Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [180]
Train Northbound trains leave from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station (Map) roughly every 30 minutes between 6.20am and 9.30am, less frequently until about 4pm, then every 30 minutes or so between 5pm and 9pm. Trains that run only to Ayuthaya are 3rd class and cost 20B; better seats are available on trains running further north. From Ayuthaya’s train station, the quickest way to reach the city is to walk straight west to the river, where you can take a short ferry ride (3B) across. Alternatively, a túk-túk to any point in old Ayuthaya should be around 30B to 50B.
Taxi Taxis between Bangkok and Ayuthaya take about 75 minutes and cost 800B.
Boat Boat companies in Bangkok offer scenic boat tours to Ayuthaya; see Click here.
Getting Around Guesthouses rent bicycles for 50B per day or motorcycles for 300B; túk-túk tours cost 200B per hour. Guesthouses arrange túk-túk tours starting about 4.30pm at 180B per person for four people. A longtail boat trip (one-hour evening trip 600B) involves a semicircular tour of the island. Arrange at the pier behind Hua Raw Night Market.
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Wat Phra Mahathat, on the corner of Th Chee Kun and Th Naresuan, has one of the first prang (Khmer-style tower) built in the capital and an evocative Buddha head engulfed by fingerlike tree roots – the most photographed site in Ayuthaya. Across the road, Wat Ratburana contains chedi and faded murals that are among the oldest in the country. Neighbouring Wat Thammikarat features overgrown chedi ruins and lion sculptures.
Wat Lokayasutharam features an impressive 28m-long reclining Buddha, ostensibly dating back to the early Ayuthaya period.
Wat Suwannaram’s two main structures boast attractive murals, including a modern-era depiction of a famous Ayuthaya-era battle in the wí·hăhn (central sanctuary), and classic jataka (stories from the Buddha’s lives) in the adjacent bòht (ordination hall). Nearby Pom Phet served as the island’s initial line of defence for centuries. Only crumbling walls remain today, but the spot features breezy views and is also home to a ferry to the mainland.
Off the Island
Southeast of town on Mae Nam Chao Phraya, Wat Phanan Choeng was built before Ayuthaya became a Siamese capital. The temple’s builders are unknown, but it appears to have been constructed in the early 14th century, so it’s possibly Khmer. The main wí·hăhn contains a highly revered, 19m sitting Buddha image from which the wát derives its name. The area surrounding the temple was once home to a large Chinese community, and at weekends it is crowded with Buddhist pilgrims from Bangkok who pay for lengths of saffron-coloured cloth to be ritually draped over the image.
The ruined Ayuthaya-style tower and chedi of Wat Chai Wattanaram, on the western bank of Mae Nam Chao Phraya, boast the most attractive setting of any of the city’s temples. The manicured Thai-style compound across the river belongs to the Thai royal family.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is southeast of town; it can be reached by white-and-green minibus 6. It’s a quiet place built in 1357 by King U Thong and was once famous as a meditation centre. The compound contains a large chedi, and a community of mâa chee (Buddhist nuns) lives here.
North of the city, the Elephant Kraal is a restoration of the wooden stockade once used for the annual roundup of wild elephants. A fence of huge teak logs enclosed the elephants. The king had a raised observation pavilion for the thrilling event.
North of the old royal palace (wang lǒo·ang) grounds is a bridge to Wat Na Phra Mehn ( 8am-5pm). This temple is notable because it escaped destruction when the Burmese overran and sacked the city in 1767. The main bòht was built in 1546 and features fortress-like walls and pillars. The bòht interior contains an impressive carved wooden ceiling and a splendid 6m-high sitting Buddha in royal attire. Inside a smaller wí·hăhn behind the bòht is a green-stone, European-pose (sitting in a chair) Buddha from Ceylon, said to be 1300 years old. The walls