One-Day Excursion to Ayutthaya Historical Park and Bang Pa-In Palace

One-Day Excursion to Ayutthaya Historical Park and Bang Pa-In Palace

I am a proud citizen of Thailand, and I have a deep interest in my country's history and culture. I have undertaken extensive formal education and conducted self-studies into these subject matters. I firmly believe that tours with me are much more informative and in-depth than those offered by other tour operators.

This tour is designed to enlighten guests about the history and culture of Thailand and for them to have fun while doing so. Many of my past customers tell me that I am a good storyteller and that they enjoy how I relate the backgrounds of each destination and thus intensify their interest in the places that we visited as well as broadening their views about Thailand as a whole.

This tour also includes lunch at an authentic Thai restaurant in Ayutthaya.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Wat Yai Chai Mang Khon, U-thong Road, Pranakorn Sri ayutthaya District, Ayutthaya 13000 Thailand

This Buddhist temple was established in 1357. King Naresuan the Great built the huge stupa here to commemorate his successful liberation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from the dominance of the Toungoo Kingdom in today’s Myanmar. This stupa is the tallest in all of Ayutthaya until today. Also of interest is a Reclining Buddha image.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya Historical Park Pratuchai, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya 13000 Thailand

The exact date of the establishment of Wat Maha That is difficult to assess. In general, historians believe that the construction of this temple was started by King Borommaracha I (1370-1388) and completed in King Ramesuan’s reign (1388-1395). The main attraction here is the Buddha head wrapped around by a tree trunk.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Temple of the Royal Restoration (Wat Ratchaburana), Pratuchai Phra Nakhon Tha Wa Su Kri, Ayutthaya Thailand

This temple is adjacent to Wat Maha Thai. The key attraction here is the “prang” that is in quite a good shape. Wat Racha Burana was hurriedly excavated in 1958 when it became clear that looters had entered the crypt and took away an unknown number of valuable objects. The findings in the crypt were of enormous archaeological importance, including a great number of royal objects made of pure gold. These objects are now kept at Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Chao Sam Phraya Museum, Ayutthaya Thailand

The museum has a rich collection of Thailand’s historical artefacts. But of particular interest is a highly secured room which exhibits the objects recovered from looters who dug into the crypt under

the principal “prang” of Wat Racha Burana in 1957 and from the Fine Arts Department excavations from the same site in 1958. (Note: Wat Racha Burana was hurriedly excavated in 1958 when it became clear that looters had entered the crypt and took away an unknown number of valuable objects. The findings in the crypt were of enormous archaeological importance, including a great number of royal objects made of pure gold.)

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, Pratuchai Subdistrict, Ayutthaya 13000 Thailand

This temple served as the royal monastery during the Ayutthaya era (just as Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of Emerald Buddha does today). This was the most sacred temple on the site of the old Royal Palace in Ayutthaya until the city was completely destroyed during the Burmese invasion in 1767 CE.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya Thailand

This monastery was built on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in 1630. Wat Chai Watthanaram is one of the grandest and most monumental ruins of Ayutthaya. In the second war with the Burmese (1764-1767), the site may have been used as a stronghold as witnessed by the reinforcement of the walls and the surviving remains of cannons and cannon balls. After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767, the temple was deserted, prey for the jungle and looters for 220 years.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Lokayasutharam), Phratuchai Subdistrict, Ayutthaya 13000 Thailand

This temple has a large Reclining Buddha statue. There are other impressive Reclining Buddha Images in Ayutthaya, but this seems to be the largest. Behind the Reclining Buddha Image, you will find remains of other temple buildings.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Wat Phutthaisawan Temple, Samphao Lom, Ayutthaya Thailand

This temple preceded the Kingdom of Aytthaya itself. It is located at where King U-Thong (founder king of Ayutthaya) settled temporarily prior to moving across the river to where he eventually established his kingdom. A key attraction is the “prang” which represents Mount Meru, the pathway towards Enlightenment in Buddhist cosmology.

Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: St. Joseph's Church, 30 Mu 11 Tambon Samphao Lom, Ayutthaya Thailand

This Catholic church was initially built in the mid-17th century by French missionaries on land granted by King Narai the Great (1656-1688). The original church was destroyed after Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese in 1767. A restoration by the Catholic fathers was completed in the mid-19th century and has been actively serving the local Catholic congregation since.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Bang Pa In Palace, Ban Len Ban Len, Bang Pa-in 13160 Thailand

This palace was originally built by King Prasat Thong during the Ayutthaya Period in 1632, but it was abandoned after the fall of Ayutthaya kingdom in 1767. The site was partially restored by King Mongkut (King Rama IV) in the 1850s. The palace as it stands today, however, is mostly the work of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V), who expanded the area into a garden filled with European-style buildings in 1872-1889. Besides these, there are also impressive Thai- and Chinese-style structures build during the same period spread around the palace compound. The palace and its grounds are maintained in immaculate shape and are well worth a visit. [IMPORTANT: As at all royal sites in Thailand, proper attires are required. "Smart casual" is a good rule-of-thumb to follow in this case.]

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, Bang Pa-in Thailand

Across an inlet waterway adjacent to Bang Pa-in Royal Palace is a cigar-shaped island where Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is situated. This is a Buddhist temple also built by King Chulalongkorn in 1878. Most of the temple's buildings were constructed in the design of Gothic Christian churches, particularly the Phra Ubosot (the ordination hall), which has two tall spires and stained-glass windows. A simple, motorised cable-car carries visitors across the waterway from behind the visitors' parking lot to the temple and back.

Duration: 40 minutes