Itinerary

Day 1

The entire city of Ayutthaya, (which means ‘holy city') is situated on an island between rivers and has been designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The city was created in the 12th century and was one of the wealthiest kingdoms in Southeast Asia, its borders stretching from Angkor in Cambodia to deep within Burma. In the 18th century, the city lost its power after the invasion of the Burmese, who destroyed the temples and left the ruins behind as we see them today.
In the afternoon, you can take some time to stroll around the temples. The temples can be found all over Ayutthaya, and you'll often find yourself alone, wandering amongst the ruins with no other tourists in sight. Wear a hat and take plenty of water to drink.
At the end of the afternoon, you can freshen up at the hotel and relax for a while. Then, at about 5:30pm, you'll be collected from the hotel for the sunset tuk-tuk tour.

Around 6pm the sun begins to sink, bathing the ruins in an ethereal light. Our favourite temple is Wat Chai Wattanaram, which you'll visit just as the sun is setting. The temple is a little further out of the city, so there's an excellent view over the paddy fields and cashew trees. Both the temple and the surrounding landscape are spellbinding at sunset. Around 7:30pm you'll be dropped back in the city centre. Now is a wonderful time for dinner at one of the atmospheric floating restaurants on the river. A perfect end to a fantastic day.

Day 2

This trip ends after breakfast. Most travellers will heading further north to Chiang Mai. There is a train that leaves at 7:25am, arriving in Chiang Mai at 7:45pm. Or, better still, you could catch an overnight sleeper train. This would give you another whole day to explore more temples and palaces, slowly soaking up Ayutthaya.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Breakfast and sunset tuk-tuk tour.

Exclusions -

International flights to Thailand