The Sukhothai Historical Park covers the ruins of Sukhothai, which literally means "Dawn of Happiness", capital of the Sukhothai kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries, in what is now the north of Thailand. It is located near the modern city of Sukhothai, capital of the province with the same name.
The city walls form a rectangle about 2 km east-west by 1.6 km north-south. There are 193 ruins on 70 square kilometers of land. There is a gate in the centre of each wall. Inside are the remains of the royal palace and twenty-six temples, the largest being Wat Mahathat. The park is maintained by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand with help from UNESCO, which has declared it a World Heritage Site. The park sees thousands of visitors each year, who marvel at the ancient Buddha figures, palace buildings and ruined temples. The park is easily toured by bicycle or even on foot.
A visit to Sukhothai wouldn’t complete without a visit to the historical site of the ancient Sukhothai City, to discover the history of the former capital city of Siam. The 70-square-meter park houses remaining structures of what used to be palaces, temples and homes. If you don’t have the whole day to explore the area, don’t miss to gaze the beauty of main attractions such as WatMahathat and Wat Si Chum and imagine to its glory days.
Opening hours:Daily 6am-9pm
Admission: 150 baht
Getting there:
By Bus: From Sukhothai’s municipality, take the local mini-bus or Song Thaeo(leaves every 20 min) near the police booth in Mueang Kao area.
By Other: Get on the Charotwithithong Road and then the Sukhothai-Tak Route (Highway No. 12).
How to get there :
By Bus
From the provincial city of Sukhothai, take the local mini-bus or Song Thaeo near the police box, within Mueang Kao area. Get off at the park’s entrance. The bus leaves every 20 minutes.
By Other
Sukhothai Historical Park is located 12 kilometres from the provincial city, on Charotwithithong Road, along the Sukhothai - Tak route (Highway No. 12).