Sukhothai Historical Park
The Sukhothai Historical Park UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Thailand is the remains of an ancient city. It was once at the centre of the Kingdom Of Sukhothai, one of the precursors of modern day Thailand. This Kingdom lasted from 1238 until 1438. After this it gradually merged into the Ayutthayan Empire who had already invaded in 1349 and made the Kingdom its tributary. Consequently the city declined and fell into ruin over the years as populations were redistributed to other locations. This was down to factors such as Ayutthaya’s ongoing wars with the Burmese which of course resulted in Ayutthaya’s own destruction.
Today the The Sukhothai Historical Park is 12KM West of the new modern city, which is known as ‘New Sukhothai’. This is a good place for accommodation, transport and restaurants. To reach the historical park take a cheap Songthaew from New Sukhothai’s bus station or city centre. Check what time the last Songthaew back is before you stay for sunset though, I got caught out one day and had to haggle with a tuk tuk driver for a decent price to get back.
You can read more on it and other ancient Thai cities here.
I visited the Sukhothai Historical Park in 2016 and these are a collection of the photos I took there.
I hope they inspire you to plan your own trip to visit the park!
Thinking of visiting Sukhothai? It’s easy to get to from Bangkok or Chiang Mai! Check out my country guide to Thailand! Furthermore be sure to follow my advice on respecting Buddhist beliefs when you visit. In addition when visiting the park you might want to check out the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. Its just outside the main park entrance, slightly down the road from where the Songthaew’s stop. There is a good collection of Hindu and Buddhist objects, artefacts and statues on display here. An hour or so would serve you well here.
