Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand during the Siam Kingdom, and for this reason it holds one of the most important architectural complexs in Asia. It was declared Heritage of Humanity by the Unesco in 1991, and it is only 86 kilometres north from Bangkok so, will you hesitate to visit it?
The city was founded by the king U-Thong and it had more than one million inhabitants. Its harbour became really important for trade and it became a finance centre. During three centuries it was ruled by 35 different kings, but in 1767 the Burmese army invaded the city destroying everything in its path until they left the city in ruins. When the Burmese were expelled, the capital moved to Bangkok (the old Thonburi).
The Historical Park of Ayutthaya is formed by old temples and palaces that are located in a 15 squared metres island between three rivers, the Chao Prayha, the Lop Buri and the Pa Sak. The ruins were reconstructed and are preserved to ensure their duration during many more years. The following spots are the ones every tourist must visit:
- Wat Mahathat
This was one of the biggest and important temples of the kingdom due to its proximity to the Grand Palace. It was built around 1374 and it held many Buddha relics. The particularity of it is that when it was abandoned, some roots grew around sculptures, leaving the incredible image above:
- Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
It was built in 1448 and it holds, in each of its "chedis", the ashes of three kings (they were saved there in the late 15th century). It is part of the Grand Palace Complex.
- Wat Lokaya Sutha
Rather than the temple itself, this is an important landmark because of its 42 metres long and 8 metres high reclined Buddha.
- Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Even though this is quite recent (from 1630) and further away than the others, it is worth a visit since it is one of the prettiest and better preserved temples. It has a high 35 metres "prang" (overloaded high tower from Thai architecture) and four smaller ones around it.
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkol
The most impressing thing about this temple is its enormous "chedi" in the middle (it is 62 metres tall). It was built in 1357 with more than 28.000 tons of bricks. Around it there are dozens of Buddha statues with yellow tunics.
- Wat Phra Ram
The first king of Ayutthaya was burned here and this is why it is important. It was built in 1369 and is located in the middle of the historical park. Its architecture is similar to the rest, a big "prang" in the middle and some little ones around (shorter than the ones in Wat Phra Sri Sanphet).
- Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit
This is similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok and was built in 1538, yet restored in the 20th century. If you are tired of seeing stone old buildings, you should check this one out because it is really different. Inside it has a 12 metres Buddha image.
How to go to Ayutthaya from Bangkok?
By bus: from the bus station of Mo Chit you can take an air-conditioned bus that will cost you about 50 THB. Although it is cheap and you can take one every twenty minutes, it takes almost two hours and you lose a lot of time.
By train: this is the cheapest method (20 THB in third class) but also the slowest (it can take more than two hours depending on the route). You can take it from the Hualamphong Station, where you can arrive by subway. In Ayutthaya, the station is just in the east part of the historical park.
By minivan: in less than an hour you can get to Ayutthaya, although its inconvenient is that the vans don't leave until they are fully occupied. They leave you in the middle of the historical park and the price of the journey is about 60 THB. You can take the minivans in Mo Chit station.
By taxi: this is the way I did it and the most recommended one. The price is more expensive, but you take approximately one hour. You will have to negotiate the price with the driver according to what you want, but 1500 THB would be a reasonable price (taking into account that you travel alone and only pay once for all the members). One advantage of this is, apart from the comfort, the fact that you can move around Ayutthaya by this taxi too, instead of having to use any other method of transportation that I will explain in a moment.
By an organised tour: there are many travelling agencies that sell full-day trips to Ayutthaya and its landmarks. All these include the transportation, the food, the entrance to the temples... so in general, they are a good deal. However, they can be a little bit expensive because they are usually combined with other trips like the floating market or going back to Bangkok by boat (from 40€ to 200€).
How to move around Ayutthaya?
Ayutthaya is a big city and its ruins are not all nearby. This is why you will need to find a way to move around it. The most concurrent options are renting a motorbike (200/300 THB), a bike (50 THB) or a tuk tuk, which drives you through the most important places (300 THB by hour). If you only want a sporadic journey, it can cost you about 100 THB by tuk tuk.
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