Sukhothai

What it was

Sukhothai — literally "dawn of happiness" — was the first independent Thai kingdom, founded around 1238. Its most famous king, Ramkhamhaeng, is credited with creating the Thai script and with a style of government the country still refers to.

The kingdom was absorbed by Ayutthaya in the fifteenth century and the capital was eventually abandoned. The ruins were restored from the 1950s onwards with UNESCO help, and the site was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1991 alongside Ayutthaya.

The result is a historic park that is well maintained, genuinely beautiful, and — compared with Ayutthaya — almost empty.

The three zones, and why the middle one is the one

The historic site is not one place but three, separated by a few kilometres, and each has its own ticket. Understanding this before you arrive saves confusion and money.

• The central zone, inside the old walls — the main event. Wat Mahathat with its columns and seated Buddha, Wat Si Chum with the enormous Buddha in a narrow brick hall, Wat Sa Si on its island, and the royal palace site. Everything here is walkable and cyclable.
• The northern zone — Wat Si Chum (if you have not already counted it in the centre), Wat Phra Phai Luang and the lesser-known ruins. Quieter and worth the ride.
• The western zone — Wat Saphan Hin, up a hill, with a standing Buddha and the best view over the plain at sunrise.

A combined ticket covers the zones, and a bicycle is the way to move between them. Electric carts and songthaews are available for those who would rather not ride in the heat.

Seeing it by bicycle

Sukhothai is flat, the roads inside the park are quiet, and the distances are short. This makes it the single most pleasant major ruin site in Southeast Asia to explore on two wheels.

Rent a bicycle near the park entrance in the morning, start in the central zone while it is cool, ride out to the northern and western zones in the middle of the day, and come back for the late afternoon light.

The park opens early and closes at sunset. Sunrise at Wat Saphan Hin, on the hill in the western zone, is the one thing worth setting an alarm for.

When to go

November to February is the cool, dry season and by far the most comfortable time to be walking and cycling around ruins with almost no shade. December and January mornings can be genuinely cool.

March to May is hot — very hot by midday — and the light is harsher. June to October brings rain, greener surroundings and far fewer visitors; the showers are usually short.

The park is quiet year-round compared with Ayutthaya. Even in peak season you will not be fighting crowds.

Getting there

Sukhothai is roughly 430 km north of Bangkok, which puts it between the capital and Chiang Mai — the reason it fits naturally into a northbound itinerary rather than being a day trip.

• By air to Sukhothai Airport (THS), a small airport about 30 km from the park, with a limited number of flights.
• By air to Phitsanulok (PHS), which has far more flights, then about an hour by road. This is often the practical option.
• By overnight train or bus from Bangkok to Phitsanulok, then a local bus or songthaew to Sukhothai.
• Old Sukhothai (the historic park) and New Sukhothai (the modern town, 12 km away, where the buses and most guesthouses are) are two different places. Check which one your booking is in.