Thailand is a country rich in many things. From the endless supply of good food, to the wonderful people, to the stunning ecological diversity, it seems one could never run out of treasures to discover in The Land of the Smile. But a trip to Thailand is incomplete without exploring it’s vibrant culture and fascinating history, and there is no better place to start than the ancient capital city of Ayutthaya.
Now for those of you who are confused, yes, Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. But it hasn’t always been. Ayutthaya was the second capital of Thailand, from 1350 to 1767, when it was destroyed by the Burmese. In the tragic razing of the city all of its inhabitants were forced to flee, leaving Ayutthaya desolate, a shell of its former splendor. Today the city of Ayutthaya sits among the ancient capital’s ruins, creating an incongruous yet appealing concurrence of ancient and modern. Visitors to the charming city, strolling the sidewalks or cycling along the busy streets, will suddenly chance upon the large, looming towers and pretty stupas of an ancient temple complex, their bricks discolored from years of sun and neglect. A venture inside any one of these sites reveals clues to the life and devotion of the city’s former inhabitants. Buddha images, most of them broken and blackened from smoke, lie around every corner, many of them newly decorated with flowers, offerings, or sashes. Whether you’re interested in these small treasures or in the stunning architecture of the sites themselves, Ayutthaya’s ruins will not disappoint.
Getting there:
We arrived in Ayutthaya via train from Bangkok. Trains leave regularly for Ayutthaya from Hualamphong Railway Station, and third class tickets cost only 15 baht for the 2 1/2 hour journey. The city of Ayutthaya is actually situated on an island at the convergence of three rivers, so you will need to cross the river upon arrival. A ferry onto the island is only 4 baht; upon exiting the train station simply walk across the street and continue straight down a small road to the river (a 5 minute walk) to catch the ferry. Some of the tuk-tuk drivers on the other side of the river are only interested in giving tours of the ruins, so you may end up walking to your hotel from the ferry port, but the city is very walkable. Otherwise, you can get a taxi at the train station to take you directly to your hotel.
We stayed at Ayutthaya Place Youth Hostel, which I highly recommend! For a steal of a price we got hot water, soft beds, toilet paper (lets all take a moment and thank God for toilet paper), free wifi, and a small breakfast. The staff is also super friendly and helpful. The only downside is there’s not much in the way of food within walking distance unless a night market is set up close (this changes day to day), so plan accordingly. If a night market is close when you go, don’t miss it! Of all the markets we’ve been to so far, Ayutthaya’s had the most wonderfully dizzying selection!
Most hotels will give you a tourist map when you arrive. The map is easy to follow and conveniently numbered, and many locals seem to be familiar with it. This was helpful for me, as I was tragically born without a sense of direction and Kim fell ill our first day, so a bit of my exploring was done solo. In most cases I would be lost without Kim, in both the literal and figurative senses. But thankfully the city is easy to navigate, which is perfect for travelers on a budget! We did all our exploring on foot and still saw many of the important sights in well under two days.
Itinerary:
What you’ll be able to see in Ayutthaya all depends on how much time you have. Many people just do a day tour from Bangkok without staying the night. I wouldn’t recommend this simply because it’s not worth the cost. You can see more on your own than on a tour and spend a lot less money doing it! Two to three full days will be plenty of time to see everything, but if you have less time or want a more leisurely trip, you can still see the biggies. We relaxed on the afternoon of our arrival and dedicated half the following day and the morning of our last day to sight-seeing (about one full day total) and were happy with what we saw.
It’s difficult to know where to start in Ayutthaya if you’re only going off a list of the ruins—there’s a bunch! The man at our hotel was kind enough to tell us which ruins he thought were the most important to see. This, along with cost, helped us decide what to visit. Some of the temples charge 50 baht per entrance; some are free. There is also a day pass you can buy for 220 baht from the museum or one of the ruins, but it only includes admission into 6 ruins, all of which are regularly 50 baht. This pass is worth it if you plan on visiting all six. However, two of the ruins are off the island, so what you save in admission fees you’ll make up for in transportation costs (either a tuk-tuk or bicycle rental; more on that later). We chose the free option and walked easily to seven sites. Total cost: 200 baht for 1 person.
Below is our itinerary. The two clusters are temples that are all near each other. Those in bold are the ones our local friend recommended we see. Those with a * are part of the day pass deal, which is listed afterward. Admission fees are included in (parentheses).
Day 1:
Wat Phra Ram* (50 baht)
Wat Phra Si Sanphet* (50 baht)
Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit (free)
Wat Lokayasutharam (free)
Day 2:
Wat Maha That* (50 baht)
Wat Ratchaburana* (50 baht)
=200 baht
Day Pass (220 baht) includes:
Wat Phra Ram
Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Wat Maha That
Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Chaiwatthanaram (off island)
Wat Mahayong (off island)
Like I said, we saw all our ruins on foot. If you have the time and the energy, it’s a great way to do it! Put on some good walking shoes, stop off at one of the fruit stands and grab a snack, and see the city at your leisure! On a really random note that I’m sure some of you will appreciate knowing, I kept on running into those crazy floating spider web things while I was walking. Although they will definitely give you the heebie-jeebies, from what I could tell there were no spiders on me after being ambushed by the aforementioned fiends. So don’t totally freak out, like I kind of did.
If you want to pack more sights into a shorter amount of time, you can either rent a bicycle for around 40 baht per day, or hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you around to all the sites. We didn’t get a quote on a tuk-tuk driver, but I would expect to pay anywhere from $10-15 for a day.
Here’s a more detailed run-down of what we saw:
Wat Phra Ram: Constructed on the cremation site of King Ramathibodi I (1351-1369) sometime after his death, this site is now next to a large busy street and seems to come out of nowhere. Even more out of place are the elephants strolling down the adjacent street, tourists perched on their backs to tour the outside of the ruins. Inside the complex you’ll find dozens of buddha images scattered along walls and among foundations, all of them partially destroyed by the Burmese. You’ll see many attempts at reconstruction, with rocks perched atop torsos as makeshift heads and broken arms placed gently back into their positions. This wasn’t one of the must-sees indicated by our helpful friend, but it’s really beautiful and definitely worth a look. I recommend seeing it before Si Sanphet, as it’s on the way, and Si Sanphet is a bit more impressive; you’ll want to build up rather than down.
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| Buddha image at Wat Phra Ram |
Wat Phra Si Sanphet: This compound, built during the 15th century, is stunning in its diversity. The typical brick stupas abound alongside the scattered remains of walls and archways, as well as a neat rectangular structure with tall pillars and lots of buddha statues. But the most stunning part of the compound is the magnificent row of white stone stupas. With these stupas set against the brick ruins, green grass, and bright blue sky, the contrast in this compound is simply breathtaking. Take your time here, and notice the various decorations and offerings placed in front of many of the buddha images. Simple touches like this add to the beauty of this Wat!
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| White stones stupas at Wat Phra Si Sanphet |
Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit: This is a modern temple that is still in use today situated right next to Wat Phra Si Sanphet. It’s a typical Buddhist temple, very ornate, and houses one of Thailand’s largest bronze buddhas. The statue is 12.5 meters high without the base and 9.5 meters across at its widest point. This is a quick stop, but well worth it since it’s so close and admission is free!
Wat Lokayasutharam: This wat is also known as Reclining Buddha, for obvious reasons. The statue is an impressive 37 meters in length and is built from brick. I read a few reviews of this place before visiting, and a few people advised travelers that it wasn’t worth the visit, since the buddha is “all there really is to see.” I say, Psha! While there’s not much else at this site besides an old foundation and a simple prang, the statue itself is well worth the visit for several reasons. First, it’s gorgeous. Second, it’s a 5-10 minute walk from Wat Phra Si Sanphet/Mongkhon Bophit. Third, it’s free. Need I say more? Well ok, it’s also a prime spot for photo opportunities. “Hey, here’s me next to Buddha’s foot! Look how small I am!” Go in the afternoon, when the sun is best for photo taking.
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| Tiny Me by Wat Lokayasutharam (aka Reclining Buddha) |
Wat Maha That: You’ll see many of the typical sights here—stupas, prangs, etc. But the most impressive part of this wat is the famous “Buddha Tree.” In a dramatic display of Mother Nature’s stubborn, delicate beauty, one of the buddha heads lopped off by the Burmese in their destruction of the temple has since become entwined in the roots of a nearby tree, creating what is one of Thailand’s most recognizable images. No one is sure exactly how it happened, but it is stunning, and reminiscent of many of the Angkor ruins in Cambodia.*
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| The Buddha Tree at Wat Maha That |
Wat Ratchaburana: Our last site visit didn’t disappoint! Wat Ratchaburana is laid out in an easy-to-explore manner with gorgeous stupas, a large courtyard, and other smaller ruins surrounding a central structure. You can walk up the stairs and into an open tower, which was once a crypt and held many bronze images, golden objects, and jewelry that are now housed in the Chao Sam Phraya Museum. Inside the tower there is a small, creepy set of stairs you can go down that lead to a few unrestored rooms whose walls are covered in paintings. Very Indiana Jones. Here, just as at the other sites, there were also numerous buddha images scattered around, many somewhat put back together, and all very pretty.
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| Buddha images and a stupa at Wat Ratchaburana |
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My advice: don’t spend all your time in Bangkok and miss out on the splendor of Ayutthaya. With transportation from Bangkok costing so little, there’s almost no excuse not to go, and you won’t regret spending a little time in this charming city! Happy exploring!
*For those of you planning to visit Cambodia during your travels, we recommending seeing Ayutthaya before visiting Angkor Wat. Normal temple ruins simply aren’t as impressive after seeing mother Angkor!
For more information on the history of Ayutthaya: www.ayutthayahistory.com
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