Lopburi

Move north from ancient Ayutthaya to the fabled Monkey City of Lopburi. Zip up your bags and keep your pockets sealed, though – the 1,000 or so crab-eating macaques that share the Old Town with the locals have been known to steal all sorts! You can encounter those cheeky simians at Phra Prang Sam Yot. It’s a half-ruined Khmer shrine with red brick stupas. And it’s the home of the city’s monkey colony. Around that, the streets sizzle with noodle stalls and beer bars where you can munch pad thai while watching macaques swinging on the telephone wires.