An easy escape from Bangkok, Phetchaburi should be on every cultural traveller’s itinerary. It has temples and palaces, outlying jungles and cave shrines, as well as easy access to the coast. Best of all, Phetchaburi remains a sleepy provincial town, complete with markets and old teak shophouses. Relatively few foreigners make it here; instead it is visiting groups of Thai students who can be found touring the sites and working up the courage to say 'hello' to any wandering Westerners.
Historically, Phetchaburi is a visible timeline of kingdoms that have migrated across Southeast Asia. During the 11th century the Khmer empire settled in, although their control was relatively short-lived. As Khmer power diminished, Phetchaburi became a strategic royal fort during the Thai-based Sukhothai and Ayuthaya kingdoms. During the stable Ayuthaya period, the upper gulf flourished and Phetchaburi thrived as a 17th-century trading post between Myanmar and Ayuthaya. The town is often referred to as a ‘Living Ayuthaya’, since the equivalent of the many relics that were destroyed in the former kingdom’s capital are still intact here.
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/upper-southern-gulf/phetchaburi-phetburi#ixzz3yzy7vuhu