Ayutthaya or Sukhothai: how far from Bangkok, what you see and which one to visit

Two capitals from different centuries

Ayutthaya is the later and larger story; Sukhothai is the earlier one. Wikipedia says Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and was the capital of Siam for 417 years until the Burmese army sacked it in 1767, with 33 kings of five dynasties. Its ruins in the historical park have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 1991.

Sukhothai came first. Wikipedia describes it as the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries, and says its historical park was declared a World Heritage Site on 12 December 1991, together with the associated historical parks of Kamphaeng Phet and Si Satchanalai. Wikivoyage gives 1238 to 1438 for its time as capital, calls the modern town small, with 14,000 people in 2019, and says the name means dawn of happiness.

Distance: about 80 km against 427 km from Bangkok

This is the deciding difference. Ayutthaya is close: our tour drives about 80 km, around 1.5 hours each way, and Wikipedia and Wikivoyage give figures between 76 and 85 km. By train, Seat61 says Bangkok to Ayutthaya costs 20 baht in third class on a local train that takes about 1 hour 45 minutes, and an express takes about an hour.

Sukhothai is 427 km north of Bangkok, according to Wikivoyage, and has no railway station. Seat61 suggests taking the train to Phitsanulok, 59 km away by bus, and then a bus of about an hour, which avoids what it calls a nightmare seven hours on a bus from Bangkok. Its timetable shows train 7 leaving Bangkok at 07:30 and reaching Phitsanulok at 11:58. Wikivoyage also lists daily Bangkok Airways flights taking 1 hour 20 minutes, so check the current schedule.

What you see at each

Ayutthaya is a set of ruined temples scattered across a river island. On our day trip the stops are Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon with its 60-metre bell-shaped chedi and reclining Buddha, Wat Mahathat with the Buddha head in the banyan roots, Wat Phra Si Sanphet with its three chedis and the great bronze Buddha of Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, and the Khmer-style Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the river. Our Ayutthaya temples guide covers more.

Sukhothai is one walled city and its surroundings. Wikipedia counts 193 ruins on 70 square kilometres, with the city walls forming a rectangle about 2 km by 1.6 km around the remains of the royal palace and 26 temples, the largest being Wat Mahathat. It describes the seated Buddha at Wat Si Chum as 15 metres high. Wikivoyage says the park is well maintained and divided into five zones, with the central zone holding most of the ruins and a museum.

Entrance fees and hours

Ayutthaya's fees are posted by the Fine Arts Department. Its Virtual Historical Park page, in an Internet Archive copy of 14 May 2026, gives foreign visitors 80 baht per monument or 300 baht at a flat rate, with the park open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Wikivoyage says the 300-baht ticket covers seven monuments within seven days. On our day the temple tickets come to about 280 baht in total, paid on the day, and lunch is extra.

For Sukhothai we could not find a current notice from the Fine Arts Department. Wikivoyage lists 100 baht per zone for foreign visitors and 20 baht for Thais, says the combined ticket for all zones was no longer available as of January 2020, and gives 150 baht for the museum separately. Treat those figures as a guide, not a quote, and check at the gate. Our Ayutthaya entrance fees guide covers the Ayutthaya side.

How much time each takes, and how you get around

Ayutthaya works as one long day from Bangkok. Our tour is about 9 hours from a central meeting point near a BTS or MRT station, with about 1.5 hours each way and the four main temples in between; hotel pickup is possible at extra cost. Wikivoyage says cycling is the most enjoyable way to see the ruins, because the paths are paved and the distances between temples are short. Our Ayutthaya by bike or tuk-tuk guide goes into the options.

Sukhothai asks for more time. Wikivoyage says it is feasible to walk round the central and northern zones in about 6 hours, recommends a bicycle as the best way to see the ruins, and puts the historical park 14 km west of New Sukhothai, where most people stay. We would allow at least one night, and two if you want the outer zones. Wikivoyage says the best hours are mornings, midday while the tour buses are at lunch, or after 16:00.

Season and heat

Both are hot for much of the year, but Sukhothai more so. On the Thai Meteorological Department's 1981 to 2010 table the Sukhothai station has an April mean maximum of 37.9 degrees, against 35.4 at Bangkok, which is the nearest station in the table to Ayutthaya, as the table has none for Ayutthaya itself. Sukhothai's January mean minimum is 18.2 degrees, against 22.6 at Bangkok, so winter mornings are cooler there.

Rain follows the same monsoon pattern. Sukhothai's wettest month is September, at 293.3 mm, and it is almost dry from November to February, with 6.0, 9.5, 11.7 and 6.9 mm. Wikivoyage says Sukhothai is most comfortable in the cooler weather of November to February. For our Ayutthaya day, which has a lot of walking in the sun, bring water, a hat and sunscreen, and dress with shoulders and knees covered for the temples.

Which to pick

Pick Ayutthaya if you are staying in Bangkok and have one free day: it is about 80 km away, a day trip with transport and a guide is from $25 per person, and you are back in the city after about 9 hours. Pick Sukhothai if you are travelling north and can spend a night, and you want a walled park of ruins with bicycles to hire, though it is 427 km from Bangkok. Seat61's Bangkok to Chiang Mai timetable lists Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok on the same line, so both can be stops on the way north.

Know our limits: we run the Ayutthaya day only, not Sukhothai. Ayutthaya is hot, with a lot of walking, and lunch is not included. The group waits up to 10 minutes at the meeting point because Bangkok traffic is heavy. We do not have a ranking of the two sites to give you: Ayutthaya is closer and easier to fit in, and Sukhothai needs more time and a night. Our Ayutthaya tour or train guide compares ways to do Ayutthaya on your own.

Practical checklist

• Decide how much time you have: one free day suits Ayutthaya, a night or two suits Sukhothai.
• Keep cash for temple tickets: 80 baht per monument at Ayutthaya, and check the rate at the Sukhothai gate.
• Dress with shoulders and knees covered, and bring water, a hat and sunscreen for the ruins.
• If you go to Sukhothai, plan the train to Phitsanulok and a bus, or check the current flight schedule.
• Visit Sukhothai in the cooler months, November to February, and start early in the morning.

Questions and answers

Read next

• Ayutthaya by train or by tour from Bangkok: time, cost, heat and which one is worth it for you
• Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok price: what $25 covers, and what you pay for temples and lunch on the day
• Best temples in Ayutthaya: what to see and in what order
• Ayutthaya entrance fees: temple by temple and the combined ticket