If you want to plan a holiday to such place in Thailand,which is having majestic highlights and historical values, then you should plan it to Ayutthaya, Thailand.
Maybe 300 years ago, this place was the largest city in the entire world, Yes its “entire world”.
The complete name of this place is PhraNakhon Si Ayutthaya and it is pronounced as “Ayodhya”.
This place was founded in the year 1350 and remained the capital of Thailand till 18th century from the 11th century, but now this place Ayutthaya is the capital of Ayutthaya province.
This place Ayutthaya is truly an amazing place to spend your holiday as it is having almost 400 temples and three palaces as well.
This place from Thailand is the UNOSEO world heritage site and you will love it for sure.
It is very easy to reach Ayutthaya as it is just 80 kilometers away from Bangkok and you will have easy transport facilities as well.
It may take you just 3 to 4 hours to reach this place from Bangkok. Many people from Bangkok plan a weekend tour to this place to spend a wonderful weekend with family.
If you want to plan a long trip, then you can book the packages that match your requirements. People who love visiting historical places will love this place as well.
Best time to visit Ayutthaya?
If you are looking for the best time to visit Ayutthaya, then you may not be able to find the right time for visiting it.
Actually, this place is hot all year long and you may not be able to spend too much of time outdoors.
But if you still want to know the best time, then it is advised to plan it during the months of October to February, when the climate is a bit cooler compared to the other months of the year.
Many tourists who have already visited this place feel that, you can plan a combined tour with other surrounding places.
The reason for this is you will just need one or two days to explore the entire Ayutthaya city.
In the day time, you can go to the temples tour and in the evening it is the right time to enjoy at the river bank or take a cruise on the river.
If you are hiring a proper guide or taking the tour packages from the tour companies, then you can finish your entire trip in just one complete day and you can even reach back to Bangkok by night.
This is the reason, you should plan a combined tour with other surrounding places if you are planning a long trip.
If it is a weekend trip, then two days in Ayutthaya should be fine.
Best things to do in Ayutthaya
Now, it is time to check the details about the places to visit and my favorite things to do in Ayutthaya so that your trip can get more interesting.
This will save a lot of time for you when you reach this place…
WatChaiwattanarm
Let us start our discussion with the most visited places in Ayutthaya, WatChaiwattanarm.
Whether you start your tour with this temple, or you end your tour with the temple, you will not be impressed so much by any other temple that you get at this place.
The architecture, the size, the maintenance of the temple, everything is just awesome and you are going to love it for sure.
On the bank of the River Chao Phraya you will find this beautiful huge temple.
The temple is just amazing and you can also take a walk near the temple.
This constructed of this temple was done in the year 1630 Prasat Thong who was a king. He wanted this temple to be constructed just to honor his mother.
You should try to visit this temple in the evening and you will be mesmerized by the beauty of the temple in the night with all lights decorated to the temple.
Especially the architecture of the temple is something that attracts everyone who visit this temple and the atmosphere of the temple is calm and pleasant.
You should not miss this temple, even if you are running out of time.
Fun things to do in Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya Historical Park
Another interesting place in Ayutthaya is Ayutthaya Historical Park.
There are many interesting things to see and do in this place.
Many people do not like to go to the historical places or those places where there is a lot related to the history only.
But when you visit this place, then you are also going to love this place and historical places. There is an entry fee to this place and the fee is not too much.
So, do plan some time for visiting this place and you are going to love it for sure.
Popular Ayutthaya tourist attractions
Wat Phra Mahathat
“Temple of Great Jewel relic” or otherwise called as Wat Phra Mahathat is a great Buddhist temple, which is located on the bank of River Nan.
This temple was actually founded in the year 1357 and the is most commonly called as “WatYai” by the people living in Ayutthaya.
This place is having many temples and looks like an historical park of Buddha’s.
The main attraction of this place is the head of Buddha, which is covered inside the trunks of the Banyan tree and many Buddha statues at this place will not have heads or the hands.
This will definitely be a little sad when you are visiting the place, but there must be some history associated with it.
There is nothing which tells you about the history, but there is a lot of history associated with this place.
It would be a great option if you can hire a guide along with you if you are interested in knowing about its history.
This is a very peaceful place as would not be a lot of crowd. The only problem that you will face is with the climate of this place and it is really hot here.
What else to do in Ayutthaya?
Wat Yai Chai MongKhon
Another amazing temple after WatChaiwattanarm is Wat Yai Chai MongKhon.
This temple is just a treat for your eyes.
You will be stunned by the Buddha statue that you get to see at this place. You might have not seen this size Buddha statue anywhere else, not even in Thailand or Bangkok also.
It is said that this is the largest temple of Ayutthaya and this temple was constructed by Naresuan in the year 1593.
You can see a large reclining Buddha at the place and the length of this Buddha statue is approximately 7 meters long.
If you are visiting this place in the evening, then it is going to be much more interesting than visiting it in the morning.
So, if possible you should plan your visit to this place in the evening only.
Is Ayutthaya worth visiting?
The answer is Yes. Ayutthaya is worth visiting. This is because it is such a magical place
full of beauty and adventours.
Make sure you visit the following elephant rehabilitation center:
Elephant and stay
There is a very small village in the Ayutthaya city called as Elephant and stay where you will get a chance to see many elephants.
This place is a rehabilitation center in the village and they take a lot of care about the elephants. If you wish, then you can stay at this place and take care of the elephants and also know about the animals.
The staff that works at this rehabilitation center is very friendly and you can get all the information that you wish to get.
The people at the place love them a lot and also feed them. You can also take complete information and instructions from the staff and do that this place.
There are many small baby elephants as well and it is very interesting to watch these baby elephants playing with the mother elephants.
So, spend some time from your trip with these animals and it is going to be a different experience for you as well.
What else to see in Ayutthaya?
Wat Panan Choeng
A very interesting statue of the Lord Buddha is seen in this place and you should not miss Wat Phanan Choeng.
It is not just the interior of this temple that is interesting, even the exterior is also having many things that are influenced by the Chinese.
You will feel that this place is something different from what you have seen so far.
This temple is one of those places in Ayutthaya, which is overcrowded and you will not be able to see the temple properly.
It is always better to plan your trip during that time when there is no too much of a crowd or when there are no festivals of this place.
Maybe almost all the attractions in this place are related to Lord Buddha only, but every temple is different from each other and you should all of them for sure.
You will have a great trip when you are visiting each and every temple at this place.
The temple is very easy to reach as this temple is located on the center of the city area, but visiting while overcrowded can be problematic.
Popular places to visit in Ayutthaya
Chao Phraya River
The boat rides are very popular in Ayutthaya and you should visit Chao Phraya River if you want to enjoy a very pleasant boat ride across the river.
If you are unable to see all the temples of this place, then you can book a boat ride and you will be able to see many of the temples from your boats itself and for rest few, you will be stopped at the temple for some time.
You can go and visit the temple and come back to continue the boat ride. The boat rides are not really expensive and you can book, then when you are booking your ticket to this place.
Do not miss the river or the boat ride on this interesting river.
Do not forget to click a lot of photographs when you are going on a boat ride as they are going to look just lovely.
Things to do in Ayutthaya with kids
Ayutthaya Tourism Centre
This is going to be the right place to start your trip in Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya Tourism Centre will provide you with all that information that you are interested in knowing about this place.
There will be many people who start their trip to this place without knowing anything about Ayutthaya or some people travel from a very long distance to this place.
Whereas some people plan this trip all of a sudden, all these people can visit this place to get a lot of information about what all places to visit in Ayutthaya and why should you not miss any of these places.
They can be those people who can make your trip more exciting.
All the people who are working here are very friendly and will provide you with all kinds of information that you need. So, start exploring the city from this place.
Things to do around Ayutthaya
Million Toy Museum by Kirk Yoon pun
Now this is a place for your kids, but this place Million Toy Museum by Kirk Yoon pun is not just for the kids.
In fact, adults enjoy a lot at this place than the kids. This building itself is very interesting and this the only place that your kids will be able to understand.
The reason is all other places in Ayutthaya are related to the history and what will kids understand about the history.
Young kids may show a little interesting on the history, but not the kids. You will have many antique and modern toys as well for display.
There is a cool gift shop in this place and that place is also fun. You will be able to buy some interesting books about the museum and its founder.
So, make sure that you are not missing this place when you are in Ayutthaya.
Must see places in Ayutthaya
Thai Boat Museum
This museum Thai Boat Museum is a simple museum, which is run by an ordinary man who worked with the kings for building the royal boats.
He worked as a professor in a University and teaches the building of wooden boats. The museum is in a wooden hut and the man is always present at the museum.
He loves teaching people about the boats and he is very passionate about the boat building.
There are many boats displayed in the museum and also in the garden out this wooden hut and also on the first floor of the museum.
So, if you are having some time, then you should definitely visit this place and spend some time with that man to get some knowledge.
The Chao Phraya river is very close to this temple and hence you can visit it when you are visiting the river.
Free things to do in Ayutthaya
Nature and Wildlife Tours
There are many tours and travel companies in this place Ayutthaya where you can book the Nature and Wildlife Tours.
The tour packages are designed in such a way that they meet your requirements and are priced reasonably.
Do not miss the elephant ride when you are going for these tours, that is going to be the most memorable part of your trip to this place.
You will also have a guide along with you who is going to explain you about the entire city and the temples of this place. So, do not miss to explore the nature and wildlife of this place.
My vacation activities in Ayutthaya
Bike Tour
Many people do not want to miss the elephant ride when they are in Thailand, and some of them hire cars or vans to explore this place.
But one of the most interesting ways to explore this place is using Bike Tour.
Yes, you can hire the bikes and get the complete instructions about how to use the bikes.
You can choose to go on a group bike tour, where you will have a guide along with you to explain you about the place and also to guide the shortest way to complete your tour in less time.
But they will take care that you are not missing any places that you wish to see in Ayutthaya.
There are many other temples in Ayutthaya and you will have to spend at least a few days in this place to see all of them.
Many of the temples that you get to see now are juts ruins, but those who enjoy the nature and the historical places will definitely love Ayutthaya.
Many of the attractions of this place have been restored successfully and some are still in ruins.
Shopping is also good at this place, you can shop the different statues of Lord Buddha, many books related to the history of this place and also about all the historical places here.
The Thai food is also something that you should not miss when you are traveling to this place. Many of you will order for the Thai food when you visit any restaurant in your place.
So, now why not take the advantage of this tour and order some mouth watering Thai food here. You will never forget the taste of the Thai food that you tasted at this place.
You should take the signature dishes and it is going to become your favorite cuisine soon.
So, enjoy everything that you get in Ayutthaya, Thailand and have great holiday with family and friends.