Phichit Travel Guide: Bueng Si Fai, Wat Tha Luang, Chalawan

Most travellers pass through Phichit between Nakhon Sawan and Phitsanulok without stopping. That is a pity, because the province has the fifth-largest freshwater lake in Thailand, a riverside temple that the whole province treats as its own, an old city more than 900 years old, and the story of a giant crocodile that became a classic of Thai literature. Wikipedia describes Phichit as one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces, lying in lower northern Thailand, bordered by Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet. Thai Wikipedia files it under upper central Thailand instead, so both labels are in use.

This guide is built from English and Thai Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, the 12Go page we opened in a real browser on 16 October 2026, and the official website of the one hotel whose site we could read. The Tourism Authority of Thailand site refused our tools on the day we checked, so we do not cite it anywhere on this page. Where sources disagree we show both numbers, and where we could not verify something, such as an entry fee or opening hours, we say so and tell you to check.

What kind of province is it

English Wikipedia says the province mainly consists of low fertile river plains, with rice and lotus as the main crops, and only 17 square kilometres of forest, or 0.4 percent of the area. Thai Wikipedia adds that three rivers run north to south, the Yom, the Nan and the Phichit River, and that because the province sits in a low basin it floods regularly when water comes down from the north. If you plan to come at the end of the rainy season, allow for road conditions and water levels.

Sources give different areas. Thai Wikipedia says 4,531 square kilometres, while the English infobox says 4,319. Treat it as roughly 4,300 to 4,500. The population was 517,308 in 2024 according to English Wikipedia and 513,150 in 2025 according to Thai Wikipedia. The province has 12 districts.

On history, English Wikipedia says the town of Phichit was founded in 1058 by Phraya Kotabongthevaraja, first as part of the Sukhothai kingdom and later of Ayutthaya. The town's name changed several times: Sa Luang (city of the royal pond), then Okhaburi (city in the swamp) in Ayutthaya times, and finally Phichit, meaning beautiful. Thai Wikipedia says that in the reign of King Rama V the town was moved to Ban Khlong Riang, a canal dug to bypass a silted stretch of the Nan, so that canal became today's Nan River. The old town still has ruins from the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods. Phichit is also the birthplace of King Suriyenthrathibodi, known as Phra Chao Suea, as the provincial motto says.

Getting to Phichit

Distances from Bangkok vary by source: 330 km (English Wikipedia), about 350 km (Thai Wikipedia), 345 km (Wikivoyage), 347 km by rail to Phichit station, and 275 km on the 12Go page, which is probably measured differently. Use a map on the day.

The Bangkok to Phichit page on 12Go showed 23 trips when we opened it in a real browser on 16 October 2026, for Sunday 18 October and two travellers, priced from THB 430 to THB 9,375: one bus from THB 430, one van from THB 490, 13 flights from THB 1,116 and 8 taxis from THB 4,996. The recommended result was a bus plus van from Mochit New Van Terminal in Bangkok, about 5 h 30 min, ending at a 7-Eleven at Bueng Si Fai, with 4 departures starting at 07:00. The flights were Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air from Don Mueang to Phitsanulok. The same page also has a general schedule table listing State Railway of Thailand trains, coaches and vans; that table is not the result of the date we searched. These are the figures shown on the day we looked, not guaranteed fares. Some links on this site may earn us a commission, which does not change the times or prices you see.

Wikipedia says Phichit station is on the east bank of the Nan, opposite the town centre, so after a train you still cross the river to reach the centre. Taphan Hin station is also on the Northern Line. For a wider view of getting around Thailand, read domestic flights and trains.

In town

Bueng Si Fai

English Wikipedia describes Bueng Si Fai as a shallow oxbow lake fed by the Nan River, only about 1.5 to 2 metres deep, in Nai Mueang subdistrict of Mueang Phichit. Thai Wikipedia gives its area as 5,390 rai, down from more than 10,000 rai before the Sirikit Dam was built, and calls it the fifth-largest freshwater lake in the country after Bueng Boraphet, Nong Han, Bueng Lahan and Kwan Phayao. It is a breeding ground for freshwater fish and a habitat for many birds, and lies about 1 km west of the provincial hall.

Wikipedia lists several things around the lake. Princess Mother's Garden Phichit, built in 1984, covers 170 rai and has a walkway into the water leading to a large pavilion; people come to feed the fish and watch the sunset. The Chaloem Prakiat aquarium, the nine-sided pavilion, stands on a path projecting into the lake and shows more than 20 species according to Thai Wikipedia. The giant crocodile statue of Chalawan at the front of the lake is 38 m long, 6 m wide and 5 m high, with a meeting room for 25 to 30 people inside, and Thai Wikipedia claims it is the biggest crocodile statue in the world. We could not confirm that claim elsewhere, so treat it as Wikipedia's statement. There is also a crocodile pond and a small zoo where visitors can buy food for the crocodiles. We did not verify entry fees or opening hours, so ask on site.

Wat Tha Luang and Luang Pho Phet

English Wikipedia calls Wat Tha Luang the most famous temple in the province. It sits on the west bank of the Nan River close to the provincial hall and is believed to have been built in 1845 under King Rama III. Its other name is Wat Ratchadittharam, and it was promoted to a third-class royal monastery in 1986. The principal image is Luang Pho Phet, a bronze Buddha in the Chiang Saen style that people across the province revere. Wikipedia says the hall that houses it is open to worshippers daily from 06:30 to 18:00; confirm at the temple because times can change.

Because the Nan flows past the temple, the temple is also the venue of the province's traditional long-boat races. Thai Wikipedia explains that the races are tied to the temple's gold-leaf and Buddha-worship fair and held in flood season, around the first weekend of September, with a race and a parade of decorated boats on the Nan in front of the temple. Both Wikipedias say the Wat Tha Luang races began around 1907. The date was originally the sixth day of the waxing moon in the eleventh lunar month and was moved to the tenth month when the river fell too fast. The actual day changes each year, so check before you plan around it.

The old city and Wat Nakhon Chum

Wikivoyage says Muang Kao Historical Park lies about 6 km southwest of the new city. It describes an ancient town more than 900 years old, with most surviving structures from the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods. In the centre is Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat with a large bell-shaped chedi, inside which hundreds of votive tablets were found. Wikivoyage says admission is free but that the site is only partly excavated and not yet developed as a visitor attraction, so expect quiet ruins rather than a park with facilities.

Wikivoyage also mentions Wat Nakhon Chum, with a brick-and-mortar ordination hall that has a wooden upper part and a large Sukhothai-style Buddha once used for oath-taking, and Wat Khao Rup Chang, with a brick Ayutthaya-style chedi on a hilltop whose top is broken. We did not check these against an official source, so treat them as places to ask about locally.

The Ho Chi Minh museum and the provincial museum

Wikivoyage says Ho Chi Minh lived secretly in Phichit for several years in the late 1920s, and that in September 2018 Thailand and Vietnam opened a museum to commemorate it, with artefacts, memories and images of the Vietnamese leader. It also lists a small provincial museum in several rooms of the provincial hall by the river, with local history, culture and geography. We did not check either set of opening hours.

Beyond the town

Wat Pho Prathap Chang

Thai Wikipedia places the temple in Pho Prathap Chang district, about 21 km from the town. According to the royal chronicles of Ayutthaya it was built in 1699 to 1701 under King Suriyenthrathibodi (Phra Chao Suea) on the spot reputed to be his birthplace. Inside is the principal Buddha in the old ordination hall, Luang Pho To or Luang Pho Yim, said to be over 300 years old. The old hall is brick and stucco with a timber roof of tiles. South of the outer wall is a small chedi believed to be Phra Chao Suea's residence, and a shrine holds his statue and a statue of Phan Thai Norasing.

English Wikipedia gives the year as 1701 in its history section but says in its symbols section that it was built in 1669 to 1671, so the sources do not agree. It adds that the grounds are enclosed by double walls and huge trees, some more than 200 years old. If the exact year matters to you, check the signs at the temple or the Fine Arts Department.

Wat Bang Khlan (Wat Hiranyaram) and Luang Pho Ngoen

Thai Wikipedia says Wat Hiranyaram, popularly called Wat Bang Khlan, lies on the old course of the Nan in Pho Thale district. It was founded in 1827 by Luang Pho Ngoen Phutthachoto, who chose a quiet spot not far from a settlement, suitable for meditation. The temple has the Nakhon Chai Bowon Museum, a two-storey mondop-style building with a life-size cast figure of Luang Pho Ngoen upstairs and donated antiquities downstairs, such as Buddha images, votive tablets and pottery. The provincial motto mentions Luang Pho Ngoen's amulets. Thai Wikipedia gives Pho Thale as 59 km from Phichit town.

Taphan Hin and the big golden Buddha

English Wikipedia says Taphan Hin district lies about 28 km south of Mueang Phichit. The name means stone bridge, because a bedrock outcrop pushes into the river like a bridge, and it is one of three districts of Phichit crossed by the Northern railway line. Wikivoyage describes Taphan Hin as the commercial district of Phichit, with a 34-metre golden Buddha, Luang Pho To, at Wat Thewaprasat on the Nan bank opposite the market. We did not check opening hours.

Another thing worth knowing is the Kamfa festival, which Thai Wikipedia records for the Thai Phuan community of Ban Pa Daeng in Nong Phayom subdistrict, Taphan Hin. It is held on the second and third days of the waxing moon in the third lunar month, around February, to pay respect to the deities and the king. People working elsewhere often return home to make merit and play traditional games.

The Krai Thong and Chalawan legend

Phichit is known as the land of crocodiles. Wikivoyage says there are several freshwater crocodile farms, and the Siamese crocodile is the provincial aquatic animal. In Thai Wikipedia's telling, Chalawan was a huge crocodile of the old Nan River at Phichit. An old couple found crocodile eggs and raised the hatchling, which later ate them and moved to the river, where it terrorised people until locals called it Ai Talawan, later softened to Chalawan. Krai Thong, a merchant from a downstream town thought to be Nonthaburi, volunteered to kill it with an enchanted spear. King Rama II turned the story into the play Krai Thong, and Thai Wikipedia adds that Phichit amulets with a tilted head, called Phichit Ket Khot, are a popular local style. This is local legend and belief, not history we can verify, but it explains why crocodile statues and Bueng Si Fai are the province's symbols.

Food and souvenirs

The provincial motto mentions Tha Khoi pomelos and delicious rice. Wikivoyage says pomelo is Phichit's best-known and bestselling fruit, grown mainly in Pho Prathap Chang district, sweet and sour, seedless with pinkish flesh, in two seasons, October and April. Peels of young pomelo are made into a jam-like sweet that is a popular snack. Wikivoyage also mentions makham kaeo, a tamarind candy that is sour, salty, sweet and slightly spicy, and the colourful hand-woven fabrics of the province.

English Wikipedia says agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, 37.7 percent of provincial output, and lists pomelo at 43,506 tonnes, limes at 34,677 tonnes and rice at more than 1.3 million tonnes, though it does not make clear which year. Read it as a sign of a farming province. We did not check restaurants, so we recommend none by name.

When to go

Thai Wikipedia divides the year into hot (March to April), rainy (May to October) and cool (November to February). English Wikipedia says April is the hottest month, with a record high of 39.4 degrees C, and the lowest record is 15.2 degrees in January. Annual rainfall is about 1,309.5 mm over 120 days. The sources disagree on the wettest month: the English climate table (2021 to 2022 data) shows September at 407 mm, while Thai Wikipedia names August at 292.9 mm. The difference comes from the year and station used.

If you want to see the long-boat races at Wat Tha Luang, go around early September according to Wikipedia and confirm the real date for that year. If you prefer milder weather, November to February is probably more comfortable. We found no official source summarising Phichit's tourist season, so this comes from Wikipedia's climate figures, not from the tourist authority. Check the Thai Meteorological Department forecast for your travel dates.

A sample plan

This is not copied from anyone's itinerary. It orders the places the sources mention by location so you do not drive back and forth.

• Half a day in town: morning at Wat Tha Luang and a walk along the Nan, then Bueng Si Fai with the Chalawan statue, Princess Mother's Garden and the nine-sided aquarium; back to the lakeside park for sunset.
• A full day: add the old city and Wat Nakhon Chum in the morning, then drive to Wat Pho Prathap Chang, about 21 km away.
• With two days: on day two visit Wat Bang Khlan in Pho Thale (about 59 km from town) and stop in Taphan Hin for the golden Buddha before moving on to Nakhon Sawan or back to Bangkok.

We did not check driving times between these places, so use a map before you set off. The distances used are from the town to each district, as given on Thai Wikipedia.

Where to stay in Phichit

We searched for official hotel websites in Phichit. Most properties that show up on booking sites have no official website that we could read and verify. Only one did: Fahluang Hotel. Its site gives the address as Tha Luang, Mueang Phichit, says it is a 5-minute drive from Princess Mother Garden Park, lists Classic rooms in Family, Triple, Deluxe and Standard types, and lists free Wi-Fi, free parking and a cafe. We did not check prices. The details were checked against the hotel's own pages on 16 October 2026. Because only one hotel could be verified, we have not built a full where-to-stay comparison page; we will add one when at least eight hotels have readable official websites.

On areas, the verifiable advice is simple: if you mainly want Bueng Si Fai and Wat Tha Luang, stay in Tha Luang or in Phichit town, since Wikipedia puts the lake about 1 km from the provincial hall. For Pho Prathap Chang or Taphan Hin, staying in town and driving out is the easiest option, because we found no verifiable accommodation in the other districts.

Nearby destinations

• Phitsanulok: borders Phichit to the north and has the airport the Don Mueang flights land at
• Phetchabun: borders Phichit to the east
• Kamphaeng-Phet: borders Phichit to the west and has a historical park
• Sukhothai: a World Heritage city further north; read the Sukhothai Historical Park guide
• Uthai Thani: a river town to the southwest
• Tak
• Bangkok: where most trips start, roughly 330 to 350 km away
• Thailand overview
• Nakhon Sawan: Paknam Pho, Bueng Boraphet and Mae Wong

FAQ

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.