Ayutthaya

Discovering Ayutthaya

I took the 7:20 AM train from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station — third class, 20 THB, no reserved seat — and watched the city thin into suburbs and then into flat green rice paddies. An hour and a half later I stepped off the train into Ayutthaya, a small town wrapped around an island that was once one of the largest cities in the world.

Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam for 417 years, from 1350 to 1767, when Burmese invaders burned it to the ground. What remains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of brick ruins, headless Buddha statues, and crumbling prangs rising above the treetops. The most photographed image in Thailand — a stone Buddha head cradled in the roots of a banyan tree at Wat Mahathat — is here, and it is even more striking in person than in pictures.

I rented a bicycle for 50 THB and spent the day pedaling between temples. The island is flat, the distances are manageable, and the ruins have a contemplative quiet that the Grand Palace in Bangkok cannot match. Where Bangkok’s temples gleam with gold leaf and fresh paint, Ayutthaya’s stand exposed to the sky — roofless halls open to the wind, laterite walls softened by centuries of rain, Buddha statues sitting in rows with their heads missing, taken by looters or toppled by invaders who never returned them.

There is something about a ruin that a living temple cannot replicate. Ayutthaya asks you to fill in the gaps with your imagination — to look at three broken walls and picture a hall where kings knelt, where monks chanted, where ambassadors from Louis XIV’s France presented gifts. The scale of what was lost here is staggering, and the fragments that survived only make it more vivid.

What Makes Ayutthaya Different?

Ayutthaya is not just another temple stop — it was the beating heart of a kingdom that shaped Southeast Asian history for over four centuries. At its peak in the 17th century, Ayutthaya had a population of over one million, making it larger than London, Paris, or Lisbon at the time. Traders from China, Japan, Portugal, Holland, France, and Persia maintained permanent settlements here, and the royal court sent diplomats to Versailles. The ruins you walk through today are the bones of a cosmopolitan capital that rivaled anything in Europe.

That scale is still visible in what remains. Wat Phra Si Sanphet’s three enormous chedis once held royal relics and dominated a palace complex that sprawled across the center of the island. Wat Chaiwatthanaram’s Khmer-style towers were deliberately built to rival Angkor Wat — a statement of Siamese power aimed directly at the Khmer Empire across the border. Even in their broken state, these structures communicate ambition that most modern buildings cannot match.

What separates Ayutthaya from other historical sites in Thailand is the combination of scale, accessibility, and value. The entry fees are minimal — 50 THB ($1.40) per temple or 220 THB ($6.25) for a combo ticket covering six major sites. The ruins are spread across a flat island perfect for cycling. And the train from Bangkok costs less than a cup of coffee. For anyone interested in Southeast Asian history, Ayutthaya delivers more impact per baht than almost any cultural experience in the region. UNESCO recognized this in 1991 when they designated the Ayutthaya Historical Park a World Heritage Site — and unlike some UNESCO sites that disappoint in person, Ayutthaya exceeds expectations.

Walking Through the Temple Ruins

The ruins are scattered across the island in clusters, and each major temple has its own character. You could spend two hours or two days depending on how deeply you want to look.

Wat Mahathat is where most visitors start, and where the famous Buddha head lives. The stone head, cradled in the gnarled roots of a banyan tree, has been growing into the trunk for centuries. It sits at ground level in the northeast corner of the complex, and the first time you see it you understand why it has become Thailand’s most reproduced image. The roots grip the face like fingers, and the Buddha’s expression — calm, faintly smiling, eyes closed — seems perfectly at peace with being slowly consumed by the tree. A rope barrier keeps you at a respectful distance, and a sign reminds you to crouch below the head’s level when photographing it. Beyond this famous corner, Wat Mahathat’s grounds are vast — rows of headless Buddhas sit in the open air, brick prangs lean at angles that seem structurally impossible, and tree roots split walls that have stood for six centuries. Entry 50 THB ($1.40).

Wat Ratchaburana sits directly across the road from Wat Mahathat and is often overlooked by day-trippers in a hurry. That’s a mistake. Its central prang is one of the best-preserved in Ayutthaya — still towering to its original height with detailed stucco carvings of mythical creatures on the exterior. The real discovery is underground: a narrow staircase descends into a crypt beneath the prang where faded murals from the early 15th century survive on the walls. These are among the oldest paintings in Thailand, and standing in the cool, dim chamber looking at 600-year-old artwork while tourists walk overhead is one of the most atmospheric moments Ayutthaya offers. Entry 50 THB ($1.40).

Wat Chaiwatthanaram requires a short ride outside the island proper, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is Ayutthaya’s most photogenic temple and the one that rewards a sunset visit. Built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong in the Khmer style, its central prang rises 35 meters above a symmetrical gallery of smaller towers — a deliberate echo of Angkor Wat. The layout is mathematical, almost scientific, and from a distance the entire complex looks like a stone diagram of Buddhist cosmology. Late afternoon light turns the laterite from dull brown to deep amber, and by sunset the entire structure glows against the darkening sky. This is the temple to save for last if you are staying overnight. Entry 50 THB ($1.40).

What to Do in Ayutthaya

Beyond the headline temples, Ayutthaya has enough to fill a full day or a leisurely two-day visit. Here are the activities worth your time.

Bicycle Tour of the Historical Park — This is the best way to see Ayutthaya. Rent a bike from the shops near the train station ferry crossing for 50-80 THB ($1.40-2.30) per day. The island is flat, the roads are quiet, and the temples are spaced 1-3 km apart with shaded stretches in between. A self-guided loop hitting Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit takes 3-4 hours with time to explore each site. Guided bicycle tours run 800-1,200 THB ($23-34) and add historical context you won’t get from the signboards alone.

Longtail Boat Tour Around the Island — A one-hour boat trip on the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers loops around the entire island and passes Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Phutthaisawan, and several riverside communities from a perspective cyclists and walkers never see. Boats depart from the pier near Chantharakasem National Museum. Expect 200-500 THB ($6-14) per person depending on group size. The late afternoon light on the temples from the water is worth the price.

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum — The museum on the island houses artifacts recovered from the temple ruins — gold jewelry, bronze Buddha images, ceramics from the China trade, and ornamental weapons from the royal court. It provides the context that the bare ruins cannot, and visiting it before the temples makes everything you see afterward more meaningful. Entry 150 THB ($4.30). Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the Royal Palace Grounds — The three iconic bell-shaped chedis are Ayutthaya’s equivalent of the Eiffel Tower — the image that defines the city. They once stood within the walls of the royal palace, which covered the entire center of the island. The chedis held the ashes of three Ayutthayan kings, and walking the foundations of the surrounding palace halls gives a sense of the compound’s original scale. Adjacent is Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, which houses a massive bronze seated Buddha — one of the largest in Thailand — in a reconstructed hall. Entry 50 THB ($1.40) for Wat Phra Si Sanphet; Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit is free.

Night Temple Illumination — If you stay overnight, the illuminated temples are Ayutthaya’s hidden reward. Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Ratchaburana, and Wat Phra Si Sanphet are all lit from below after dark, and the floodlit ruins against the night sky are hauntingly beautiful. Weekend sound and light shows run seasonally at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, projecting historical scenes onto the temple walls (200-400 THB / $6-11 when available, check locally). Even without the show, cycling between lit temples at night with the roads nearly empty is an experience day-trippers miss entirely.

Ayutthaya Floating Market — A tourist-oriented but enjoyable market on the east side of the island, built around a canal with stalls selling food, crafts, and souvenirs from small boats and wooden shophouses. The food is decent — grilled river fish, boat noodles, and coconut pancakes — and the atmosphere is relaxed. Entry 200 THB ($5.70), which includes a small cultural performance. More entertaining than essential, but a good lunch stop on a temple cycling day.

Where to Eat in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya’s food scene is unpretentious and cheap. The local specialty is roti sai mai — Thailand’s most distinctive candy — and the riverside night markets serve some of the best-value Thai food in the country.

• Roti Sai Mai stalls (U Thong Road) — Ayutthaya’s signature treat: thin, thread-like strands of spun candy in pastel colors wrapped in a soft, buttery roti. The technique is mesmerizing to watch — vendors pull and spin the sugar into impossibly fine threads. 20-40 THB ($0.60-1.15) per bag. Street stalls line U Thong Road near the Chao Phrom Market area. Buy several bags — they make excellent, lightweight souvenirs.

• Lung Lek Restaurant — Riverside Thai food near the Hua Ro night market that draws locals more than tourists. Pad kra pao (holy basil stir-fry) 60 THB ($1.70), tom yum goong 100 THB ($2.85), grilled river prawns 150-250 THB ($4.30-7.15). Cash only. The river view from the back tables adds atmosphere that the food doesn’t need but deserves.

• Malakor Kitchen — A step up from market food, this sit-down restaurant on the island serves central Thai dishes with generous portions and careful seasoning. Green curry 80-120 THB ($2.30-3.40), massaman curry 100-150 THB ($2.85-4.30), fried morning glory 50 THB ($1.40). Air-conditioned, which matters more than you think after four hours of cycling in the sun.

• Ayutthaya Night Market (Hua Ro) — The evening market by the river near Hua Ro pier is where Ayutthaya comes alive after dark. Stalls spread along the riverfront selling grilled river fish 80-120 THB ($2.30-3.40), boat noodles 15 THB ($0.40) per small bowl (order five or six — that’s how it’s done), pad Thai 40-60 THB ($1.15-1.70), and Thai iced tea 25 THB ($0.70). The setting — river breeze, temple silhouettes across the water — elevates simple food into something memorable.

• Baan Mai Rim Nam — A riverside restaurant on the Pa Sak River serving seafood and Thai curries with views of the water. River prawn dishes 200-400 THB ($5.70-11.40), tom kha gai 100 THB ($2.85), and a cold Singha 70 THB ($2). The wooden deck over the river is the best dinner setting in Ayutthaya. Open for lunch and dinner.

• Chao Phrom Market (Morning) — The daily market near the train station ferry is where locals eat breakfast. Jok (rice porridge with pork and a soft egg) 30-40 THB ($0.85-1.15), pa tong go (Thai-style donuts) 10 THB ($0.30), and strong Thai iced coffee 20 THB ($0.60). Best visited between 7 and 9 AM before the heat sets in.

Where to Stay in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya can be visited as a day trip from Bangkok, and most visitors do exactly that. But staying one night transforms the experience — you get sunset at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the night market, illuminated temples, and quiet morning ruins before the tour buses arrive. Hotels are remarkably cheap.

• Tony’s Place — The backpacker classic near the train station ferry with bike rental on-site, a communal garden, and the kind of traveler notice board that’s becoming rare. Clean rooms, not fancy, with fans or air conditioning. 300-500 THB ($8.50-14) per night. The location — two minutes from the ferry, bikes ready to go — makes it the most practical budget choice.

• Baan Are Gong Riverside Homestay — A charming guesthouse on the island’s eastern bank with a garden running down to the river. The rooms are simple but tasteful, breakfast is home-cooked, and the owner knows Ayutthaya’s history well enough to serve as an informal guide. She arranges sunset boat tours for guests at fair prices. 800-1,200 THB ($23-34) per night. My pick for travelers who want character over amenities.

• Classic Kameo Hotel — A reliable mid-range option on the island with air-conditioned rooms, a pool, and a restaurant. It lacks the charm of the boutique options but delivers consistency — clean rooms, hot showers, decent Wi-Fi, and a location central to the main ruins. 1,200-2,000 THB ($34-57) per night. Good for families or anyone who wants a straightforward hotel experience.

• iuDia Hotel — A riverside boutique hotel with a modern design set against Ayutthaya’s ancient backdrop. The rooftop terrace has views across the Pa Sak River toward the temples. Rooms are compact but stylish with hardwood floors and rain showers. 1,800-3,000 THB ($51-85) per night. A solid step up from budget stays without the boutique hotel price premium.

• Sala Ayutthaya — The finest hotel in Ayutthaya and worth every baht. Minimalist concrete-and-glass design on the riverfront directly facing Wat Phutthaisawan across the water. The rooftop restaurant serves excellent Thai cuisine with temple views at sunset. The pool deck overlooks the river. Every room faces the water. 3,500-6,000 THB ($100-170) per night. If you can afford one splurge night in Ayutthaya, this is where to spend it.

The Buddha Head in the Roots

There is a moment at Wat Mahathat that every visitor shares, and it cannot be replicated by photographs. You walk through the ruins — headless Buddhas, crumbling walls, the usual texture of ancient sites — and then you turn a corner in the northeast section and there it is: a stone Buddha head, eyes closed, lips curved in the faintest hint of a smile, completely enveloped in the aerial roots of a banyan tree.

The tree has been growing around it for centuries. The roots grip the head like fingers, cradling the stone face at ground level while the trunk rises above into a canopy that shades the entire corner of the temple grounds. The head is not trapped — it looks settled, as if it chose this spot and the tree agreed. Thai visitors kneel and pray. Tourist cameras click. A guard reminds someone to crouch below the level of the Buddha’s head before taking a photo.

I sat on a stone block a few meters away and watched for ten minutes. What struck me was not the image itself — I had seen it on a hundred travel blogs and Instagram posts — but how the reality carried an emotional weight the photographs never conveyed. The head is small. The roots are massive. The relationship between them tells a story about time and patience and decay that no description prepares you for. Of everything I have seen in Thailand, this quiet corner of a ruined temple is the image that stays with me.

How Do You Get to Ayutthaya from Bangkok?

Ayutthaya sits 80 km north of Bangkok and the journey is fast, cheap, and straightforward by multiple routes.

By Train — The most atmospheric option. Trains depart Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station roughly every hour from early morning. Third class (20 THB / $0.60, unreserved, wooden benches) takes 1.5-2 hours and is perfectly fine for the short journey. Second class (65 THB / $1.85, fan-cooled, reserved seat) and first class (245 THB / $7, air-conditioned) are available but unnecessary for this distance. The Ayutthaya train station is on the east bank of the river — take the 5 THB ($0.15) cross-river ferry to reach the island where the ruins are. The last return train to Bangkok departs around 8:30 PM.

By Minivan — Faster and more frequent. Minivans depart from Bangkok’s Victory Monument (northern side of the BTS station) every 20-30 minutes throughout the day. The fare is 60-80 THB ($1.70-2.30) and the ride takes about an hour depending on traffic. They drop you on the island, closer to the ruins than the train station. The downside is that departure times are less predictable — vans leave when full.

By Guided Day Tour — The most convenient but least independent option. Day tours from Bangkok run 1,000-2,000 THB ($28-57) per person and typically include hotel pickup, 3-4 temples, lunch, and a boat ride. Some combine Ayutthaya with Bang Pa-In Summer Palace. The trade-off is rigid scheduling — you’ll spend less time at each temple than if you go independently, and you’ll arrive when every other tour bus arrives.

By Car or Grab — A Grab from central Bangkok to Ayutthaya costs 800-1,200 THB ($23-34) depending on traffic. Useful for groups of three or four splitting the cost. The drive takes 1-1.5 hours via the expressway.

Tip: Take the train up in the morning (for the experience and the scenery) and the minivan back in the afternoon (for the speed and convenience). This gives you the best of both options.

When the Ruins Speak

I have visited enough ancient sites to know that most of them require you to work — to read plaques, to imagine walls, to reconstruct in your mind what time has taken. Ayutthaya asks less of you. The ruins are substantial enough to communicate directly. You stand in Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the three chedis still dominate the skyline the way they were designed to. You walk through Wat Chaiwatthanaram’s gallery and the Khmer towers still frame the sky the way King Prasat Thong intended. The scale of the loss is enormous — an entire civilization’s capital, burned and abandoned — but the fragments that survived are powerful enough to carry the weight of everything that didn’t.

On my last visit I cycled back to Wat Mahathat at 4 PM, after the tour buses had left. The late light hit the brick at an angle that turned everything the color of warm clay. A family of Thai visitors was making offerings at a headless Buddha — fresh marigolds laid in the stone lap, three sticks of incense balanced against a broken hand. The statue had been decapitated 250 years ago and people were still praying to it. That continuity — the stubborn, quiet persistence of devotion in a ruined place — is what makes Ayutthaya more than a photo opportunity. It is a place where the past is not past, not really, not yet.