Places To Check Out In Ayutthaya, Thailand, The Ancient Capital City

Ayutthaya is a popular day trip taken with many tourist coming from Bangkok as it is only about an hour and a half north of the city.

We recommend it only as a day trip however, since you'll be hard pressed to find a lot of attractions to keep you occupied! If you're a traveller who loves to slow down and watch the local life, a longer trip here will allow you to witness some of the raw local life in this once thriving city. 

A little bit of history of Ayutthaya:

It is a historic city founded c. 1350 and became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It was destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century which led to the move of the capital city to a more defensible site, now known as 'Krung Thep' to Thais and 'Bangkok' to most foreigners. The whole city was destroyed by fire except some structures which were made from stone survived. You'll find that there are many Wats (temples) around the city which have been put into ruins, but very lovely to walk around and see. 

Best places to visit if you're short on time:

If you're looking to make the most out of your day trip to the ancient capital, we recommend the following sites.

1. Wat Maha Tat 

Most famous for the Buddha head wrapped up in the tree. This is one of the more famous temples in the city because of this.

2. Wat Chaiwatthanaram

This is one of the most beautiful structure of the area and is quite jaw dropping

3. What Phra Is Sanphet

Some things to know when visiting Ayutthaya:

• Most of the temples and ruins will require an entrance fee of 50 Bahts as of 2019 for foreigners or 10 Bahts for Thai residents.
• Women will require to fully cover their bodies while entering temples, they means covering all body parts, long dresses/pants only and no shorts or ripped jeans. 
• Men will not be able to wear hats, shorts are ok but not too short. 
• No shoes allowed inside the temple, you will have to leave your shoes outside. Be sure to wear socks without holes! 
• Do not climb on any of the structures! There are Thai police circling the areas to enforce this, you WILL BE arrested and fined if you decide not to heed this warning.
• Respect all Buddha images and sculptures

Why Thailand Is The Best Place To Travel First

Travelling Thailand is a whole new experience, especially for those that are new to the Southeast Asian region. The city is full of modern and old, while the citizens are one of the happiest people you’ll ever see. They call this the "land of smiles."

For those adventuring into the other side of the world, this place is a great start for your trip. English speakers will have an easy time navigating this city as it is tourist friendly. A lot of the Thai citizens here have in one part of their life taken English as a second language, after all Bangkok is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

A lot of international companies have placed their offices here because the workforce here can meet their international needs.  Thai people are very hard working and it shows. They are entrepreneurial in spirit. Take a look around the city and you will find many different types of businesses to suit the needs of many. There are even some businesses that you can find only here in Thailand that is unique to the region since the tastes and social acceptances is different here. The hurdle into the business world is low here as start up costs can be very low.

Some of the most popular destinations in Thailand are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, Phi Phi Islands. In these well known hubs, they are very tourist friendly and easy to travel to with bus transportation and flights frequent for booking.

Be aware that Thailand is mainly a cash-driven country, where credit cards are slowly being introduced to everyday life for the Thais. If you’re planning on doing a whole street food adventure here, then be sure to bring cash because there is no method of electronic payment system for micro street food vendors.

Some of the things you experience in cultural shock is the level of service this country provides. When you go to a restaurant, you’ll see that the service you receive is quite high. Always greeted with respect and sometimes they will even cook your food for you as you only focus on eating. At food stands, they package everything up nicely for you to take away if that is your choice, or provide you with all the garnishments needed to enjoy their food (and they don’t skimp out!)

It’s the way it works here, it’s no denying it’s the reason why people love to travel to Thailand.