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Sukhothai
Sukhothai, a seemingly small town in the lower northern part of Thailand, is once home to the first capital city of Siam in the 13th Century founded by the great King Ramkhamhaeng and is considered to be the cradle of Thai civilization. This is the birthplace of all things traditional from art to architectural-style that you would see across the country and there is no better place to learn about the history of the Thais more than in Sukhothai. Sukhothai, just like Ayutthaya (another ancient city nearer to Bangkok), has done a great job at restoring and renovating the old ruins of the ancient city that scattered throughout Sukhothai Historical Park for you to explore.
Housing almost 200 ancient ruins, exploring Sukhothai Historical Park is a matter of choosing the best of the best. The Sukhothai Historical Park is divided into five zones: the Central, North, South, East, and West Zones. Each zone has its entrance of 100 Baht for foreigners, or you can buy a pass to all five zones for 350 Baht. All passes are valid for only one day.
Sukhothai Historical Park covers an area of about 70sqkm and contains more than 190 historical ruins. Inside the city wall and moat, Wat Mahathat stands at its epicentre, as the spiritual centre of the kingdom, and the royal palace (now collapsed) lies to its northwest. To the city’s immediate north is a small contained area, housing Wat Phra Pai Luang, believed to be the original foundation site of the Sukhothai Kingdom. Strolling through the grounds of the historical park, you will encounter at least three architectural styles.
Arriving in Sukhothai is like taking a journey back in time, since history continues to dominate the area. Twelve kilometres west of the new city, the Sukhothai Historical Park houses all the historical ruins dating back to the ancient Sukhothai Kingdom (1238 – 1438). Divided into five zones, the park contains more than 190 ruins, all spread across its 70sqkm area. The central zone – the most visited – is the site of the royal palace (now collapsed) and the spiritual centre, Wat Mahathat.
Sukhothai’s dining scene is dominated by street-side stalls and outdoor markets selling ready-to-eat dishes, just like most rural towns in Thailand. But if there’s one dish that Sukhothai is best known for, and that has played a role in spicing up Thailand’s culinary scene, it’s the typical Sukhothai noodles dish. With its signature spicy tom yam soup, julienned bush beans and ground peanuts, you will be able to spot it easily at any market stall in the new city or around Sukhothai Historical Park.
Being a quiet rural town and a UNESCO World Heritage City, Sukhothai and nightlife just don’t mix well. In fact, nightlife takes on another meaning here; instead of a party scene, there’s a more spiritual kind of nightlife, the light and sound show at the Sukhothai Historical Park, called Sukhothai Night (Fri-Sun, 19:00 – 20:00). This is a rare opportunity to see the spectacularly lit ruin sites after sunset, as the park’s closing time is normally at 18:00. There’s also a walking street outside the historical park every Saturday, starting at 22:00, where you can enjoy local food as well as browsing through handicraft stalls.
The best time to visit Sukhothai is from November to January where the weather is cooler and less humid due to Thai's northern climate making it much more enjoyable to cycle around Sukhothai Historical Park.
The best way to get around Sukhothai is by bike. There are 3 historical zones, the central, the north and the west, all of which would take some time to cover on foot especially in the heat, and so I would against walking and go for a bike instead.
n order to get to Sukhothai, you will first have to get to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Thankfully, Bangkok is a large hub in the region and so you should have no trouble finding a flight from your home country to Suvarnabhumi International Airport or Don Muang International Airport.