Time of the visit: 15th-18th of Jan.,2026 + 23rd-26th of march,2025.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic City of Ayutthaya" is not just a single park,but a kind of open-air museum in the middle of a city.
The historic part is roughly divided into three areas: the Central one,and the western and eastern ones.It is a large archaeological zone that covers the entire old city island and extends to significant ruins on both sides of the surrounding rivers. This zone includes over 200 archaeological sites.
About 600 years ago, it was one of the biggest, richest, and most powerful cities ( 1 million inhabitants,biggest city around the globe at that time ) in the world. It was the capital of the Thai kingdom for over 400 years. In the 1700s, it was attacked and destroyed by an invading Burmese army. The city was never rebuilt as a capital, so today we see the broken remains of its grand past.
Today Ayutthaya has approximately 50,000-60.000 inhabitants( metro area roughly 500.000) , a shadow of its glorious past.
It’s like a giant, open-air treasure house. It’s a peaceful but powerful place where you can walk among the broken towers and fallen statues of a once-great city, feeling the weight of history and the beauty of what remains.
People usually visit for a day trip from nearby Bangkok or Pattaya.. They walk or rent bicycles to explore the ruins spread across the island. No need to take the train as minibuses cover the route Bangkok ( Mochit2,Don Mueang airport station,Rangsit,and 2-3 other stops between) -Ayutthaya for 70 baht,very frequently.As soon as there are enough passengers they leave.They fill up pretty fastly.I only had to wait 5 min.The minibus terminal is very near the Central area ( 5 min.walk).Coming by train one can either take a minibus or a taxi or walk... across the railway station is a ferry harbour....15 baht....more or less 15 min walk from the other river side to the central area,the core zone.
I recommend to stay there 1-3 days.As a day trip you won't be able to visit the two more remote clusters.You need an entire day to visit the main temple ruin complexes in the core zone...and you will be very exhausted at the end of the day.And especially with high temperatures it will be tough. However,a bicycle is not really needed for the Central zone...but recommended with high temperatures.
The Heart of the Old City is the Central part.
This is the main historic area, surrounded by rivers. It contains the most important royal and religious sites:
The grand ruins of the Royal Palace and the most sacred temples, built by kings.Key Sites like Wat Phra Si Sanphet: The most important temple, with three iconic, large bell-shaped towers in a row. It was the royal chapel, used only by the king and his family and Wat Mahathat,famous for the Buddha head tangled in tree roots. It was the spiritual center of the kingdom.
The Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit houses one of Thailand's largest bronze Buddha statues.
I had visited all components there during my first visit in 2025 with the exception of Wat Thammikarat, known for it's hundreds of rooster figurines.
This picturesque temple is known for being filled with rooster statues. It offers a laid-back atmosphere away from the large crowds of package or day tourists. It's a small gem located just minutes from the busy Wat Mahathat, and there is no entrance fee to visit. I entered from a side entrance..nobody was there.
I also revisited all temples in 2026 you can visit with the combination ticket with the exception of the temples in the Western part ( Wat Chai Watthanaram) which I visited in 2025 and didn't want to revisit as you need a bicycle and the ride there wasn't that pleasant.
I for my part like the Eastern part ( east of the train station) the most.I had already visited all official components there in 2025 ,but in 2026 I revisited all of them+some minor temples there which are not on the UNESCO list like the Wat Pradu Songtham ( recommendable).You need a bicycle to get there from the Central part where most of the hotels are. The way there is far more pleasant than to the Western part( use the ferry to get to the railway station and then enter the railway station and cross the tracks there).
Most of the visitors there are either Thai tourists and Chinese groups ( the floating market there is their main destination,skip the food and the boat tour there,but have a look at the elephant station ..you can ride an elephant there,more pictorisque than the rides in the Central part where the much bigger elephant station is located,but more expensive than in the Central part).
The Wat Kudi Dao and the Wat Maheyong are the main UNESCO components there, mostly visited by Thai tourists.... hardly any Western tourists.All temple ruins and active temples are near to each other,the floating market as well as the new and huge Wat Maheyong Buddhist complex are also just a stone 's throw away. The new Wat Maheyong complex is not the UNESCO temple ruins Wat Maheyong,but the main entrance is just 2 min. away from the UNESCO site.Worth a visit... probably one of the biggest new Buddhist complexes in South East Asia.Most visitors stay there for some days...it offers meditation courses,has accomodation,ponds, artificial lakes,some temples,conference buildings,a theatre, restaurants,and many things more.I didn't meet a single tourist there.Wat Maheyong is a hidden gem where you can walk from the quiet, red-brick ghosts of the past of the UNESCO temple ruins straight into a brilliant, dazzling white vision of modern Thai Buddhist devotion. It’s highly recommended for those looking to see something beyond the standard ruins.
Just a few words about the dog situation there. You will hardly come across any stray or guard dogs there,apart from the occasional encounter.Riding a bicycle is hassle-free there...unlike in Sukhotai,the first Thai kingdom,for example.
Ayutthaya also has some interesting night markets, waterfront restaurants,the Japanese and Dutch village, and some ... impressive water dragons in its waters.Look out for them...there are some quite big ones.