Ayutthaya (Thai : อยุธยา) is the ex-capital of Thailand during 1351 – 1761. Now, it is one of provinces in Thailand which is located about 75 kilometers from Bangkok. This city has been promoted as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991. Because, this city has historical park where is compounded with 41 temples. Some temple is still complete, while some is ruined since 1767 by the invasion of Burmese dynasty. Anyway, as the city has dozens of historic sites and temples, it makes Ayutthaya is the invaluable background and it is interesting to see and travel back in time to immerse ourselves to the history of Thailand in the era of Siam Era.
Visiting Ayutthaya is the famous one day trip from Bangkok. Not even foreigner, Thai people also loves to spend a day to visit this historic province in the weekend or public holiday as it is easy to arrange. Furthermore, if you have more day(s), you can extend your trip to stay overnight(s) there to absorb more feeling of the unforgettable history. it has many interesting sites and hotels to spend your time. I promise that you will be never disappoint. 😎
However, as Thai people, the first objective (or we call “Mission“) of visiting Ayutthaya is to visit 9 temples as we believe that it will bring us the luck and boost our mind to fight with obstruction of the life. So, for this trip, we will show you my one day trip to Ayutthaya and recommend you 9 temples what you should visit.
How to get Ayutthaya?
Indeed, it has many ways to get the historic city as it is just next to Bangkok. These are just ones of choices.
- Rent the car and drive to Ayutthaya. It takes about 60 – 75 minutes.
- Buy the one day trip package from the hotel you are staying. It is the easiest way as it include the coach (or lunch) as well as bring you to various destinations during the trip.
- Catch the public minibus or van from Mo-Chit minibus terminal. The traveling cost is about 100 THB/trip/pax (about 3 USD).
- Take the local train from Bang Sue Grand Station (Krung Thep Apiwat Station). Third seat cost is 20 THB/trip/pax (about 0.75 USD). This is recommended way by us. Because it is the most classic way and you can see the local life during the train trip. Traveling time is 90 minutes.You can check the train schedule HERE. The ticket is not available online (as of July 2023). It can be purchased maximum 2 hours prior departure time.
The 3rd class train to Ayutthaya
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The interior and seats of third train (local train)
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Ayutthaya Railway Station 🚞
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After we arrive Ayutthaya Railway Station, we can get in the city by just crossing the river in front of the station.
It has the pier there (150 meters walk). The ferry cost is only 10 THB/trip/pax (0.35 USD).
This is the location of the pier
https://goo.gl/maps/hqZYY6WwQ9x3yWmf8
Bicycle and Scooter Rental Shops are available near to the pier.
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Get Around Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya has good internal street in the city center and sub-urban area. However, using the car in the city is challenge as finding the parking lot is difficult. Hence, two-wheels vehicle (I mean bicycle and scooter 😃) is the best way. It has plenty of bike and scooter rental shops in the city, especially near by railway station and bus stand. The rental costs are only 60 THB/day (2 USD) for bicycle and 300 THB/day (10 USD) for scooter. Return time is within 6PM. If you want to rent over the day, please negotiate with the shop beforehand. However, our mission was to visit 9 temples within one day. Some temple is quite far from the city and we have to do it with limited time, the scooter was our best choice. 🛵 For us, we rented the scooter at December House, after crossing the river from Railway Station Pier. After we got the scooter, we were the tigers with the wings. We could hop around the city to complete our mission……LET’S GO !
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How about 9 temples where we visited?
Honestly, we did not plan our trip in advance. We set up our route on that day after renting the scooter from the shop only. We asked the shop’s owner to give us the map and recommend us the most interesting 9 temples in Ayutthaya. So, we assume that these 9 temples are really sacred by local people and worth to visit.
Note-1 : In Thai Language, we call temple as “Wat” (Thai : วัด).
Note-2 : click at the temple name to see the location in Google Map.
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1. Wat Sa-Kae (Thai : วัดสะแก)
We started our mission from the furthest place and gradually getting in the place near to the city center. Wat Sa-Kae (Sa-Kae temple) is located 8 kilometers away from downtown, it took 15 minutes by scooter to reach there. It was built in 1767 during the late of Ayutthaya Dynasty. Wat Sa-Kae is the site of the revered Grandfather Du’s Museum, which was once the residence of a renowned national abbot and esteemed spiritual teacher. Inside, it houses a collection of artifacts and personal belongings of Grandfather Du, used before his enlightenment. Additionally, it serves as an exhibition space for various ancient relics. The temple grounds also feature a beautiful riverside pavilion, attracting Buddhist pilgrims who never fail to visit this remarkable temple.
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2. Wat Yai Chai Mongkon (Thai : วัดใหญ่ชัยมงคล)
This temple was constructed by King U-Thong in 1357. It is located in the southeastern area of Ayutthaya, about 4 kilometers from the city center. The highlight of this temple is the colossol pagoda (Che-di) in the middle of the temple which is a magnificent Pagoda for a victory of His Majesty King Naresuan the Great, who achieved a glorious victory in battle against the Burmese. In the temple area, it has mighty reclining Buddha too. The temple was traveling through the time since Ayutthaya Dynasty which has unmeasurable value to the Buddhist in Thailand. It makes this temple has unique architecture what the visitor cannot miss out when visit this historic city.
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3. Wat Phanan Choeng (Thai : วัดพนัญเชิง)
Wat Phanan Chreng is located about 2 kilometers from Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. The location of the temple is on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. This is one of the biggest temple in Ayutthaya. It was built in 1324, about 27 years before the city of Ayutthaya was officially founded. The highlight of Wat Phanan Chreng is the Phra Phuttatrinarat, a magnificent golden Buddha statue located at the grand chapel. It is a seated Buddha image, measuring 14.20 meters wide and 19.20 meters high. This revered Buddha statue is a popular pilgrimage site for Buddhists, attracting a constant flow of visitors to the temple.
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4. Wat Phutthaisawan (Thai : วัดพุทไธศวรรย์)
Wat Phutthaisawan is located on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, opposite to the city moat (city center). It was built in 1353. In the Ayutthaya Era, this temple was an immense, renowned and most important royal monastery during the reign of King U-thong, the first monarch and founder of Ayutthaya Kingdom. Wat Phutthaisawan is another temple that was not destroyed by the Burmese during the second losing war, unlike many other temples. Inside the temple, there are interesting features such as a prang (Khmer-style pagoda), a principal Buddha image, and large-sized Khmer-style sculptures. They are located in the central area of the temple grounds, atop a platform.
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5. Wat Chai Wattanaram (Thai : วัดไชยวัฒนาราม)
Wat Chai Wattanaram is located 3 kilometers away from Wat Phutthaisawan what we just visited as 4th temple. Indeed, Wat Phutthaisawan is further from the city than Wat Chai Wattanaram. We made the furtest first. 🙂 This temple was constructed in 1630 by the King Prasat Thong as the first temple of his reign. It was designed in Khmer style. At the central of the temple, it has a central 35-meter-high pagoda (Thai : พระปรางค์) with four smaller pagodas. It was a royal temple where the king and his successors performed religious ceremonies. It was totally destructed by the Burmese in 1767, However, in 1987 Thai Department of Fine Arts started restoring the site and opened to the public in 1992.
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6. Wat Lokkayasutha (Thai : วัดโลกยสุธา)
Wat Lokkayasutha is located in the city moat area. It was built in 1452, the middle of the Ayutthaya period In the reign of King Nakharintharathirat. The highlight of this temple is There is the largest reclining Buddha image ith a length of 42 meters and 8 meters high. For the one who used to play the video game name “Street Fighter”, we are very sure that you gonna familiar with the stage of the character name “Sa-Gat” what has Reclining Buddha as the background.
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The Reclining Buddha in Sa-Gat’s stage in video game name “Street Fligter”
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7. Wat Na Phra Meru (Thai : วัดหน้าพระเมรุ)
Wat Na Phra Merz is located in the north bank of city moat, opposite the Ayutthaya Royal Grand Palace It was built in 1503 when Ayutthaya was the capital without knowing who built it. Furthermore, it is the one of few temples what was not destroyed and burned during the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. It is still maintain its exquisite condition until present. In the ordination hall (Ubosot), it has Phra Buddha Nimit Wichit Marmoly Sri Sanphet Borom Trai Lokanat, a stone Buddha image in the Dvaravati period. It is about 6 meters height and 4.4 meters width.
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8. Wat Maha That (Thai : วัดมหาธาตุ)
Wat Maha That is the temple is the city moat or Historical park of Ayutthaya. The temple is believed to be one of Ayutthaya’s oldest temples, possibly built by King Boromaraja I, during 1370-1388. It was a royal temple of the Ayutthaya Kingdom as it housed the Buddha’s holy relic. During the Ayutthaya Kingdom failed in 1767, Wat Maha That was severely damaged by fire and abandoned. The highlight of this temple is the remains of important old buildings such as pagodas, octagonal pagodas, royal hall, small temples, murals under a Bodhi tree, and the famous sand-stone Ayutthaya-style head of the Buddha image in a tree’s root.
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9. Wat Ratchaburana (Thai : วัดราชบูรณะ)
Wat Ratchaburana is one of the most significant temples of the Ayutthaya era, situated in close proximity to Wat Mahathat, a mere 300 meters away. This architectural marvel was established in 1424 under the patronage of King Borommarachathirat II. The central tower, known as the prang, stands as a testament to exquisite preservation and holds within it the city’s most magnificent treasures. A favored destination for tourists, this temple captivates visitors from the moment they pass through its grand entrance gate. Here, the prang takes center stage, framed gracefully by the majestic entrance to the royal vihara building, offering a truly awe-inspiring sight.
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From the very start, our plan was to catch the train back to Bangkok at around 4.30PM. It filled us with genuine concern, as we wondered if we would be able to visit all nine temples in just one day. However, against all odds, WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR MISSION !. We successfully explored the final temple by 3.30PM. With a sense of accomplishment, we promptly returned the scooter to the rental shop and hurriedly made our way to the ferry, ensuring we would reach the railway station in time to purchase our tickets. 🎫
We have to admit, it was an exhausting day as we hopped around Ayutthaya under the scorching sun. Our energy levels were nearly depleted by the time we arrived back in Bangkok. However, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling and joyous days we have had. It was a small mission we set out to accomplish, and we did it. Despite having visited this historical city on several occasions before, we had never embarked on the mission of visiting all nine temples in one day. Besides the overwhelming happiness we felt, it was also a day of great pride, as we felt like time travelers, exploring the rich history of our former capital. Ayutthaya is truly a city we wholeheartedly recommend for a day trip from Bangkok, offering an unforgettable and cherished experience. 😊
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Written By : Shipy Siwarit Tiasuwattiseth
Shipy-Ship 