Things to Do in Lopburi

If you are looking for things to do in Lopburi you will find that there is quite a bit on offer. I have been living in Lopburi with my family for the last year and a half. It is a nice little city that is most famous for its monkeys. Lopburi has a long history and it was the home of respected Thai monarch King Narai. The city is also contains some fine Khymer architecture with some of it dating back to the sixth hundreds of years. Most foreign visitors to Lopburi only tend to come for the day to look at the monkeys; it is only a couple of hours away from Bangkok. This is a shame because there is actually quite a bit to see in the local area if people have a bit more time.

The old part of Lopuri is the home of the famous monkeys; they are everywhere. There is a shrine devoted to Phra Prang Sam Yod and this is where most of the monks spend their time. The temple itself dates back to the thirteenth century, but it is the monkeys that most people come to see. All around this area you will find these cheeky scamps up to mischief. There is a Tesco store a bit up the street and you will find that the monkeys wait here in order to get their hands on any shopping that people don't keep tight hold of. If you have never been really close to monkeys then having them wander around so freely can come as a bit of a surprise, and is well worth seeing. The monkey festival draws people from around the world and occurs in the last week of November.

There are more things to do in Lopburi than just see monkeys. The Phra Narai temple is also in the old part of the city, and this was the home of that famous and much respected monarch. The temple was built in 1665, because the king feared that his home in Ayutthaya was at risk of attack from the Burmese. There are some interesting bushes that have been pruned into the shape of elephants to remind people of how these animals were used by the king during war time. There is also a museum which provides information about what life was like in ancient Siam.

Lopburi has a zoo where I sometimes bring my son. I have mixed feelings about this place. It is worth a visit, but it is not the most glamorous zoo in the world. Despite the fact that it attracts many visitors and has a large selection of animals it looks a bit run down. Some of the animals looked unhappy, but I'm no expert. If you are looking for things to do in Lopburi then pay a visit, but I wouldn't go out of my way for a visit.

A really nice time of year in Lopburi is December when we have the Sunflower Festival. If you want to visit you will need to arrange transportation as the sunflower fields are a bit outside the city. It is well worth it though, because spending the day admiring these flowers is one of the nicest things to do in Lopburi.