The Ayutthaya Historical Park is the collective heart of the old capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the ruins of dozens of temples, palaces and monasteries across the river-ringed island and its fringes. What survives are the brick-and-laterite cores of the once-gilded monuments: bell-shaped Ceylonese chedis, tall corn-cob-shaped Khmer-style prangs, roofless prayer halls and long lines of Buddha images, many left headless after the city was sacked in 1767. The scale is genuinely impressive, and the flat, compact layout makes it ideal to explore by rented bicycle or by chartered tuk-tuk, moving between the major temple clusters at your own pace. Several of the most important ruins sit close together in the central zone and can be combined in a single morning. Because the sites are exposed brick with little shade, the cooler, drier months and the early or late hours of the day are far more comfortable. Modest dress is expected, as these remain sacred places.
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