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Ayutthaya

Travel guide

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Set at the conjunction of the Lopburi, Prasak and Chao Phraya Rivers, the beautiful city of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong and was the capital of what was then known as Siam.

Over the next 417 years it was ruled by 33 kings and repelled 23 Burmese invasions, before the Burmese finally succeeded in razing it to the ground. At its height, Ayutthaya was surrounded by a 12-kilometre-long wall which was five metres thick and six metres high and boasted 99 gates, brick and clay roads and canals to transport water into the city.

By all reports Ayutthaya was stunning and rivalled most European capitals of the time and portions of this grandiose past can be re-experienced through its ruins scattered throughout the province, but for the relics and records from this period, the Burmese obliterated almost everything in 1767 -- even melting Buddha images down for their gold.

More recently, Ayutthaya briefly grabbed international headlines in 2003 when alleged Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Hambali was captured on the outskirts of town.

The ruins can be explored by bicycle in a day or two, and although there is little else to see many travellers decide to chill out here at the end of their trip, exploring the quieter nooks and crannies to be found in preference to the chaos of Bangkok.


 
















That said, if you have to choose between seeing the historical parks here or in the other ancient capital Sukhothai, the latter is probably the better choice.

Our recommendations

Like Sukhothai, Ayutthaya was a Siamese capital in days long gone, but unlike better preserved Sukhothai, the modern and the ancient have been allowed to meld in Ayutthaya, resulting in an intertangled morass of modern concrete egg-cartons overlooking historic ruins. Walking around Ayutthaya seems like a good idea -- it's not. The best way to explore is by bicycle, with tuk tuk or motorcycle running a distant second and third.

Start early -- really early -- to avoid the worst of the midday heat (Ayutthaya can be positively scorching) and you'll also see the temples in a better light. Come lunchtime, take a dive into a museum or a cafe and wait out the heat before striking out again. In the late afternoon the light really turns it on for pictures, and the temperatures slowly drop to something more bearable.

In the evening, some of the central monuments are floodlit so it is worth making another trip out to see them dressed up in these colourful albeit artificial hues.

All templed out? Consider a homestay at Ban Lan Khe. And talking about accommodation, in Ayutthaya, look no further than Baan Lotus.

Text and/or map last updated on 11th August, 2009.

More information


Maps
  Ayutthaya

Further reading
 » A Thai homestay -- Ban Lan Khe, Ayutthaya
 » Ayutthaya temple tour

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Picture of Ayothaya Riverside House, 17/2 Mu 7 Ban Pom (next to Wat Kasattrat, AyutthayaAyothaya Riverside House
17/2 Mu 7 Ban Pom (next to Wat Kasattrat, Ayutthaya
From: US$4.23 with Hostelbookers


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From: US$5.64 with Hostelbookers


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Fresh off our Asia travel forum

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Ayutthaya reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

A great day trip from Bangkok
By Jon_Mak_Mak (dabbler - 2 reviews)
Written on 23rd May, 2009 after a visit to Ayutthaya in January, 2008

Ayutthaya is an amazing, ancient city easily reached by train from Bangkok. It only takes a couple of hours from Hua Lamphong station so there's not really any need to go on an organised tour. Once you're there you can hire a tuk-tuk to take your around for the whole day for about 500B! The tuk-tuk's are tiny (smaller than Bangkok's) and the one we hired actually broke down a couple of times and we had to push it which my parents thought was a great laugh and it made our day trip to Ayutthaya even more memorable.

If you're arriving by train, head out of the train station and cross the road and continue down the road right in front of you towards the river. When we went there was quite a few people going that way so we just sort of followed the crowd. You can buy a ticket to cross the river by boat and once on the other side ignore the touts and tuk-tuk drivers by walking down the road and waving down a tuk-tuk that is driving past.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is one of my favourite old temples in Ayuthaya. It's a big place on the bank of the Chao Phraya River and was very peaceful, and there were few tourists when I visited it in January 2008. You can climb about half way up the central prang for good views of the river and surrounding area.

Another one of my favourite's is Wat Phra Sri Sanphet. It's a really big area and had loads more people walking around. There are three large chedis in the grounds and many of the buildings are ruins. Although it was a bit busier than some of the other places, the atmosphere was still very calming and relaxed.

Wat Ratchaburana is worth a look too as you can climb down into the centre of a large prang where there is some kind of burial chamber with paintings on the wall. It's a very narrow and steep climb down some steps and is really hot and humid but if you can handle that, it's an interesting place.
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
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Also reviewed by Jon_Mak_Mak: Khao San Road,
Nice, but we preferred Sukhothai
By beachgirl (dabbler - 3 reviews)
Written on 8th May, 2009 after a visit to Ayutthaya in February, 2008

I visited Ayutthaya in February last year as a part of a longer Thailand trip. I've already written a report for Sukhothai and I have to say I enjoyed Sukhothai more than here.

In Ayutthaya the ruins are right in the city. You might have a set of ruins and then, right beside then a 7/11 or a noodle shop! While this gives the whole thing a bit of a ''living museum'' feel, we found what we didn't like about the living museum was the traffic and the noise. Ayutthaya isn't some quiet hic town, instead it's a boisterous growing Thai city.

Of the ruins (I think we saw most of them) the best was the reclining Buddha on the south side of the river. This place is serene and the site is beautiful, and, when you get to Sukhothai you find the entire place is like this (except for the river of course!)

I think Ayutthaya works well if you are in Bangkok and looking for a short daytrip or overnight trip, but if you've got the time and want to break the trip north to Chiang Mai, I'd go with Sukhothai.

One more thing, Baan Lotus in Ayutthaya is a truly awesome place to stay -- we highly highly highly recommend it!
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
  Eat & drink
  Traveller's scene
  Romance
  Value for money
  I'll be back (or not)
Also reviewed by beachgirl: Kanchanaburi, Phu Quoc Island, Sukhothai,

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