Kanchanaburi or Pattaya?

On beaches the two towns are about as far apart as they could be. Kanchanaburi is inland, more than three hours from the Gulf, and all its swimming is in fresh water: the turquoise tiers at Erawan, or drifting on the River Kwai from a raft house.

Pattaya has the sea on its doorstep, though the main bay is better for deckchairs than for swimming. Jomtien and Na Jomtien are calmer, and the ferry to Koh Larn takes you to the clearest water and the palest sand.

In both towns the best meals are local Thai cooking, but the fish comes from different waters. Kanchanaburi's speciality is river fish such as snakehead and catfish, served at open-air and floating restaurants. Add the night market by the railway station and the shophouse noodles, and there is little beyond Thai food.

Pattaya has more range and a stronger local dish in its seafood, chosen by weight along the Naklua waterfront and in the fishing villages south of town. Its tourist strip also runs from pizza to schnitzel. The quality is uneven, but it helps anyone who tires of chilli.

Kanchanaburi has the more meaningful sightseeing, and all of it tells one story: the Thailand-Burma railway. Walking across the Bridge over the River Kwai, the rows of graves at the war cemetery and the Railway Centre add up to a moving day with the history well explained.

Pattaya's one sight of real quality is the Sanctuary of Truth, the carved teak temple on the shore at Naklua, with Big Buddha Hill as a second stop. Beyond those, the attractions are illusion galleries and replica floating markets rather than heritage.

Pattaya is built around its nights and Kanchanaburi is not. Kanchanaburi has a few bars on the riverside backpacker road, the odd cover band and the weekend party rafts, and most people are in bed early.

Pattaya runs late on Walking Street and in the beer-bar sois off Second Road, and it also has big dance clubs, rooftop bars and Boyztown. Much of it is tied to the sex trade, so anyone wanting a calmer evening stays in Jomtien or Naklua.

Kanchanaburi's real strength is the forested limestone hills along the Burmese border. Erawan National Park, the falls and caves at Sai Yok, kayaking on the dam reservoirs and bamboo rafting on the river give you days of jungle and water. It is all at its greenest from October to December.

Pattaya's outdoors is mostly at sea: snorkelling around Koh Larn and Koh Phai, diving on sunken naval ships and kitesurfing at Na Jomtien. On land there is little beyond the paths up to the viewpoints and the gardens at Nong Nooch.

Both towns have a good handful of outings, but of very different kinds. From Kanchanaburi the main trip is the old railway north to Nam Tok and Hellfire Pass, with the Khmer temple at Prasat Muang Singh and the great chedi at Nakhon Pathom as quieter choices.

Pattaya looks to Bangkok, about two hours away, and along the coast: Koh Si Chang's old royal palace by ferry from Si Racha, and Koh Samet's white beaches. Travellers interested in history do better inland, and those who want more beaches do better on the coast.

Pattaya has more aimed at children: water parks, an aquarium with a walk-through tunnel and the night safari at Khao Kheow. The catch is the bar streets, so families stay in Jomtien or at resorts with big pools.

Kanchanaburi is calmer. Children enjoy the Erawan pools, the slow train over wooden trestles and sleeping in a raft house, but the war museums mean little to young ones and most outings need a minivan.

Neither town is easy to get around without your own wheels, but for different reasons. Kanchanaburi stretches along the river for several kilometres, so a bicycle or scooter is the natural choice, and reaching Erawan or Sai Yok by bus or slow train takes patience.

In Pattaya the shared songthaews loop Beach Road and Second Road and run out to Jomtien and Naklua, which makes the coast simple to get along. The zoo, gardens and water parks still mean a taxi or a ride-hailing app.

Pattaya has more to buy, though neither town is worth visiting for its shops. Its air-conditioned malls, the night markets at Thepprasit and Jomtien and tailors who make suits within days cover most practical needs. Kanchanaburi has a night market, souvenir stalls by the bridge and gem shops selling sapphires from the province's old mines, which you need some knowledge to buy well.

Both are cheap, but Kanchanaburi makes a budget go a little further. Raft rooms and guesthouses cost very little and the local train and buses are almost free. Costs creep in through the separate national park fees for foreigners, private drivers and tours.

In Pattaya, a large oversupply of rooms keeps hotels cheap, especially in the wet season. Speedboat trips, water parks, shows and imported drinks are where the money goes.

Pattaya has some stage entertainment, even if it is put on for visitors: ladyboy cabaret in big theatres every night, dinner shows with Thai dance and cover bands playing late.

Kanchanaburi has no theatre or concert hall at all. Its one event is River Kwai Bridge Week in late November and early December, when a sound-and-light show with fireworks restages the wartime bombing of the bridge.

Both have cheap Thai massage and resort spas, but you rest in very different settings. In Kanchanaburi it is the quiet of raft houses and hammocks on the upper River Kwai with jungle on the far bank, and the small hot springs at Hin Dat for a soak.

In Pattaya you rely on the resorts in Naklua, Na Jomtien and on the Pratamnak headland, with full spas and gardens, because the centre stays loud late into the night. Choose massage places with care, as some belong to the nightlife trade.