When I booked a train ticket to Lopburi from Bangkok a couple of years ago, the young fellow behind the counter asked, “Ja pai duu ling, reu? Mii yeu!” or, “Going to look at the monkeys, are you? They’re all over the place!” This was accompanied by a gesture approximating “Monkeys all over the place.”

Indeed, this small city north of Bangkok is overrun with monkeys, some very badly behaved. But it’s also a charming little place, featuring lots of attractive red brick architecture and some interesting historical sites from its period as a 17th-century capital city. Easy trip from Bangkok, and interesting all around.