Ayuthaya Things to Do

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Hua Rau or Hua Ro covered market is located on the most northern tip of the island city, where once the Maha Chai fortress stood. The fortress played an important role in the wars against the Birmese, but now its remains lie buried and only a commemorative wall points to its former existence.
The present buildings of the market were remodeled between 1967 and 1984, but the history of the market goes back at least 200 years. On this most northern bank of Lop Buri river fresh food was brought in from the countryside. The word Rau refers to a wooden barrier in the river intended to reduce the speed of the current and so prevent damage to the banks.
It is believed that a long time a ago, when the market consisted of wooden two-storey buildings, a fire was put out by the goddess Jao Mae Ton Chan. She was seen as a woman in Chinese opera costume waving her arm against the fire, and since that time the protector goddess has prevented another fire to happen! In her honor every year a Chinese opera is performed at the forefront of the market.
We were not there at the right time for the opera, but we strolled the market. It has a non-food section and a food-section. At the back, near the river, lies one of the jetties where one can hire a boat for a tour around the island.

The market is open 24/7, also for a meal at a foodstall. But for dinner it is more attractive to go to the adjacent Night Food Market (see resturant tip).

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The Dutch traders stayed longer in Ayuthaya than the Japanese. According to the plaque commemorating the site, a VOC factory or trading house existed there from 1634 to 1767. (VOC = Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the Dutch East-Indies Company.)

Besides the plaque and some brick outlines of the foundation of the building, there is not much to be seen at the site. For paintings and maps of ancient Ayuthaya city rendered by Dutch artists, you have to go to the exhibition hall at neighbouring Japanese village.

Going to the site, the first we saw was a present-day shipyard, located at what must have been the harbour in previous centuries.

Directions: The former Dutch settlement lies south-east of the city. Going there you pass by (or perhaps pay a visit to) the Wat Sampluem pagoda at the roundabout, Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, and Wat Phananchoeng. A short distance farther south lies the former Japanese settlement.

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Presumably the Japanese first came to trade with the Thai kingdom during the reign of king Maha Tammaracha (1569..1590). But it was king Naresuan (1590..1605) who allowed them to establish a settlement on the Chao Phraya river south of Ayuthaya city. There they could store trading goods to be collected by junks that came at the right season.

At the peak of the Siamese-Japanese trade relations there lived betwen 1000 and 1500 Japanese at the settlement. There were so many of them, including mercenaries, that by the end of 1630 king Prasat Thong sought to eliminate the settlement. The Japanese who had expected this, had moved out previously.

Not long after, in 1633, Japan closed up against international contacts, among other reasons to keep out Christianity. Foreign trade was prohibited and Japanese expatriates were not allowed to return to Japan. Trade between Ayuthaya and Japan continued, but at a much reduced scale.

In summary, the Japanese settlement existed only for about 40 years. Do not expect to see any remains at the location. Instead there is an exhibition building erected by the Thai-Japanese Association to keep history alive. There is a statue of the Japanese headman Nagamaza Yamada who for some time was appointed ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat. There are examples of the goods traded, and several examples of ancient maps of Ayuthaya.

Among these maps is a copy of an oil painting by the Dutch artists David and Johannes Vingboons, the original of which can be seen in the Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam. The painting shows a wide-angle view of Ayuthaya at the time, an island city surrounded by brick walls, with all important buildings in place. The city's name, Ayuthaya or Ayodya is spelled Iudea in the painting.

Directions: The Japanese village lies south-east of the city. Going there you pass by (and perhaps pay a visit to) the Wat Sampluem pagoda at the roundabout, Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, and Wat Phananchoeng, as well as the former Dutch settlement.
The former Portuguese settlement lies on the opposite side of the river. As there is no bridge, it takes a detour all through Ayuthaya city to go there from the Japanese village.

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The Ayuthaya Studies Institute is not to be confused with the Ayuthaya Historical Study Centre. While we intended to visit the latter, we ended up in the former, as both institutions are located next to each other on Rotchana Road. Both seem to have similar aims, but the Studies Institute is an organization of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, while the Historical Study Centre is a national research institute.

We visited the Studies Institute on a Monday. If we had known, we might have come a Saturday or Sunday at 5.00 pm, when the institute shows a cultural or artistic performance.

That Monday morning the place was almost deserted, we were allowed to roam without any supervision and free to make pictures. Whereas the ground floor is mainly dedicated to the performances and miscellaneous displays, the most interesting exhibitions are found upstairs. Here are five reconstructed wooden Thai houses, serving as exhibition pavilions. There are typical Thai masks, boat models, scrolls written on palm-leaf paper and murals, unfortunately mostly lacking an explanation in English.

Open daily, entrance free.

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It is the private collection of mr Paithun Khaomala, a retired boat-building teacher. Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, but when we arrived we found the gate closed. However, there was is doorbell button with the notice: press the bell and wait. And indeed, after a short wait mr Paithun himself appeared and let us in. With his limited English he gave us a guided tour.

Mr Paithun (78) gathered his collection during a lifetime dedicated to boat building and boat-model building. He sold his land elsewhere in order to be able to establish the museum in Ayuthaya. After his retirement he continued crafting models.

When entering the gate, the first boat we see is a market boat in the front yard. The front gallery houses an exhibition of traditional Siamese boats, many of them made in one piece of a tree trunk. Farther inside is the workshop and collection of ship models. Among these miniatures of the royal barges, all made by mr Paithun. In the back garden are more full-scale boats, among them the boat in which mr Paithun used to go to work as a teacher, which he also made himself.

Mr Paithun received honors as an outstanding shipbuilding teacher, has travelled abroad an was received by the king. A corner of the model exhibition room is dedicated to photographs and documents. But the government does not provide any subsidy, mr Paithun maintaining his museum out of his own pocket. The future of the museum is safe, however, because his son will continue managing it.

Open: Daily 9 am to 5 pm, preferably after a phone call.

Admission: Free, but a donation in the donation box is appreciated.

Address: 12/1 Soi Khaomala, Bang Ian Road, Pratu Chai sub-district, Si Ayuthaya district, Ayuthaya 13000

Directions: From the central roundabout in the old city go north. The first road on your right is Bang Ian road.

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Ayuthya is the second kingdom of ancient Thailand after Sukhothai. Its just a two hours train ride from Bangkok. There are plenty of wats strewn all over the old and new city to be explored. A moped will come in handy.

I loved renting a bike and getting to ride around to some of the less visited temples on the outter edge of the town. Some great temples are just outside the river and not too far from the center of town.

A great experience to see some of the local homes and get away from the crowds!

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When I went to Thailand in 2006/07 my friend and I explored Ayuthaya by hiring bicycles (about 100 Baht per day from a bike shop just across the river from the train station) and riding all around the moated city.

We covered most of those temples by bike in 1 day so if you have a car it should be no trouble. The city is REALLY small.

My favourite place was Wat Chaiwathanaram- it's style is very much like ankor wat's. Make sure if you have to miss anything - it's not that!

I'd also recommend doing a night river cruise which is a circuit around the whole moat. It allows you to get off the boat and some temples that are hard to access (or know they are there) and it shows you a few that you may have seen during the day, like Wat Chaiwathanaram, in a whole new light (literally, they are illuminated by light and look quite different and beautiful)