In this post we will tell you everything you have what to see and do in Sukhothai 🙂
Thailand is full of surprises, we will not get tired of saying that it is the ideal destination for a first contact with the Asian continent. A country with countless things to offer and that will captivate the traveler. But we not only talk about its natural parks, its beaches and paradisiacal islands, its characteristic Buddhist temples and its people ... Thailand has a hugely wide and attractive history. To begin to know part of this story, an excellent idea is to approach Sukhothai, one of the key places in the Thai past.
For us it was our second time here, we wanted to share with my parents what we met a few years ago on our first trip to Thailand, and we must say that it was one of the visits that shook their souls the most. But what's so special about this place? What you will find in the immediate vicinity of Sukhothai is the best historical park in Thailand, a unique and obligatory visit for those who want to soak up the culture of the country. But keep reading that we are going to tell you many more things ...
Sukhothai was neither more nor less than the first capital of the kingdom of Siam, during the thirteenth century and to this place we must thank what Thailand would be in the centuries to come. The bases of Theravada Buddhism were laid, the monarchy was established as a political option and even the Thai alphabet was created. It was more than a century of prosperity and cultural and religious flourishing in which many wonderful temples were built, many of which are preserved in good condition and form the Historic Park, a UNESCO heritage since 1991.
There are two Sukhothais: the old and the new. You guessed, the ruins are in the “Old Sukhothai”That form the park and some hotels and restaurants built just for the visit. The "New Sukhothai”Is the city itself, about 12 km from the park, without many attractions but with the advantage any city: restaurants of all kinds and for any budget, night market, varied accommodation ...
We have both stayed at the New Sukhothai both times and it is what we recommend.
The ruins of the ancient capital of Sukhothai are 12km from the new city. The park is formed by two groups of temples: those who meet inside the walls (the core group) and who are the most impressive and the ones that are out of them (groups north, and west), somewhat more scattered and perhaps of less interest. If you do not have too much time and prefer that the visit does not get too long, focus on the interior temples, in addition to visiting the two groups there are different tickets.
The most important temples within the enclosure of the walls are:
→ Wat Mahathat: It is the largest and most important temple of all. You can walk among its stupas on brick roads and inside there is a huge statue of Buddha and a main stupa that stands out from the rest.
→ Wat Si Sawai: It is one of the oldest temples in the enclosure and we can name it as “the little brother of Angkor Wat”, it will not cost you to find its similarities. It is our favorite!
→ Wat Sasi: It is located at the other end of the enclosure and to reach it we will have to cross a wooden bridge. It has a large stupa and a blank Buddha figure.
The best temple outside the wall is the Wat Si Chum, in the north enclosure, with a huge statue of Buddha inside.
The best way is to do it by bicycle, before the entrance of the park there are quite a few places with restaurants and shops, there you can rent them for 30 bahts (less than € 1). The park is not large and can also be done on foot, but maybe something heavy is done and the heat usually squeezes.
What we did was rent a tuctuc in New Sukhothai to take us to the park and, once inside, stop at the different temples. The price was 300 bahts and in total we were about 2-3 hours.
There is a typical dish here that you have to try: it is a very rich soup called Sukhothai noodles.The restaurant "Poo" (which translated from English is "poop" but in Thai actually means "crab") prepares it very well, also has other Thai varieties such as massaman curry and Western dishes. So "enjoy the poo!"
At night in the streets near the bridge ride sidewalk restaurants, the typical street stalls with an impromptu kitchen and a few plastic stools and half lame tables, but where the food is delicious and at frankly cheap prices.
Useful info of the trip to Sukhothai
How much does the entrance to the park cost: the entrance to the walled enclosure (central enclosure) costs 100 bahts (€ 2.50), we were not charged extra for the tuctuc and for the bikes we believe there are 10 bahts. The rest of the enclosures (the north and the west) have the same price. The entrance to the museum costs 150 bahts, we do not enter.
How to get to the park from Sukhothai City: there are buses that stop very close to the bridge, on the main road that goes to the park (you can see it on the map below). The price is 30 baht per tour and they leave every 30 minutes from 06:30 to 17:00.
How to get to Sukhothai from Bangkok: The two times we went we did it by bus. The buses They depart from Mo Chit BTS Station, north of the city. The price is 346 baht and takes about 7.5 hours. You can make the reservation through the web //12go.asia/es. We went with the company "Phitsanulok Tour" and well, they give water, food (rice with meat) and some cookies. If you ask at the travel agencies in Bangkok the price will be higher and do not include pick up, so it should be taken with the web. There is another option that is combine train to Phitsanulok (depart from Hua Lampong station and take about 5-6 hours for a price of 729 baht, more bus to Sukhothai for about 50 bahts and 1 hour ride (58 km).
How to get to Sukhothai from Chiang Mai and vice versa: Direct buses run between these two cities, although they do not appear on the 12go.asia website. It is best that you inform yourself at the station itself or at an agency. The journey takes 4 hours and the price of the bus is approximately 240 bahts. These are the schedules:
- Chiang Mai -> Sukhothai: 07:00 / 08:00 / 10:15 / 12:00 / 13:30 / 15:00 / 16:30 / 17:30.
- Sukhothai -> Chiang Mai: 06:30 / 07:15 / 08:30 / 09:30 / 11:00 / 11:50 / 13:40 / 14:30.
How to get to Sukhothai from Chiang Rai and vice versa: there are also direct buses and as in the previous case, it is best to get informed directly at the station (we do what we do is book the next bus once we arrive at the station, in this case the Sukhothai bus to Chiang Mai as soon as we arrive at Sukhothai station from Bangkok, two days before). The journey takes 8 hours and the price of the bus is 260 bahts. These are the schedules:
- Chiang Rai -> Sukhothai: 07:00 / 08:30 / 09:30 / 10:30.
- Sukhothai -> Chiang Rai: 06:40 / 09:00 / 11: 30.
How to get from the bus station to Sukhothai village: The bus station is about 3 km from the town center. We took a shared van (although it was just us) for 20 bahts per person.
Accommodation in Sukhothai: We stayed at the Pai Sukhothai Resort for about € 25 a night in the upper bungalows. The site is absolutely worth it, a great breakfast, a little pool and in a good position, at the bark of the bus stop towards Old Sukhotai and a 5 minute walk from the area of the night restaurants.
Do you know more things to see and do in Sukhotai? Leave us a comment 🙂
