Ayutthaya Royal Palace: Travel Guide (4.5★)

Where kings once slept

Most of it is foundations. Wide lawns hold low platforms of red brick and laterite, and those footprints are all that is left of the throne halls, audience pavilions and royal residences. Walk the outlines and you will get a sense of how big the court once was.

The palace dates from the 1400s. King Borommatrailokanat gave the original royal ground to Wat Phra Si Sanphet and built a new residence further north, toward the Lopburi River. His successors kept adding halls until the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya in 1767. Much of the surviving brick was later hauled downriver to build early Bangkok, and that is why so little stands above knee height.

Reading the ruins

The site is part of the Historic City of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. It gets far less footfall than the chedis next door, so on most visits you share the lawns with a handful of people. Look out for:

• Throne hall platforms: the widest bases, including the Sanphet Prasat hall, where foreign envoys were received.
• Stepped brick plinths: raised floors that once carried timber pavilions, now gone.
• The northern edge: this side faces the river, which was the palace’s water gate for royal barges.
• Information boards: short English panels that name each structure.

Shade is scarce. The trees cluster along the edges, and the open centre bakes by late morning.

Getting onto the island

Old Ayutthaya is an island ringed by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi rivers. Trains from Bangkok stop at Ayutthaya Railway Station on the east bank. From there, a short cross-river ferry puts you near the bicycle-rental shops on the island side.

Cycling is the easiest way to link the palace with the big three next to it:

• Wat Phra Si Sanphet, whose three restored chedis stand just to the south.
• Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, which houses one of Thailand’s largest bronze seated Buddhas.
• Wat Mahathat, a short ride east, known for the Buddha head held in tree roots.

You can also hire a tuk-tuk by the hour at the station. Agree the route and the fare before you set off.

Walking the grounds with care

Most people treat this ground as sacred, even without a standing temple. Keep off the brick platforms: climbing ruins is prohibited across the historical park, and guards will call you down. Nothing here needs strict temple dress. Covered shoulders and knees are still wise, though, because you will probably walk straight into Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit afterwards, where they are expected.

Admission is posted at the gate. Pay in Thai baht cash, since card acceptance at small historical-park kiosks is unreliable. Keep your ticket until you leave the site.

Go early. The gates open at 8:00 AM, and the brick holds heat through the afternoon. The tour coaches from Bangkok tend to head for Wat Phra Si Sanphet first, so starting at the palace usually keeps you ahead of them. Late afternoon, before the 6:30 PM close, brings softer light on the foundations. Bring water, a hat and a paper map of the island.