Visiting Ayutthaya and would like some advice please

[dsfbrit]

I have been reading about Ayutthaya as we are planning to visit there for 3 days early next month. I am totally confused about the place. I was hoping that you could give me some useful local advice please.

- I like walking, riding a bicycle, motorbike or whatever. However, my partner is not so active. As I am driving down there, is it possible to drive to the historical sites.

- The accommodation is on the island or off the island. In the evening we would like to walk to an area with some nightlife. Just some restaurants or a market. We only eat Thai food and like the cheap Thai 'restaurants'. This is simply because my partner is Thai and the food is always tastier she tells me. So where would be a good area to stay - on the island or off it?

Thanks for your help

[P76]

Hi,

I went to Ayutthaya in June with a friend of mine. Was my first visit.

We drove from Pattaya. You can drive to the historical sites and it seems they are spread all over town. Make use of the audio commentary available or you wont know what your looking at. I think hire is about 50bht.

We found a great place to stay, the "Yamadaya Apartments" its around 1000bht a night and rooms are great and huge you can find it on Agoda.com.

Just forget about the included breakfast unless you are Japanese.

If you walk up a small soi you will be in the centre of the night life, bars and street food.

When I visit again, that is where I will be staying.

The town was way bigger than I expected and I really enjoyed it.

[AyG]

There's no problem driving and parking at most of the sites. However, some places can be difficult to find. If you have Garmin or similar, it's highly recommended. Be aware you really need to keep your wits about you driving here. In particular, priority at road junctions doesn't match the lines drawn on the road, and virtually all the traffic lights have been broken for years.

Walking really isn't an option. Things are too spread out. And as for bicycle, it's too hot. (And anyway, the locals hate tourists on bicycles who don't understand the local style of driving. Too many accidents and close calls.)

The local markets are insanitary to put it mildly. If I were spending only three days in Ayutthaya I wouldn't want to spend two of them vomiting and defecating non-stop.

There are two tourist areas: Soi Farang (Soi Naresuan 1) which is on the island, full of backpackers with lots of really bad Thai food, and around the Grand Hotel (off the island). Lots of bars catering for Thais. Very few farang. Real danger of having one's drink spiked at the bars and waking up the next morning sans wallet, keys and jewellery (and motorcycle in the case of a friend).

If you post (or PM me) with your budget I can probably suggest a place or two to stay and perhaps suggest a few restaurants. (I've stopped posting restaurant recommendations publicly since one of my favourites, Sai Thong, has been ruined since being picked up by the guide books.)

[CTO]

Was there over the weekend, it can be done in a day if you want, it's about an hour and a bit from Bangkok. I think I'd be bored after one day.

Driving or bicycle to all the sites is easy, dual entry fees, however not all sites seem to be government run, some seem just to be open.

Local food is great, I go often, never had bad food there, YMMV,

We usually eat on the "edges" overlooking water, not expensive and pleasant, it's not that hot, but then I've lived here for a while.

It is hard to find all the monuments, there are some outside of town too,

Also the Japan Village worth a drop in if being a tourist is what you want to do, it's the site of the earliest Japanese trading settlement back centuries ago of course.

Well worth the visit.

[AyG]

Was there over the weekend, it can be done in a day if you want, it's about an hour and a bit from Bangkok. I think I'd be bored after one day.

Driving or bicycle to all the sites is easy, dual entry fees, however not all sites seem to be government run, some seem just to be open.

Local food is great, I go often, never had bad food there, YMMV,

We usually eat on the "edges" overlooking water, not expensive and pleasant, it's not that hot, but then I've lived here for a while.

It is hard to find all the monuments, there are some outside of town too,

Also the Japan Village worth a drop in if being a tourist is what you want to do, it's the site of the earliest Japanese trading settlement back centuries ago of course.

Well worth the visit.

It's interesting how people have different views on a place.

For me, some local food is great, but a lot of it is either as cheap as possible for locals, or unpalatable rubbish aimed at tourists. Most casual visitors aren't going to find places with great food.

It's not that hot? On the days it gets into the 40s (Celsius) I wouldn't agree.

Not surprising it's hard to find the monuments, there are more than 300 of them. And it's more than "some" that are outside of town. Climb to the top of Khao Phu Thong and you'll see that for as far as the eye can see the landscape is studded with ruins.

Personally I think the Japanese Village is a waste of time. There's nothing original remaining. It's just a garden with a gift shop attached.

The sites fall into three categories: active temples (some charge a small entrance fee for foreigners, usually 20-30 Baht), ruins controlled by the Fine Arts Department (standard 50 Baht entrance fee for foreigners), and other ruins with no entrance fee.

[Nuddy]

Gotta be a troll

Is so much written about Ayutthaya one does not need to go there even.

Maybe its been too quiet and one of the Admin thought they would spruce it up.

Come on pull the other leg guys.