Yes. Since your driver waits for you rather than running a fixed route, you can pair Lopburi with another town along the way, whether that's a temple stop, a local market, or a scenic break for photos. It's an easy way to turn one destination into a fuller day without adding a second trip.
Lopburi sits about 150 km (93 miles) north of Bangkok. A private transfer typically takes around 2 to 2.5 hours depending on traffic, dropping you right in the old town rather than a station outside it. Trains cover the route too, generally taking 2 to 3 hours, but on a fixed schedule that limits how much of the day you actually get in Lopburi.
Half a day is enough to hit the highlights: Phra Prang Sam Yod, San Phra Kan, and King Narai's palace ruins are all within walking distance of each other in the old town. Most travelers comfortably cover Lopburi's core sights in 3 to 4 hours, leaving room to relax over lunch or add another stop on the way back to Bangkok.
The macaques are the main event, but they're also bold and quick-fingered. Hold onto hats, sunglasses, food, and anything dangling from your bag, especially near Phra Prang Sam Yod and San Phra Kan. If you're around San Phra Kan in the morning or late afternoon, when city officials typically feed the monkeys, you'll likely catch them at their most active and entertaining.
Phra Prang Sam Yod, the Khmer-era "Monkey Temple," is the star attraction, with macaques climbing all over its three towers. San Phra Kan draws crowds around its centuries-old Shiva statue crowned with an Ayutthaya-period Buddha head, and doubles as a favorite monkey hangout. Round it out with Phra Narai Ratchaniwet, King Narai's 17th-century palace, for a look at Lopburi's history beyond the monkeys.
Lopburi is one of Thailand's oldest cities, tracing its roots to the 7th century and later serving as the kingdom's second capital under King Narai. It's also home to hundreds of free-roaming macaques who treat the ancient ruins as their personal playground. Nowhere else in Thailand do you get centuries-old Khmer temples and a genuine monkey takeover in the same afternoon.
