On the Northern Thailand, there is a small city with around 35 thousand inhabitants, but is very popular as one of the interesting places in Thailand for the ancient ruins.
This place is Sukhothai, Thailand and it is a popular tourist destination.
The name Sukhothai means “The Dawn Of Happiness”.
This place was very popular during the mid of 13th century till the end of the 14th century.
It was the capital of Thailand during this period.
The architecture, religious art and the civilization of this place represents the real Thai Style.
If you are unaware of the Thai style, then visit this place will help you understand the real Thai style and culture.
There are a lot of interesting monuments, ruins of this city and many of them were beautifully restored as well.
This place is one among the UNESCO World heritage sites.
Plan a holiday along with your family at this place Sukhothai if you like enjoy the ruins of the past.
You will have daily flights from Bangkok to Sukhothai and hence it is very easy to reach this place and it is very interesting as well.
Many people of Bangkok and other places in Thailand plan a small weekend trip to this place as this place is really interesting and informative as well.
Best time to visit Sukhothai?
To make your holiday, very interesting and full of fun, you need to plan the holiday at the right time.
You can either plan the holiday in those months, which are comfortable for you or you can check the months which are having comfortable climate.
The best time to visit this place Sukhothai is during the months of November through February.
You will be able to spend a lot of time in sightseeing as the climate is cool and you should avoid visiting during the rainy season.
The Winter season or the start of Summer is fine as the Summer is not having an extreme climate at the beginning, but it will get hotter as the summer goes by.
So make sure to plan it according to your requirements.
But the trip will be expensive during the peak climate and less expensive during the other months of the year.
So, now it is time for you to decide the month on which you want to visit Sukhothai and enjoy the holiday during the time of your choice.
After you have decided when to visit Sukhothai, it is time to decide the
Best things to do in Sukhothai
These are my favorite things to do and beautiful places to visit on your next holiday to Sukhothai.
Sukhothai Old City
One of the most popular and beautiful place in Sukhothai is the Sukhothai Old City.
This place is having more than 200 temples and reflects the colorful history of this place.
Most the temples were destroyed very badly and hence reconstructed for the visitors to have a great time when visiting this place.
You will get a clearer picture of how the Thailand’s early capital look liked.
You should not miss this beautiful place, if you want to enjoy the best of this place, then you should visit it during the early hours.
The place is open from 6 am in the morning till 9 pm in the evening.
And hence it would be a great day for you if you can reach there by 6 am in the morning.
The crowd is going to be less at the early hours and it would be easy for you to explore the entire and the photographs are also going to be just beautiful.
You will not be able to click the best pictures when there is too much of a crowd in that place.
For all the temples in this place, the sign boards are written in English and hence it would be easy for any tourist to understand it easily.
But if you are looking for a detailed information about the history, then you should hire a guide for yourself.
The entry fee to this place is just $5 and you will enjoy a lot.
My favorite stuff to do in Sukhothai
Wat Mahathat
Out of the thousands of people visiting this place every year, 95 percent of the people do not miss this place.
Among those 95 percent people, 90 percent of them love this place and would love to visit it again and again.
The name of the place is Wat Mahathat and you should not miss this place at any cost.
After so many positive reviews about the place, it is definitely a place that you should not miss.
This temple is said to be one of the oldest temples in Sukhothai and the most beautiful temple as well.
The temple is located in the middle of a lake and the lake is always full of fishes.
The place is just wonderful and your kids are going to love the place for sure.
The reason is, the fish are beautiful to see and enjoy and also you get a chance to feed the fishes by your own.
The statue of the Buddha is just amazing and you can also see the footprints of Lord Buddha at this place.
This is also one of the reasons why this place is more famous than other places in Sukhothai.
If you visit this place during the sunset, then you can enjoy a beautiful sunset and make sure that you are clicking a lot of pictures here for sure.
Fun things to do in Sukhothai
Wat Trapang Ngoen
When you are visiting Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai, then do not miss Wat Trapang Ngoen.
This place is very close to Wat Mahathat and it is in the west direction.
You will have a very beautiful island on the west direction and a Lake called as Trap hang Ngoen, which is full of lotus flowers is having the Wat.
You will get a chance to see the most beautiful statue of Lord Buddha who is crowned by the bud of a lotus and looks just amazing with the lotus flower around.
The lake is just amazing and you should not miss it at all.
This is a great place to spend some quality time with your family if you are visiting in the early morning or in the evening.
You will find a very less crowd and hence you can enjoy the place to the fullest.
The place is amazing because of water all around the temple and a nice statue of Buddha sits in the middle of the lake.
The place is open from 6 am in the morning and you will be able to reach the place very easily.
So, do not miss it at all.
Popular Sukhothai tourist attractions
Wat Sa Si
One of the must see places of Sukhothai is Wat Sa Si.
Yes, this place looks just gorgeous and you should not miss it at any cost.
The water around this place makes it just perfect for clicking a lot of pictures and enjoying with your family.
You can see 6 columns of the temple are still standing well along with another 10 chedis.
The statue of the sitting Buddha also looks in good condition and hence you should not miss it for sure.
You will also find many Buddhist monks at this temple and spend time at the Buddha statue.
If you are planning your trip in November, then you will get a chance to enjoy the light festival that is celebrated in this place.
The festival is called as Loy Krathong.
There will be thousands of small little lamps floating the water of the lake and you should not miss this festival if you are here in November.
All the lights that are floating in the water turn this place into Lake of light instead of Lake of water.
You must watch it to enjoy its real beauty.
So, plan your trip in November if possible.
What else to do in Sukhothai?
Wat Sorasak
This place Wat Sorasak is another interesting place in Sukhothai, which you should not miss.
This temple was constructed in the year 1412 and it is still strong and perfect.
There are almost 24 elephants carved on the side of the temple walls, and it looks like the elephants are holding the temple to stand strong.
You will see six elephants on each side of the temple wall and that is is awesome look.
You will be able to see all 24 elephants still holding the Chedi.
Parts of this temple have been restored and made it just perfect the visitors to spend some time watching the beauty of this place.
The sitting posture of the Buddha is also different in this temple.
He is not sitting folding his legs, rather he sits by hanging his legs down.
Many visitors who have already visited this temple, say that this is the best temple or ruins that you get to see in Sukhothai.
Most of the other ruins in this place are damaged very badly and you will get to see just the parts of the temple or the monument but this is a bit in good condition.
Is Sukhothai worth visiting?
The answer is Yes.
Sukhothai is worth visiting.
This is because it is such a magical place
full of beauty and adventours.
Make sure you visit the following stunning place:
Wat Si Chum
To enjoy the beauty of this place Wat Si Chum, you should visit this place.
This temple is entirely different from other temples that you get to see in Sukhothai.
The statue of Buddha is very huge and was in Golden yellow color when it was constructed.
You can still the original color of the statue in the hands of the Buddha statue.
The architecture of the temple is also in a very different way, you will be able to see the face of the Buddha even from outside the temple but you will not be able to see anything else.
When you enter into the temple, then you can see the complete statue.
There will be a lot of the crowd at this temple as the statue of this temple is really huge and very interesting place as well.
The place is very pleasant.
This place is still being used for worshipping the Lord Buddha and hence you should respect that.
Only the temple is in condition and the rest of the things around the temple are just the ruins that you get to see here.
Do not miss this place if you want to see the giant Lord Buddha statue.
What else to see in Sukhothai?
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary
The ruins of Sukhothai are very interesting and they are having a lot of history associated with them to learn.
But do you think that just going for sightseeing those ruins is going to make your trip interesting?
It can be a bit boring when you are seeing only those things.
So for a change you should visit Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary.
This is an interesting place where you will be able to see many elephants at a single place.
Catherine and her husband are the people who are taking care of this elephant Sanctuary.
When you read the name, you just feel like you get to see just the elephants, but there are many other animals which are part of this Sanctuary.
Their love towards animals is something that you should see yourself and learn.
They respect and love the animals just like they do with the human beings.
If you are planning to visit this place all of a sudden, then it may not be possible.
You should book your appointment in advance and make sure to carry the email confirmation while visiting the place.
Do not miss it.
Popular places to visit in Sukhothai
Ramkhamhaeng National Museum
Another interesting place in Thailand when you are visiting Sukhothai is a Ramkhamhaeng National Museum.
This is the right place for all those tourists who want to get complete details about the history of Thailand and Sukhothai.
This museum is very close to the historical park of Sukhothai and you should not miss it.
This is an air conditioned museum and hence it would be good if you can visit this place in the afternoon when the climate is hot.
You can spend at least two hours at this place to get information about this place.
The artifacts that are displayed in this place are interesting and impressive as well.
All the information that is displayed here is in English along with Thai and hence you will be able to understand it very easily.
So, plan to spend some time here and get the complete knowledge about the history of Sukhothai, which was the place of happiness in the past.
You also get information about the teachings of Lord Buddha and his life.
Much of the museum that you get to see here is very less compared to what actually you have for exploring but it remains closed for visitors.
Things to do in Sukhothai with kids
Sangkhalok Museum
If you are looking for another place to take a break from the same temples and Buddha statues, then visit this Sangkhalok Museum.
The museum is very small but you get a lot of interesting artifacts to explore here.
This place is not known to many people and hence you will not find too much of a crowd at this place.
Another reason why people do not visit this museum is, this is far from the city but it is definitely worth visiting.
You will be explained the history of Thailand and Lord Buddha with the help of Ceramic ware and the exhibits here are just beautiful.
Almost all the displays here are made with ceramic and beautifully exhibited.
You will also have booklets at this place which are very useful to understand the history of this place.
So, do not miss the place and enjoy the place as well.
Things to do around Sukhothai
King Ram Khamhaeng Monument
This monument King Ram Khamhaeng Monument is said to be the father of Thai.
He was a king who was very friendly and ruled generously.
The statue of the king is very beautiful and you will also get a chance to see the Thai alphabets at this place on a wall.
You will also get a chance to know about the origin of the Thai alphabets.
The stone is not the original one, it was made for the visitors.
You can click a lot of pictures at this place and they are going to be wonderful and memorable.
Must see places in Sukhothai
Bike Tours
Apart from booking the tours and travel packages in Sukhothai, it is going to be very interesting to go for Bike Tours for exploring the place.
You can rent the bikes and you will also be given complete instructions about how to use the bikes.
A guide will also join you in your bike tour to help you understand the history of each place that you are visiting as part of the bike tour.
Make sure that you carry enough water along with you when you are going on a bike tour.
Do try the bike tour in this place if you have never tried them before.
There are many more ruins in this place like Wat Phra Pai Luang, Wat Trapang Thong Lang, Wat Chetuphon, Wat Saphan Hin, Phra Si Ratana Temple and many other things to see.
S
o, plan a three to four daytrip to enjoy all the attractions in this place without missing any.
This is a great place for all those who enjoy the historical ruins.
Have a great trip to Sukhothai.
