Kat’s mom recently turned 60 and to celebrate we decided to take her on a 2-night trip to Sukhothai, a place that had been on our Thailand bucket-list for years. It was actually her first time on a plane, so the excitement began as soon as we boarded the Bangkok Airways flight.

The flight from Bangkok was smooth and quick, just over an hour in the air, and the views as we descended into Sukhothai were stunning: lush countryside, ritual ponds and palm trees dotted across the landscape, and temples blending seamlessly into nature. As we looked out the window, we could tell we were arriving somewhere serene and special!

Sukhothai - Bangkok Airways — *Kat & her mom boarding the flight*

Sukhothai - Arrival — *Lush countryside of Sukhothai*

The Rich History of Sukhothai

For those who don’t know, Sukhothai is nestled in the lower northern region of Thailand, about 420 kilometers north of Bangkok. It’s famous for the Sukhothai Historical Park: a UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains the ruins of the first ever Thai capital, a kingdom which was formed in 1238 after a successful rebellion took place against the Khmer Empire.

King Ramkhamhaeng the Great led the kingdom to its glory days, creating the Thai alphabet in 1283 and establishing Theravada Buddhism as the official religion. Due to the area being drought-prone, Sukhothai also established an innovative water management system, building “Trapangs” (ritual ponds), canals, and dams to manage irrigation and flood control. Many of these “Trapangs” can still be seen to this very day.

In the 15th-century, vassal states broke away and the kingdom’s power was greatly diminished. It was eventually annexed by the Ayutthaya Kingdom to the south. Restoration efforts began in the 1970s, leading to the UNESCO status, and slowly but surely it has become a popular tourist destination - with many travelers considering it to be a more peaceful and authentic temple experience than Ayutthaya.

Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai — *Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai*

Wat Si Chum - Seated Buddha Open Roof — *Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai*

Wat Si Chum in Sukhothai — *Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai*

How to Get to Sukhothai

The best way to get to Sukhothai is to fly direct with Bangkok Airways, a boutique airline that specializes in linking cultural heritage sites and natural wonders in Thailand. The Sukhothai Airport (THS) is owned by Bangkok Airways itself, with all direct flights departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). We paid around 4300 THB per person for the return flights, more than what you’d normally pay for a budget airline in Thailand but great value for money when you consider the overall experience.

We love flying with Bangkok Airways because their customer service is top-notch, their private airports are beautifully designed, and they even offer complimentary services such as free breakfast. Cam was so excited about the Sukhothai trip that he left his passport in the the seat pocket of the plane upon arrival. Luckily, the staff kept it safe at the airport and returned it to him for his flight back! We’ve always been looked after by Bangkok Airways, which is why we recommend them so highly.

The other option is to fly to Phitsanulok Airport (PHS) with a budget airline like Thai AirAsia, and then take a 60-90 minute taxi or bus to Sukhothai. Or you could take the bus or train from Bangkok but it takes significantly longer (7-8 hours of total travel time). If you’ve got the budget for it, you simply can’t beat the experience of flying with Bangkok Airways!

Where to Stay in Sukhothai

Finding good accommodation in Sukhothai isn’t the easiest of tasks, however we did manage to book a nice place called Midtown Sukhothai. We had two poolside villas - one for Kat’s mom and the other for us - and paid roughly 1300 THB per night per room. The location of the hotel was fantastic, just a 5-minute walk to the town’s main street where a few street food stalls, restaurants and bars awaited us.

The hotel also organised our airport taxis and the tuk-tuk driver who took us to the Sukhothai Historical Park for the day. Midtown is located in the main town, 12km away from the historical park. There are other hotels and “resorts” closer to the main temples, but their mixed reviews weren’t exactly convincing. Overall, we couldn’t fault Midtown, and found it to be a comfortable and relaxing 2-night stay.

Midtown Sukhothai Pool — *Midtown Sukhothai pool*

Sukhothai - Sunrise — *Sunrise from the street outside our hotel*

The Ultimate 1-Day Sukhothai Itinerary

Tuk-Tuk vs Renting Bicycles

To make the most of your temple-hopping day in Sukhothai, it’s important that you choose the right mode of transportation. The first thing to consider is that there’s a 12km distance between the main town and the historical park. If you’re staying in the main town (like we did), you’ll need to organise transport via a tuk-tuk, scooter rental, taxi or songthaew.

Next, you need to think about how you’ll actually get around the Central Walled Zone of the park because scooters and tuk-tuks aren’t permitted. Golf cart rentals are a popular alternative to walking or bicycling, as the distances between each temple are surprisingly long and the mid-day heat is no joke. We found it to be unbearably hot from 12:00 PM onwards!

We decided that the easiest and most comfortable option was to arrange a tuk-tuk driver for the day and then hire a golf cart to get around the historical park. This suited Kat’s mom who prefers to be in the shade as much as possible. The golf cart also came with umbrellas, which were a god-send as we stepped out of the shade and into the blazing hot sun.

This isn’t to say that renting bicycles is a bad idea, as it looked like a lot of fun in the early morning, but the afternoon heat just makes outdoor activities that much harder. Having your own tuk-tuk driver comes with many benefits: you’ll be shaded as you travel around the outer zone temples, you can stop for lunch whenever you please, and head back to your hotel without waiting for a taxi. Our tuk-tuk driver was fantastic - acting as both a driver and unofficial tour guide at the same time.

Sukhothai - Tuk Tuk — *Taking a tuk-tuk to the historical park*

Tuk Tuk to Historical Park — *Taking a tuk-tuk to the historical park*

Early Morning: Hidden Gems of the Outer Park

Wat Chang Lom

We got picked up at our hotel, stopped for a quick coffee and then made our way to Wat Chang Lom arriving at 9:00 AM. The soft light was slowly illuminating one side of the chedi, making for a gorgeous early morning atmosphere. There are 36 elephants circling the base of the temple, some of which have lost their trunks and tusks. Nevertheless, it was still a great introduction to Sukhothai. This temple is located about 1km east of the main park entrance, so it makes sense as the first stop of the day.

Wat Chang Lom - Tuk Tuk — *Our tuk-tuk driver waiting at Wat Chang Lom*

Wat Si Chum

Wat Si Chum was the place Cam had dreamed of visiting for years and it did not disappoint! It took us just 10 minutes to arrive at this iconic temple, again located outside the old city walls, where a massive 15-meter Buddha statue sits majestically inside a roofless sanctuary. We had to buy tickets to enter - 100 THB for foreigners and 20 THB for Thais - but it was worth every penny.

As you walk towards the temple, the Buddha’s face slowly starts to become more prominent through a small vertical gap in the structure - an experience that reminded Cam of the dramatic reveal he saw at the Treasury in Petra. The Buddha is nicknamed the “Speaking Buddha” (Phra Achana) and has elegant long fingers covered in gold leaf. Kat’s mom spent a few minutes praying in front of the statue and touching the fingers for good luck, which was a special moment for us to witness.

Phra Achana wasn’t the only highlight of Wat Si Chum. We were surprised to see a massive, 200-year old mango tree sitting right beside the temple ruins, as well as another seated Buddha statue covered in spots of gold leaf. The entire place had this mystical atmosphere to it, captivating not only Cam as a tourist but also Kat and her mom as local Thais.

Wat Si Chum - Seated Buddha — *Wat Si Chum*

Wat Si Chum - Best Temple in Sukhothai — *Kat’s mom praying at Wat Si Chum*

Mango Tree at Wat Si Chum — *Mango tree*

Wat Phra Phai Luang

Next up on the itinerary was Wat Phra Phai Luang, the largest archaeological site in the outer zone, displaying a unique blend of Khmer and Sukhothai architecture. To be fair to this temple, we were still on a high from Wat Si Chum so we didn’t appreciate it as much. But looking back, some of its ancient towers and Banyan trees (reclaiming the ruins) were pretty cool, almost a similar vibe to the jungle temples of Angkor Wat.

Banyan Trees Sukhothai — *Wat Phra Phai Luang*

Early Lunch: Sukhothai Noodles in the Old Town

Since we only had a coffee for breakfast, and had already seen three amazing temples, we had built up a bit of an appetite and were ready for an early lunch at 10:30 AM. Kat asked the tuk-tuk driver to take us to an authentic local restaurant and that’s exactly what he did. We found a great little spot outside the old city walls and ordered the famous Sukhothai noodles, spicy som tum (papaya salad) and a few refreshingly cold beers. At this point, we were refueled and ready to take on the temples inside the historical park.

Early Afternoon: Historical Park Central Zone

Wat Mahathat

After waiting a while for our golf cart to be ready, our driver eventually took us over to the main gates of the Sukhothai Historical Park, where we purchased tickets and entered the famous UNESCO-site filled with spectacular greenery, ponds, waterways and temples. We decided to head to Wat Mahathat first, as this was another temple at the top of our list. We arrived at 11:30 AM and it was absolutely scorching hot! Fortunately, for Kat and her mom, the golf cart driver had a couple of beautiful blue sun umbrellas that they could use.

Wat Mahathat turned out to be another major highlight of the day. This is where you can take those iconic photos of the seated Buddha statue, flanked by a palm tree and chedi, reflecting off a large ritual pond. We recommend coming at sunrise or sunset if photography is your main goal, otherwise the daytime is just as good. We enjoyed wandering around the red-brick pathways, praying in front of the many Buddha statues, and just soaking up the atmosphere of Wat Mahathat (despite the heat).

Red Brick at Sukhothai — *Red-brick pathways*

Sukhothai - Wat Mahathat — *Wat Mahathat*

Wat Mahathat Temple - Sukhothai — *Wat Mahathat*

Wat Sa Si

At 12:30 PM, we headed to Wat Sa Si - a temple situated on a small island in the middle of a beautiful lotus-filled pond. To reach the temple, you cross a picturesque wooden bridge and are greeted by spectacular Sri Lankan style stupas and statues, reflecting the Ceylonese influences that were prominent in early Sukhothai Buddhism. This was another lovely spot to admire and photograph for half-an-hour, before we jumped back in our golf cart to the final temple of the day.

Wat Si Sawai

After visiting five temples in a short space of time, we were becoming a little bit “templed-out” (if that makes sense) but our golf cart driver recommended one final stop on our way back: Wat Si Sawai. It’s home to three Khmer prangs, almost shaped like corn-cobs, adorned with intricate carvings of mythical creatures. While the prangs were impressive, the highlight was definitely the Ficus tree to the right-hand side of the temple walls. Hundreds of roots twist together up the base of the tree trunk, giving it a real “lost world” aesthetic.

Final Thoughts on Sukhothai Historical Park

As you can probably tell by our experiences, temple-hopping in Sukhothai can become draining if you try to visit too many temples in a day or head out in the mid-afternoon heat (only mad dogs and Englishmen do that)! We think we struck the right balance: three temples in the morning, three after lunch, and wrapping up at around 1:30 PM before the sun got too intense. This meant we could head back to our hotel for a swim and cool down afterwards, reflecting on the magnificent places we’d just visited.

To be honest, some of the temples start to look the same after a while. The three that really stood out to us were Wat Si Chum, Wat Mahathat and Wat Si Sawai. The rest probably could’ve been skipped but that’s just the nature of a temple destination like Sukhothai - you’re never going to love them all. Does that take anything away from Sukhothai? Absolutely not. It’s one of the coolest places we’ve visited in Thailand, not only because of the temples, but also because we loved spending time in the main town as well.

Sukhothai - Sun Umbrella — *Sun umbrella at Wat Mahathat*

Wat Si Chum - Gold Leaf Fingers — *Wat Si Chum, fingers covered in gold leaf*

Overview of the Main Town: “New Sukhothai”

The main town is normally referred to as “New Sukhothai”, which is where we were based with our accommodation. It doesn’t have any major attractions that we’re aware of but it does have a great little selection of street food stalls, local markets, restaurants and a few touristy bars to enjoy a drink at the end of the day. The vibe is very local: you’ll see kids riding in the back of pick-up trucks and families of four squeezing onto motorbikes. We loved the fact that we barely saw any other “farangs” (foreigners/tourists).

A 5-minute walk from our hotel took us to these awesome street food stalls serving all sorts of goodies: Isan sausage, dumplings, fresh coconuts from Sukhothai and more. The street food was insanely cheap, only 20 THB for a banana roti. The sit-down restaurants were also wonderful. We found a nice spot on the main road that served extremely spicy but delicious Sukhothai Tom Yum noodles. Sitting on plastic stools, eating spicy noodle soup and drinking cold beer, while the birds were chirping on the power lines at sunset, was a moment we’ll never forget!

Sukhothai - Street Food — *Street food stalls*

Sukhothai - Coconut Juice — *Fresh coconut juice from Sukhothai*

Sukhothai Tom Yum Noodles — *Sukhothai Tom Yum noodles*

Tips for Visiting Sukhothai

Sukhothai is Indeed Better than Ayutthaya: We had a fun day trip in Ayutthaya but to be honest, it doesn’t compare to the overall experience of Sukhothai. Wat Si Chum and Wat Mahathat are far more dazzling than any of the temples in Ayutthaya, and the lack of crowds at Sukhothai really helps you immerse yourself in the ancient atmosphere. If you’re weighing up the two, definitely go with Sukhothai.
Start Your Temple-Hopping Early: This is crucial because if you’re well prepared, you can see five or six temples before lunchtime, and still have the afternoon free for a massage or a swim at your hotel. Sukhothai is one of the hottest places we’ve visited in Thailand. It was sweltering even when we went in February, which is supposed to fall in the cooler dry season.
Go Back to the Historical Park at Night: The day ticket you purchased can be used for re-entry in the early evening or you can just arrive after 6:00 PM when it’s free of charge. Saturday nights are best for night photography when the temple ruins light up in spotlights. If you’re planning on going in November, be sure to time your visit with the Loy Krathong Festival when the park is illuminated with thousands of candles and lanterns.
Bring Bug Spray: Whether you’re exploring around the lotus ponds of the historical park during the day or sitting on plastic stools eating noodle soup at night, bug spray will help protect you from mosquito bites. Sukhothai is very “country”, and with that comes all sorts of insects and bugs. If you forget to pack it, don’t sweat: you can always pop into a 7-Eleven in the main town and pick up a bottle of Soffell (the popular local brand), which usually works a treat!

Sukhothai Travel Guide: Thailand’s Amazing Ancient Capital