Tag: things to do in Thailand

Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom, and was founded in 1350. According to the UNESCO description it flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce.

Unfortunately, along came the Burmese and burnt a considerable amount of the old city to the ground, leaving mostly ruins of temples. However, there is enough that remains to understand how impressive the city would have once been and it was well worth a visit. We stayed two nights but you can easily day-trip from Bangkok.

1. How to get to Ayutthaya
2. What to do in Ayutthaya
3. Which temples to visit in Ayutthaya
   1. 5 must see temples in Ayutthaya
   2. 6 more temples to see in Ayutthaya
4. Entry fee for Ayutthaya temples
5. Ayutthaya temples opening times
6. Dress code for Ayutthaya
7. Is Ayutthaya worth visiting?
8. How long should I stay in Ayutthaya?
9. Ayutthaya top tips

How to get to Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is located only an hour north of Bangkok making it an easy day trip or stopping off point on travels heading up to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and further north. We use 12Go Asia for all our trains, buses, ferries etc. when we can. We’ve included direct links below to the journeys on 12Go, just change the date and you’re all set.

There are a couple of ways to get to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. A very regular train that starts running at 07:10 and finishes at 23:23 will cost about £2.50 and has a journey time between 45-90 minutes depending on the train. Make sure you book a departure station in Bangkok that suits you best, there are a couple of stations the train leaves from. Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is near Chatuchak, whereas the alternative station is Don Mueang which is a lot further north.

An alternative route is to take a minivan from Mochit New Van Terminal which is close to Chatuchak as well, or Khao San Mama Travel on Khao San Road. Both departure points are easily accessible using a cheap Grab taxi. Of course you can take the metro and trains but these tend to be sometimes slower than hopping on a Grab bike or taking a car depending on the journey. The minivans also run very frequently throughout the day and just leave when they’re full enough, so you’ll need to be slightly flexible on your timings if using these.

Once in Ayutthaya, both the train station and bus station are in the same area. There will be tuk tuks waiting to offer you lifts, don’t forget to negotiate a decent price or just use Grab to make the journey simple! If you haven’t downloaded Grab yet, then we’d absolutely recommend it for travelling around most of SE Asia.

We took a minivan from Mochit New Van Terminal and it left bang on time and got to Ayutthaya even a little ahead of schedule. As we were visiting Ayutthaya on the way to Chiang Mai we didn’t take a return journey to Bangkok, but both the trains and busses run frequently in both directions.

What to do in Ayutthaya

Alongside the central archeological site which contains a lot of ruins, the city has beautiful temples all around the outside. The central temples are easy to cycle around and there cycle paths laid out. If you’re staying in Ayutthaya most hotels and hostels offer free bikes, but if not (or if the quality is poor) then there are plenty of places offering bikes for rent around town.

To visit temples further out, we’d really recommend you rent a moped or hire a tuk tuk for the day! Don’t do what we did… We decided we’d use our hotel’s bikes to cycle to a few temples. We were naïve (borderline psychologically insane) as we thought doing a grand tour via bike would be great. Humidity, 33 degree heat, cycling over dual-carriageway bridges not designed or intended for bikes resulted in one of the sweatiest days of our lives. If you visit Ayutthaya don’t cycle 25km like we did, save that for the inner temples!

Which temples to visit in Ayutthaya

There are so many temples in the center, and on the outskirts, of Ayutthaya. Some now look pretty modern as they’ve been built over ruins to protect them or incorporate them into new temples, others are still ruins as we would expect to see them. Here’s a list of all the temples we saw and would recommend, along with a priority version if you’re pressed for time.

5 must see temples in Ayutthaya

These temples are all within cycling distance of each other, you can walk them too, and are very central, meaning you can easily see them all within a day trip and are nearby enough places to grab a bite to eat to break up the day.

• Wat Worachettharam – stunning large complex close to the center
• Wat Phra Si Sanphet – another large temple group, close to the center
• Wat Phra Ram – very ornate but crumbling complex, close to the center and easily accessible
• Wat Maha That – probably most famous for the Buddha head in the tree roots. Well worth a visit for lots of other reasons but this is also a beautiful part of the temple demonstrating how nature is slowly taking over
• Wat Ratcha Burana – also central, close to the night market and Wat Maha That

6 more temples to see in Ayutthaya

If you have more time in Ayutthaya then we’d recommend adding these into your sightseeing as well. You will need to hire a scooter or take a tuk tuk to these ones though as they’re all outside of the center of town.

• Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon – this temple is to the east of Ayutthaya center and has a large reclining buddha that is often draped in gold cloths
• Wat Phut Thai Sawan – South of Ayutthaya center, rows of golden buddhas and a starkly white temple complex
• Wat Chaiwatthanaram – a large complex on the edge of the river
• Wat Suwandararam – interesting temple group with a mix of old ruins and more modern temples, a little south of the center
• Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan – large temple that looks new with a lot of parking infrastructure outside it, inside is an enormous golden Buddha. Near to a Chinese shrine on the river, Chao Mae Soi Dok Mak
• Wat Sala Pun Worawihan – small temple group, along the river and west of the center

Keep in mind that as there are 41 temples and more ruins all over the region, this is not an exhaustive list and you may find others to see as well so combine our recommendations with your own research.

Entry fee for Ayutthaya temples

There is no charge to walk around the National Park, which is the area where all the temples are. This means that you can see the temples clearly from the streets around the low-walled complexes for free.

Not all of the temples cost the same, the entry fee prices vary between 20 – 50 Thai Baht.

The entry and exit points on some of the lesser visited temples aren’t very well manned and we accidentally wandered into a couple of temples without realising that you usually have to pay as there was no-one at the entrance to take our money! We found that they’re not very strict on payment for entry unless you turn up with a tour group.

Ayutthaya temples opening times

Most temples open from 8am to 5pm, but keep in mind that there is limited shade at pretty much all of the temples and in the hottest part of the day (11am-2pm) it’s best to take a break for lunch!

This does mean that if you’re doing a day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya you will be limited to the number of temples you’ll be able to visit. If you are going to see temples over midday then hats, water and shade-seeking are highly advisable!

Dress code for Ayutthaya

While there is no dress code for the National Park, when you enter the temples you will be asked to dress respectfully, like visiting any other temples in Thailand. That means knees and shoulders covered for both men and women.

Is Ayutthaya worth visiting?

Once you’ve seen one temple you’ve seen them all right? Wrong!! These temples are so different to others you’ll find in Thailand, especially on this scale. For this reason Ayutthaya is definitely worth visiting either from Bangkok as a day trip or on the way up to Chiang Mai.

How long should I stay in Ayutthaya?

If you only visit the 5 must see temples in the centre of town then you can easily make this a day trip from Bangkok.

If you’re keen to see more temples further out then we’d recommend a whole day (with a night stop over) given the closing time, as you might want to have the chance to see more in the morning the next day.

There isn’t much to do in Ayutthaya other than visit the temples so two full days is plenty for visiting Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya top tips

• Walk around the central temples in the evening to see them lit up, they’re absolutely stunning in the daytime and at night.
• If you’re staying in Ayutthaya then we’d recommend you pick a central accommodation, we stayed a little out of town and it really added to the journey time to see the temples!
• On the whole Ayutthaya is a bit rough and ready, with less infrastructure catered towards tourists compared to other places we’ve visited. Beyond the temples, there isn’t masses to do.
• But…there are some fantastic places to eat including:
  • Brick Wall coffee – air con and good coffee – hit the spot.
  • Malakor – where we had the most delicious dish of green aubergine, minced pork, Thai basil (ผัดมะเขือม่วง) – see picture below!
  • โพจัง ปิ้ง-ย่าง แจ่วฮ้อน ขอนแก่น – a cool, new-ish place that does very well priced and delicious hot pot.
• The night market was full of food and locals and was really interesting to walk through

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Happy Travels!