It has been a while since I was last in Bangkok, so I thought it would be a great starting point for my next travel adventure. I was ready and keen to explore the northern part of Thailand, including the Temples of Sukhothai and Chiang Mai city. My plan was to go from Bangkok to Sukhothai by bus, explore the temples of Sukhothai in the historical city and then catch the train to Chiang Mai.
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From Bangkok to Sukhothai by bus
What a trip it has been. After enjoying a few days in busy Bangkok I must say, I was glad to be heading towards a smaller town. Somewhere less hectic. Usually I buy my bus and train tickets on the day of my travels. Or at least that is what I have done in Laos, Vietnam and even Turkey. Luckily I had my friend telling me to buy the bus and train ticket a month in advance. Otherwise they will be sold out. And she was right. I would have been stuck otherwise.
Visit these websites to book directly with the Thai bus & train company. I recommend the Special Express Train.
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Sukhothai town
After over six hours on the bus to Phitsanulok, plus one more hour on the back of a ute to Sukhothai (apparently the buses were all sold out), I finally made it to Sukhothai. So what’s next? Lets explore the temples of Sukhothai. First, I needed a scooter.
Being spoiled by the choice of bike rentals in Phuket, I thought renting a bike in Sukhothai would be easy too. I was wrong. Sukhothai is certainly not build for tourists. It took me a while to see a small sign, next to a coffee stand, advertising rentals. I think he only had one bike there and he was certainly happy to rent it out.
It seemed like most people came here on a tour bus, stayed one night, visited the historical city and left again. I was in Sukhothai for six days.
Given how local Sukhothai is, it also took me a while to find some good restaurants. Especially after eating some interesting original thai food on the very first night. So, once I have found AJ Grill (owned by an Aussie fellow) and the Poo Restaurant (yes, poo), I ate there every day. And I would recommend you do too.
From the green rice fields, the night markets and the island that is shaped like a heart, Sukhothai certainly has some charm. And even though six days is not needed to see it all, I kind of enjoyed experiencing a more local town, without all the tourists.
So, let’s visit the Temples of Sukhotai…
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The Temples of Sukhothai
There are a lot of blog posts about the various Temples of Sukhothai. But what Wat to watch? Remember my blog from Ayutthaya?
Well, the prettiest of them all are definitely in the historical city of Sukhothai. Inside and outside. And given that it was free entry during the New Year holidays, I was visiting the temples a lot. I did the inside of the historical town with a bicycle and the outside with a scooter. Both was equally fun and adventurous.
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The temples of Sukhothai and the historical city is a large area to cover so I would highly recommend to cycle around it. It is fun, something different and there are plenty of bicycles up for rental. There is even a designated bicycle road to follow.
So, without writing down all the history, except that Sukhothai was founded in the 13 century AD, here is my summary of the amazing temples of Sukhothai via my photos. There are some pretty amazing grand Buddha statues to see. I feel so little next to them.
Last tip: If you can, visit the historical city close to sunset. The lighting is beautiful and you might get some amazing photos.
And always remember to dress modestly when visiting temples.
The historical city
Wat Si Chum
Wat Phra Phai Luang
Wat Saphan Him
Wat Chedi Ngam
Wat Chang Lom
The historical city at sunset
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And so that’s it from Sukhothai. There are lots of little temples to explore as well and I am sure you will enjoy it. As for me, Let’s see how I go catching the train to Chiang Mai after my trip from Bangkok to Sukhothai by bus.
