Just 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok is the old capitol of Ayutthaya (or Ayuthaya, or even Ayodhaya. No matter how you spell it, its pronounced ah-you-tah-ya.) The city became Thailand's capitol in the mid-14th century and remained the capitol until the late 18th century. About the time that Americans were tossing tea into Boston harbor, the Burmese attacked and sacked Ayutthaya.
The ruins of Wat Si Sanphet, the centerpiece of Ayutthaya's old royal city.
The Ayutthaya period is looked on by many as the time when much of what is now thought of as "Thai style" was developed. In temples, this is when you see a marked transition from the Khmer style prangs to the bell shaped chedi. While Sukothai further north is seen as the birth of the Thai kingdom, Ayutthaya is seen today as its high point. Around Ayutthaya are signs of the Japanese, French, Dutch and Portuguese traders that came to the Thai court. Read more about the history of Ayutthaya for more information.
Ayutthaya is usually visited as part of a packaged day trip from Bangkok, which usually includes stops at the Bang Pa In palace as well as the Bang Sai royal arts center. You can spend a leisurely day here and see the main sights, or a quick stop, all with relatively low pressure compared to many other tourist sites. From Ayutthaya you can quickly get on an expressway and be back in Bangkok in about an hour. It's relatively easy to do a day trip on your own, so you can go at your own pace and probably spend a lot less money. Read my How To Do Your Own Day Trip article for details.
Ayutthaya Art Museum The Ayutthaya Art Museum seems to be something of a white elephant (if you'll pardon the expression). It appears to have been built with little thought put into how it would be used. It has no permanent collection and apparently the only art on display is the work of local students. The Tourism Authority was supposed to use the first floor as its new information center, but that lasted only a few months before they moved back to their Thai-styled office next door.
The City Pillar shrine in Ayutthaya. The Ayutthaya City Pillar (Lak Muang) shrine is located next to the roundabout near Wat Phra Ram. This shrine, and the pillar within it, is a modern construction erected in the twentieth century. While there is some evidence that ancient Ayutthaya may have had a city pillar, nobody is sure where it was located. The significance of the city pillar changed substantially during the Bangkok era, and it wasn't until the 1990s that provinces were actually directed to erect city pillars in their capital cities.
Ayutthaya Historical Park Map Click on any of the icons for details. The Ayutthaya Historical Park encompasses most of the main sights on the former island capital. If you're doing a quick day trip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok, you can easily restrict yourself to this area and see the most important monuments.
Visits usually start at Wat Si Sanphet, move on to Wat Phra Ram and then finish up at Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana.
A modern pavilion built near the center of the old palace complex. Ayutthaya's grand royal palace once occupied around a fourth of the island, north of the Si Sanphet temple. The palace buildings were built mostly of wood, so they were completely leveled when the Burmese sacked and burned the city in the eighteenth century. Brick structures were in turn torn down and shipped down the river to build the new capital at Bangkok.
Sunset over Beung Phra Ram and Wat Phra Ram Beung Phra Ram is a large lake-filled park ('Beung' actually refers to the lake, not the park) that fills the area between the sites around the royal palace and Wat Mahathat. There are the remains of a few small temples spread out around the park, as well as some modern structures. Several paths and bridges make the park a rather nice place for an early evening walk or ride, as well as a popular place for joggers.
Pimanrataya Pavilion, displaying Buddha images and votives The Chan Kasem Museum is located in the ground of the former "Front Palace". In the Siamese royal tradition, there was a post of "Second King" that acted as a sort of Prime Minister, and was usually the designated successor. The Second King may have been a son of the current king, but was just as often a brother or uncle (Thailand has no tradition of succession as in Europe).
Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Ayutthaya The Chao Sam Phraya National Museum is a rather old fashioned museum, full of dusty display cases stuffed with artifacts. I wouldn't necessarily recommend a visit were it not for the two vaults on the second floor of the main exhibition building. One vault (and I do mean vault, complete with heavy safe doors) displays the gold-and-jeweled goods found in the burial pit at Wat Ratchaburana, while the vault at the other end of the floor has a similar display of items from the shaft of Wat Mahathat.
Chedi Sri Suriyothai The bright white and gilt pagoda on the northwestern corner is a singular sight that probably isn't worth the effort of visiting for foreign travelers. The golden chedi was built to contain the ashes of the iconic Queen Suriyothai, a sixteenth century queen who died in battle defending her husband the King. She was cremated on the grounds of the rear palace, of which no trace remains.
Ayutthaya City Environs Map Map of the old city environs. Click on one of the icons to display detailed information about each sight. You can take it with you.
All of the information in this online guide is available as a handy ebook, in formats that can be read on any ereader or smartphone. Check out our ebook guides.
The old royal city lies on an island formed by the confluence of three rivers, with a little help from man, I think.
Ayutthaya is a very popular day trip from Bangkok, both for foreign travelers as well as Thais looking for a weekend out. The typical packaged day trip travels to (or from) Ayutthaya by boat while using a bus or van in the other direction. This can be an extremely pleasant way to go, although it is highly structured. It's relatively easy to do a day trip to Ayutthaya on your own, but if you'd like to leave the work to someone else, there are package option(s) available from most online tour agencies.
While package tours to Ayutthaya remain quite popular, it is actually quite easy to get there and get around on your own. Here's a short guide to how it's done:
Getting there: While the bus is a slightly faster and more frequent option, I prefer the train. You can get the subway directly to Hualumpong station, and the train station in Ayutthaya is very conveniently located. If you're pressed for time on the return, you can take an air-conditioned bus back.
Ayutthaya is not a big food city, which is not to say that you won't have plenty of dining options to choose from. It's just that in many visits there I haven't found anything really 'special' to mention. There are a number of restaurants catering to travelers on the street facing Wat Mahathat. These are good options for lunch, so it's good to plan your day to be at Wat Mahathat or Wat Ratchaburana around noon as there are few other dining options within the historical park.
One of the things that makes Ayutthaya a popular day trip from Bangkok is the relative ease with which you can get there. The basic options are bus or train, and there are also packaged day trips available.
Buses leave Bangkok's Mo Chit bus station about every 20 to 30 minutes. There's no need to book in advance. Just show up and buy a ticket for the next bus. You can take a taxi all the way to the bus station, or take the subway to Kampaengphet station, and then grab a tuk-tuk or taxi from there to Mo Chit, which is very close by.
The old city itself was founded in 1351 on an almost natural island about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide, formed by the confluence of the Chaophraya, Lopburi and Pasak Rivers. A wall once encircled the entire island, though only a few bits of it can be seen today. U Thong, who later became King Ramathibodi I, is credited with the city's founding.
U Thong was the ruler of the kingdom of Lavo, based in what is present-day Lopburi.
Ayutthaya doesn't have very many hotels. Most of what it does have are budget class tourist hotels. They may be acceptable for a night, but don't expect anything fancy. Things have begun to change in recent years, with more hotels opening, including the rather posh Iudia. There are also a number of guest houses in town, some of which can be quite nice. Some are available through our on-line booking partners.
The ancient city was once encircled by high wall, protected by 16 fortresses. Among the most important of these was the Pom Phet ("Diamond Fort") which sits at the southern tip of the island at the confluence of the Chaophraya and Pasak Rivers.
The fort was rebuilt several times over the centuries. The last reworking was probably done by the French in the late seventeenth century. The walls and forts didn't stop the Burmese, and much of the walls and forts were dismantled to be reused in the construction of the new capital at Bangkok.
You can take it with you.
All of the information in this online guide is available as a handy ebook, in formats that can be read on any ereader or smartphone. Check out our ebook guides.
The main historical sights lie in the north-center area of the island. These sights can easily be explored on foot or, better, bicycle. A number of other very interesting sights can be found on the banks of the rivers opposite to the city, but these are much more spread out.
Standing right on the river, Wat Chai Wattanaram is, in my view, one of the most impressive of the remaining monuments of old Ayutthaya. It was built in 1629 by King Prasat Tong, probably on the site of his mother's cremation. King Prasat Tong was actually a commoner who overthrew the previous king and took the throne. The monastary may well have been established to assert his legitimacy to the throne.
The Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokaya Sutharam Wat Lokaya Sutharam was a large temple located immediately west of the royal palace. Most of the temple was leveled to the ground in the aftermath of the Burmese invasion. The most significant surviving relic of the old temple is a large reclining Buddha image. The large image is around 40 meters long and 8 meters height. Although the image was once housed in it's own chapel (wiharn), that too was destroyed so now the Buddha sits in the open.
Seated Buddha image with central sanctuary in the background Directly across the road from Wat Ratchaburana lies the temple of Wat Mahathat. The temple was probably built in the early days of Ayutthaya in the late 14th century by King Borommaracha I. The story goes that the king had a revelation, and relics of the Buddha then suddenly appeared. The temple was built to house the relics. The name, "Wat Mahathat" literally means "Monastery of the Great Relic" and when the collapsed central tower was excavated in the mid-1950s a small reliquary containing a piece of bone about the size of a grain of rice was found.
The main chapel of Wat Na Phra Man This small but interesting temple just north of the royal island has played a very pivotal role in the history of Ayutthaya. In the mid-eighteenth century, the king of Ayutthaya signed a peace treaty here with the king of Burma, but a few years later, in 1760, the Burmese attacked Ayutthaya. They got as far as Wat Na Phra Mane, where they set up canons to fire on the king's palace.
On the south side of Ayutthaya, right where the Chaophraya and Pasak rivers join up, is one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples, and one of its most lively to this day. The huge Buddha image around which the temple was built was cast in 1324.
Decorative wall panels The main wiharn is just barely big enough to house the colossal 19 meter (63 feet) high Buddha image. On special days, there can barely be enough room to squeeze past people praying in front the image in order to see the entire space.
Set in the center of the historical park, right across from Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its classic Ayutthaya style stupas, is the towering prang of Wat Phra Ram. Built in 1369 on the site of the first Ayutthaya king's cremation, the temple was restored in the 15th century and extended throughout the Ayutthaya period.
One of many reliquary stupas, with the main tower behind Although you now enter the temple complex on the western side, the original temple faced east, as you can tell from the ruins of the portico on the eastern side.
The three bell-shaped chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet have practically become a symbol of Ayutthaya. The temple stands almost in the center of the main area of the old capital, bordering the southern side of the former palace grounds. It's easy to imagine the grand structure as some sort of state temple.
Two of the main towers from the south Wat Phra Si Sanphet may have been built by King Boromatrailokanat in 1448, although there is ample evidence that it existed earlier.
The towering whitewashed prang of the Golden Mount. Out in the flat plain of rice fields and fish ponds northwest of town rises the stark white stupa of Wat Phu Khao Thong. The name literally translates to "Golden Mount."
The site has been a temple since 1569, but the Thais have not always been happy about that. The original chedi on the site was erected by the Burmese during a brief occupation of Ayutthaya.
Almost due south of the old town, on the south bank of the Chaophraya River, is the very old temple of Wat Phutthaisawan. With its freshly whitewashed classically styled prang, the temple is easy to overlook. Most guidebooks do, but don't you make that mistake. The temple, with its skewed architecture, is quite interesting.
The Buddha images lining the cloister The temple is said to have been built in the 14th century by King Ramathibodi I, the founder of Ayutthaya, on the site where he lived before setting up the capital on the other side of the river.
View of the central sanctuary. Note the carved panel in the false door Wat Ratchaburana sits right next to Wat Mahathat, in the symbolic center of the old city. Established in 1424 by King Boromaraja II, the temple was built to hold the ashes of his elder brothers, who killed each other in battle - on elephant back - fighting over the throne.
The temple's tall prang is better preserved that Wat Phra Ram, with many nagas, garudas and other statues beautifully rendered in stucco.
Wat Thammikarat is just outside of the eastern wall of the royal palace, near the river. It is thought that the temple may pre-date the founding of the new Siamese capital at Ayutthaya, but the temple was incorporated into the new city.
Looking through the door of the old prayer hall to the altar Wat Thammikarat appears to be largely in ruins, but it is in fact an active temple with monks in residence.
The large central chedi of Wat Yai Chai Mongkon At the southeast edge of town lies the huge bell-shaped chedi of Wat Ya Chai Mongkon. The chedi was built in 1592 by one of Ayutthaya's greatest kings, Nareusan the Great, to commemorate a victory over the Burmese won in the same year. The temple itself was established earlier, in 1357, by King Ramathibodi as a meditation site for monks returning from pilgrimages to Sri Lanka.
