Ayutthaya Travel Guide: Explore Thailand's Most Fascinating UNESCO Day Trip

Once Thailand's capital, Ayutthaya is about 90 minutes (80 km) from Bangkok and feels like a different country altogether, quieter, slower, and filled with ruins that reward unhurried wandering. It took me about 90 minutes on a local bus from the Bangkok Bus Terminal (aka Chatuchak or Mochit 2) to turn back the clock and travel back to a different world. Ayutthaya was once one of the power centres in South East Asia, a city that housed a million residents. If the name has a familiar ring to it, it's because this former capital took its name from Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram. 

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The Best Travel Plans Are Usually Made Last Minute 

Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

As I discovered, a day trip to Ayutthaya doesn't need much planning. I only made the plan over a lazy breakfast, and when I figured my travel buddies were unlikely to wake up before lunch time. To borrow a popular phrase from Hangover 2, “Bangkok has them”.  I had never imagined my first trip to Ayutthaya would involve a sweaty bus ride; the best way to travel to Ayutthaya from Bangkok is a leisurely cruise along the Chao Phraya River. There are two ways to explore this historic destination. Stay a night or two (at New Ayutthaya city) and take it really slow or opt for the half-day trip and pack in the highlights. I opted for the ‘sampler' route, and I was rewarded with historical insights and photo ops. 

Context 

Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

It's no coincidence that Ayutthaya takes its name from Ayodhya. All the monarchs of Thailand's current ruling royal house Chakri dynasty are referred to as King Rama. The current reigning monarch (who ascended the throne in 2016) is Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as King Rama X. One of Thailand's national epics is Ramakien, the Thai version of Ramayana and an important part of the Thai literary canon. Ayutthaya served as the capital of the powerful Ayutthaya Kingdom between 1351 and 1767. The capital moved to Bangkok after the city was pillaged by the Burmese army by 1767. In 1991 Ayutthaya Historical Park was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the culmination of more than two decades of restoration driven by Thailand's Fine Arts Department. 

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Explorer Mode

The easiest way to explore the over 300 sites in Ayutthaya is to jump on to one of the cabs or tuk tuks once you negotiate a fare for 4-6 hours. I spent a little over 5 hours and paid 1,500 Thai Baht (About INR 4500) for a cab on standby. You can also hire a cab from Bangkok and negotiate a price for a return trip and stops around Ayutthaya. I stayed within the confines of the Ayutthaya Historical Park that is home to all the key sites. 

Highlights

Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

We'd recommend visiting the towering Chedi (stupa) of the Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon thatwas built in 1592 to commemorate the victory of Ayutthaya King Naresuan over the Burmese. An imposing stairway brings you to the entrance of the 60-metre-tall bell-shaped chedi. You can access a small chamber that contains several images of Buddha embellished in Gold Leaf. The temple's massive 7-metre-long reclining Buddha draped in a shiny robe is one of the showstoppers in Ayutthaya. 

The Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relics) is full of stories about a unique Buddha head that seamlessly merges into a tree trunk at the Wat Mahathat. The temple was vandalised by the Burmese army in 1767 who also destroyed many Buddha images. This 14th-century temple is enshrined in Ayutthaya legends because it housed the Buddha's relics. The Wat Phra Si Sanphet, was used exclusively for Royal ceremonies, making it one of the grandest in Ayutthaya. Bangkok's iconic  Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) is believed to be inspired by this iconic Royal temple. 

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A World Away From Bangkok 

You're never far away from street food delicacies when you're in Thailand. Do make time for Ayutthaya's best known dish, Roti Samai – a thin, sweet crepe inspired by an India roti that its mild green hues from the pandanus leaf and is filled with cotton candy; thin silk strands in a rainbow of colours. As I polished off the last bits of a delish Roti Samai, it was time to head back to one of my favourite rooftop bars in Bangkok for a sundowner. The contrast between the Bangkok skyline and the stupas of Ayutthaya couldn't have been more stark. It's why Ayutthaya is the perfect day trip that offers a refreshing detour from the Bangkok hustle.

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