What to Do in Ayutthaya

If I was going to ask you where the largest city in the world was in the year 1600, I wonder where you might suggest. London? Paris? Beijing? Cairo?

I’m going to guess that the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (or simply Ayutthaya), might not have made your shortlist.

Well, in the year 1600, Ayutthaya was the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the precursor to modern day Thailand. And it had a population of around a million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world!

Unfortunately for the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, the Burmese-Siamese War culminated in the sacking of Ayutthaya in 1767. The majority of the city was burned to the ground, including the 14th century Grand Palace. This marked the end of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. After the fall, the Siam state moved its capital to Thonburi and then finally to Bangkok.

Today, Ayutthaya still exists as a city you can visit. It was re-founded after the sacking, and a new city rose up around and beside the remains of the original. Not a huge amount was left admittedly – much of the city had been made of wood, which didn’t survive the huge fires and the ravages of time. What is left are primarily what was made of brick and stone, which includes a number of temples and statues.

Being less than two hours by train and bus from Bangkok means that Ayutthaya is a popular place to visit as a day trip from the capital. There is a lot to see at this UNESCO world heritage site, which I will cover now.

Table of Contents:

1. The Tourist Information Office

I know, I know, Ayutthaya has all these crumbly epic ruins to see and I’m suggesting a visit to the Tourist Office. But there’s a good reason for that. First, you can pick up a free map of the city. Free is good, plus it lists all the highlights.

Second, and more importantly, the tourist office building also hosts an excellent exhibition on Ayuttayah, detailing the rise and fall of the city, as well as an overview on the food, the people, and the sights. A good place to get your bearings before setting off for the temples proper, and learning all of those facts that your history lessons may have glossed over.

2. Wat Phra Mahathat

Wat Phra Mahathat is mostly famous for having a buddha’s head entwined in the roots of a banyan tree. This is of course very impressive to see, but there is more to this series of ruins than a head in a tree, despite what the photos may lead you to believe, including several prangs and many many crumbly buddha statues.

3. Wat Phra Si Sanphet / The Grand Palace

The largest temple in Ayutthaya, this is one that you absolutely cannot miss. The main draw are the three enormous chedis in a row, which you will see featured as the symbol of Ayutthaya all over the place. They really are quite large, and rather photogenic.

Fun fact – this used to be the home of a giant buddha covered in a third of a tonne of gold. The Burmese invaders found this to be just too tempting, and melted it down as part of their pillaging.

4. Wat Chaiwattaranaram

This is one of most photogenic Wat’s in Ayutthaya, featuring a large central chedi surrounded by pagodas. Normally you can climb to the top for a lovely view of the city, and it’s also a good place to watch the sunset from.

I say normally because when we visited flood damage has resulted in it being closed. The bad news meant that we couldn’t climb anything, the good news was neither could anyone else, so the pictures were happily people free. And lack of access also meant the entry fee was waived. So it wasn’t all bad news.

5. Wat Buddhaisawan

Home to a wonderful reclining buddha (as seen in the first photo in this article), this temple on the banks of the Chao Phraya is still in use, unlike all the others on the list. Being in use means access is free of charge.

There’s a lovely courtyard with a huge prang, hundreds of intact Buddha statues, and even some ruined bits out the back. It’s a good place to visit to get an idea of what the other temples might have looked like, had the Burmese not done their thing.

Temple Fees in Ayutthaya

The majority of the temples in Ayutthaya have an entry fee, which is paid at the temple entrance. The exception to this rule is active temples, like Wat Buddhaisawan, which doesn’t have an entry fee.

Fees are usually 50 baht for the more visited temples, including those in our list, and 20 baht for other temples. It’s also possible to get a temple pass, which covers six of the more popular temples, and includes the following:

Chai Watthanaram
Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Wat Mahathat
Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Phra Ram
Wat Maheyong

This pass can be bought at the entrance to these temples, and is worth purchasing if you plan on visiting at least five of these temples. If you’re only going to visit four or less, buying individual tickets will be a better idea.

How to get around Ayutthaya

Our preferred method for exploring Ayutthaya was on foot, although since no-one else in Thailand appears to travel by foot, we are usually the odd ones out.

The distances aren’t too great for getting between the sights by foot, although if you want to speed things up a bit, and visit more temples per day than we managed, then a bicycle is going to be the best option. These are easily rentable, and the tourist map that you can pick up comes with a suggested touring route.

Other options for getting around include tuk tuks, and covered pick up trucks known as songthaews.

The latter are a bit like buses in that they will usually have a fixed price and ply a set route, the challenge is working out if that route works for you. The former will usually take you where you want to go – just make sure you agree on a price beforehand.

Finally – don’t forget that there are countless places to cross the river by ferry. These are local services, so will be both inexpensive and not obviously signposted. Just ask a local for advice if you get stuck – they’ll probably be more than happy to help out.

How long to stay in Ayutthaya

Many people visit Ayutthaya as a day trip from Bangkok, with a temple run for the day, and maybe a river cruise in the evening. We’d suggest if you do this, the easiest way is going to be just to book a tour like this one, which includes return transport, lunch, all your admission fees and a guide.

It is of course totally possible to do it on your own as well, taking a bus or train from Bangkok and then either walking around the city, or using a bicycle or tuk-tuks to get between the sights. You are going to be packing a lot in though, and might find yourself fairly exhausted by the end.

If you’re travelling independently, I’d definitely recommend staying at least one night in Ayutthaya, and maybe even two. Buck the trend… go on! There are a lot of temples to see, and each ruin complex can take a couple of hours to fully explore.

Factoring in food stops, pauses to escape the ever present heat, and the sheer volume of sights on offer, and two or three full days will let you explore in a more leisurely fashion. We were there for four full nights, and didn’t regret this decision at all.

Where to Stay in Ayutthaya

If you do decide to stay overnight in Ayutthaya (good choice!), there’s no shortage of accommodation options to choose from. Our suggestion would be to check out the accommodation options on booking.com, where you’ll find a wide range of choices for the city.

For example, here is a well rated and centrally located hostel, and here is a mid-range and very highly reviewed option.

You definitely won’t struggle to find fantastic properties to stay in, whatever your budget!

When to visit Ayutthaya

To be totally honest with you, Ayutthaya is basically going to be hot and humid all year round. The best time to visit, as with much of this area of Thailand, is going to be between November and January, where it might be a little bit cooler.

This is a very relative use of the term cooler, though – temperatures are still going to be in the thirties and humidity is going to be high. Whenever you visit, make sure to keep hydrated and try to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. It’s hot out there!

Getting there and away

Situated 85km north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya is easy to get to. The following options exist:

Train

Train travel in Thailand is generally slower than road transport, but the scenery is nice and cruising along with the windows open taking in the view can’t be beaten. From Bangkok, trains depart several times a day from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station, prices ranging from 30 – 250 baht depending on class.

Rail timetables are available in English from the Thai railway website: railway.co.th. The train station in Ayutthaya is located to the east of the city island – to get to the centre from the train station you’ll want to cross the river using the local ferry, which costs around 4 baht.

Bus

Bus is the fastest public transport option to Ayutthaya, with departures every 20 minutes or so from Bangkok’s northern bus terminal (Moh Chit). Buses also come to Ayutthaya from a whole number of other Thai cities, although timetable information is hard to find online. Ask at the local bus station if in doubt.

From Bangkok it takes around 1.5 – 2 hours to get to Ayutthaya, depending on traffic, and costs 50-100 baht. Minivans and tours also operate from popular tourist spots in Bangkok, price varies.

Boat

If you’re feeling like a river cruise, then you can take a boat cruise from Bangkok up to Ayutthaya (or vice versa, most day trips offer boat in one direction and bus in the other).

These aren’t scheduled services though, so you’ll need to book a tour in advance, and be prepared to spend at least a day on the river. It’s a beautiful way to travel though, so if you’re not pressed for time (or cash!), then this could be the way for you.

Tours To Ayutthaya

If you want to visit Ayutthaya as part of a tour, you have a number of options, including river boat tours from Bangkok, and day trips that include the city. Here are a few options to consider.

The Go City Bangkok Passes includes a day trip to Ayutthaya with four temples, round-trip transport and lunch. Worth checking out if you think you’ll visit the other attractions the pass includes.
A full day tour to Ayutthaya by bus, with lunch included. There’s no river tour, but that gives you more time to see temples.
Another full day tour to Ayutthaya by bus, also including lunch
A private full day tour to Ayutthaya by bus.
A full day tour from Bangkok to both Ayutthaya and Khao Yai National Park. See our guide to visiting Khao Yai – it’s a lovely national park well worth the visit!
If you’re looking for a multi-day tour, this 3 day tour includes Ayutthaya as well as a number of other destinations like Kanchanaburi

As always, we recommend reading the reviews and looking at a few different tour options to find the right one for you.