Wat Phra Kaeo, the state temple of the old walled city
The area around Kampaeng Phet has probably been settled for a few thousand years, at least. The location on the Ping River puts it on a strategic trading route between Lanna in the north and the ocean ports of the south. The first historical records date from the mid-fourteenth century and mention the settlement of Nakorn Chum on the west bank of the river. Kampaeng Phet seemed to rise in significance later on, in the fifteenth century, along with the shift in power from Sukhothai to Ayutthaya. The city seemed to have hit its peak in the fifteenth century, and this is when the famous walls were built, along with most of the temples of the city as well as the forest temples of the Aranyik.
The walls were restored in the sixteenth century with Portuguese help, to aid in the defense of Ayutthaya against the Burmese. When the Burmese attacked and sacked Ayutthaya in 1767, Kampaeng Phet was one of the towns that was completely emptied and left deserted for many years.
The pagoda of Wat Phra Baromathat in Nakorn Chum
The city was re-settled over time, and in the twentieth century several restoration projects were undertaken, culminating in the listing of Kampaeng Phet's monuments as a World Heritage Site, as part of the inscription of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai. Although considerably less popular than the other two sites, Kampaeng Phet is interesting in it's own right and well worth a visit, either as a day trip from Sukhothai - where the tourist infrastructure is far better - or as a stop on the way between Bangkok and Chiang Mai or other points north.
You can easily see the main sights of the old city in a day, so staying two nights in Kampaeng Phet will give you plenty of time to see everything. If staying in Kampaeng Phet, start with Aranyik and then work your way back to the walled city sights. If you have time, you can visit the museum, but I wouldn't make a special effort to see it. If you have more time, you can see the sights of Nakorn Chum on the other side of the river.
Aranyik, which simply means 'forest', is the name given to an area immediately north of Kampaeng Phet's city walls which encompasses a small hill. The hill is covered with the remains of many temples. There are easily more than a dozen in all, although most are little more than a few stone platforms. There is a tradition in Buddhism of 'forest temples' where one removes himself from the distractions of the city to contemplate dharma (truth), and there are forest temples all around Thailand, but the concentration at Kampaeng Phet is rather unique.
A mountain bike - perhaps the best way to get around Kampaeng Phet Kampaeng Phet is really a small town, without much in the way of a public transportation infrastructure. There are no taxis, although there are a very small number of tuk-tuks. There are some motorcycle taxis, but these seem to mainly hang around the bus station. To get around, and especially to see the sights, you'll need your own transportation, either a bicycle or a motorcycle.
Kampaeng Phet is a small city, but is on the main highway route between north and south. The most direct means of getting to Kampaeng Phet is by bus. There are regular buses from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and many other northern and central provinces. The trip from Bangkok takes about six hours and costs between 220 and 300 Baht, depending on the service.
The closest airports would be in Phitsanulok or Sukhothai.
There isn't a huge selection of hotels in Kampaeng Phet. Within the city there a just a few locally run hotels, most of them decidedly tourist class. The Riverview and Navarat hotels are both in the center of town, and so convenient for night-time dining. The Navarat had just had a facelift when I visited Kampaeng Phet in 2012, but it wasn't clear if this was just the public areas, or the rooms as well.
The various monuments around Kampaeng Phet were documented, stabilized and registered by the Thai Fine Arts Department between 1935 and 1937, and again in the 1960s. Further rehabilitation work was done in the 1980s, which is when the Historical Park was officially created. The park was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991 as part of the inscription of Sukhothai, along with Si Satchanalai.
The historical park is divided into two zones.
The 'modern' town of Kampaeng Phet lies to the south of the old walled city and the historical parks which contain the bulk of the ruins. All of the accommodations are in the modern city or across the river from it, so if you're based in Kampaeng Phet, you'll be staying in the newer part of the city and commuting to the sights from there.
There are a few old temples on the west bank of the Ping River, which was a separate ancient city in its own right called Nakorn Chum, but for the most part they are not much different from the main ruins.
Wat Phra Baromathat Nakorn Chum was a much smaller town on the west bank of the Ping River. It appears to pre-date Kampaeng Phet, at least in the historical record. The laterite stone that much of Kampaeng Phet's monuments are made of is less available on the west bank, so most of the temples were made of brick. Nakorn Chum had walls as well, but they were simple earthen ramparts for the most part, and little of them remains aside from a few forts that were made of stone.
Buddhas and canons on display in the Kampaeng Phet National Museum The Kampaeng Phet branch of the National Museum is a rather typical example of provincial museums. There are a lot of glass display cases full of old artifacts. A few of the key displays, such as the Shiva statue, are duplicated in the information center at Aranyik, which I would say is a much better experience.
The museum is across the street from the Walled City zone of the Historical Park.
June 2012
Pool View Room at the Praepimpalai Locally owned and operated provincial Thai hotels can be a bit hit-or-miss. They almost always look good on the web site, of course, but sometimes you arrive to find something considerably less pleasing. So I knew I was taking a chance on booking this hotel, but it was the same chance I would be taking with all the other options in Kampaeng Phet.
As a town that's not really on the international tourist trail, the food options in Kampaeng Phet are a little thin, especially where tourist-friendly establishments are concerned. While, like any Thai city, there are lots of roadside food stalls, there are very few restaurants around town, and many do not have English menus.
The one area of town where you will find a lot of restaurants is along the west bank of the river, which is technically the town of Nakorn Chum.
The Shiva shrine of Kampaeng Phet This shrine to the Hindu god Shiva appears to date from the early sixteenth century. It was apparently erected under the direction of a Governor appointed from Ayutthaya. It seems that many other restorations of local temples were also undertaken around this time. While the shrine was created long after Buddhism had taken a firm hold in ancient Siam, the old Hindu deities were still revered as guardian spirits, and the Shiva shrine was apparently intended to watch over the city.
Part of the old walled city comprises one of the two zones that make up the Kampaeng Phet Historical Park. Nearly half of the area enclosed by the walls is occupied by modern buildings, such at the provincial administration offices, the National Museum, and a large school as well as many homes.
Map of Kampaeng Phet's Walled City Area The historical places of interest, aside from the walls themselves, are found near the center of the enclosed area.
The chapel and pagoda of Wat Chang Wat Chang - not to be confused with Wat Chang Rop - is a small temple just north of the town walls, but east of the Aranyik. The main ruins are a medium-sized pagoda (chedi) with a small prayer hall. The base of the chedi is lined with elephant statues, hence the temple's name (chang means 'elephant'). Unlike the other temples within the historical park zones, the ruins at Wat Chang are still part of a working temple.
