Ayutthaya Historical Parkอุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครศรีอยุธยา

Traces of Ayutthaya, an international trading city

Ayutthaya was founded around 1350 and became the capital of Siam after Sukhothai. Surrounded by three rivers, it grew into a center of trade and diplomacy, but the old city was destroyed in the war of 1767 and remains as ruins.

The main sights are therefore not lavishly furnished palace interiors, but tall towers, collapsed halls and large temple grounds. As you look at the scale of the surviving buildings, imagine how large the former capital was. The old city of Ayutthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Buddha head in tree roots, three chedis and a riverside temple

To see a Buddha head wrapped in tree roots, visit Wat Mahathat; for three chedis standing in a row and a royal temple site, choose Wat Phra Si Sanphet. If you want a central prang and surrounding galleries beside the river, consider Wat Chaiwatthanaram.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet is a royal temple connected with the palace grounds, while Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands by the river, where its towers and galleries form part of the waterside scene. Rather than stopping after a photo of one Buddha image, visit a royal temple and a riverside temple to compare the different scale and layouts of Ayutthaya’s surviving religious architecture.

Palaces, temples and the present-day city

Ruins are spread throughout the present-day city. Choose the sites you want to visit and allow time to travel between them.

Some temples are still active places of worship, while others remain as ruins. Clothing, fees and entry arrangements are not the same at every site.

Choose a pass based on the ruins you plan to visit

Even a combined pass does not provide entry to every temple and museum in Ayutthaya. Wat Mahathat, with the Buddha head among tree roots; Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its royal chedis; and riverside Wat Chaiwatthanaram are separate sites that require travel between them. A combined pass has its own list of included sites and validity period.