Ratchaburi Province is located to the west of Bangkok. The administrative center of the province the city of Ratchaburi, is separated from the Thai capital by around 150 km. The nearest major tourist center, the city of Kanchanaburi , is located at a distance of 40 km from the border with Ratchaburi.
In the center of Ratchaburi, next to the waterfront of the Mae Klong River, the Ratchaburi National Museum is located, which is one of the main attractions of the city. The collection of the local museum contains exhibits on the pre-Thai and Thai history of Ratchaburi, including the eras of Dvaravati, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin.
The most interesting part of the museum's exposition is devoted to the pre-Thai and early Thai periods of the city's development. The Dvaravati era is especially well represented, its heyday in these places fell on the 7th - 8th centuries. AD Artifacts of that time number in the dozens, there are many statues of Buddha, bodhisattvas and deities of the Indian pantheon, and the amusing terracotta statues and cheerful bas-reliefs so characteristic of the Dvaravati era are well represented.
Wat Mahathat Worawihan is located half a kilometer from the Ratchaburi National Museum. This is one of the oldest temples in the city, its history goes back more than 1000 years. Wat Mahathat Worawihan has only been partially restored, many towers are in a dilapidated state, and they look as authentic as the exhibits of the Ratchaburi National Museum.
