Ayutthaya Hotels
The ancient capital city of Ayutthaya or Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is one of the major tourists’ attractions in Thailand. A modern thriving city in the Central Plains, it lies just 76 kilometers north of Bangkok.
Boasting of some of the most magnificent ruins, a throwback to the era when Kings ruled the country, Ayutthaya was the Thai capital of 33 kings of different dynasties until the Burmese take over in 1767.
With close to 800 years of history, the city has many temples, art works, and the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park, which is a huge stretch of historical site right in the center of the Ayutthaya city. This park was named as a world heritage site by UNESCO on 13 December, 1991.
Today’s Ayutthaya is home to ancient Buddhist ruins, glorious imperial palaces, many wats including Wat Phra Si Sanphet - the largest temple in the city and well-known for its row of thai-style stupas or chedis, Wat Thammikarat – a working temple containing ruins of a large stupa, Wat Ratchaburana – it has a headless Buddha statue, Wat Phra Mahathat – especially known for the famous tree that has grown around the head of a Buddha statue.
Then there is the Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopitah that houses a large bronze Buddha, the Ancient Palace that is primarily a collection of low lying ruins within large grounds and many other littered ancient temple and royal ruins, which truly make Ayutthaya a city of great historical richness and significance.
Ayutthaya can surprise even the most experienced traveler!