pleasant stopping-off point before heading on to explore the region’s national parks. Unfortunately, Kanchanaburi is known mainly for the tragic events of 1942-43, in which hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives during the construction of the “death railway” and the bridge over the River Kwai, immortalised in the film by David Lean. The Death Railway Museum and the military cemetery evoke this appalling period of contemporary history.