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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Sukhothai
สุโขทัย
Give Sukhothai one full day and one night: the Historical Park by bicycle at opening (check current hours), then move on. Two nights only if you add Si Satchanalai.
Sukhothai is a small town 427 km north of Bangkok and the site of the first Thai capital, whose ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins sit 14 km west of the modern town, so the trip is a logistics exercise: get in, rent a bicycle or scooter, ride the park early, sleep near the old city or the bus station, leave. Most travellers give it one night between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- สุโขทัย
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot and hazy), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1,400 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,400–2,800 excl. bed · High ฿2,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or iced drink | ฿40–80 |
| Noodle soup or rice plate | ฿50–120 |
| Beer: draught / can at a shop | ฿70–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Songthaew ride in town | ฿10–30 |
| Scooter rental, 24 h | ฿250–300 |
| Historical Park zone admission | ฿100 per zone |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- THS · Sukhothai Airport
- Bangkok Airways from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, about 1 h 20 min; some services continue to Lampang. Fares from about ฿1,700.
- PHS · Phitsanulok Airport
- About 1 h by road from Sukhothai (check); AirAsia flies here from Bangkok Don Mueang, about 1 h.
Typical fares
- Songthaew New Sukhothai → Old City
- ฿30, about 30 min
- Tuk-tuk to the old city, half day
- about ฿300
- Bus Sukhothai → Phitsanulok
- ฿39, about 1 h
Get around
The ruins are 14 km west of New Sukhothai. Blue songthaews run from the bus station and from Charodwithitong Rd to the park gate for ฿30. Bicycles rent opposite the main park entrance; scooters rent in New Sukhothai for about ฿250–300 a day. Tuk-tuks to the old city should cost about ฿300 for a couple of hours, ฿600 for a full day.The ruins are 8.7 mi west of New Sukhothai. Blue songthaews run from the bus station and from Charodwithitong Rd to the park gate for ฿30. Bicycles rent opposite the main park entrance; scooters rent in New Sukhothai for about ฿250–300 a day. Tuk-tuks to the old city should cost about ฿300 for a couple of hours, ฿600 for a full day.
See and do
Known for
- Sukhothai Historical Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Wat Maha That and the lotus-bud stupa
- Wat Si Chum and its seated Buddha
- Bicycle rides between the ruins
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Si Satchanalai Historical Park | Bus or songthaew toward Si Satchanalai, then a local ride to the park (check) | About 1–1.5 h (check) |
| Phitsanulok | Air-conditioned bus from the No 1 terminal, about hourly 06:00–18:00Air-conditioned bus from the No 1 terminal, about hourly 6:00 AM–6:00 PM | About 1 h |
| Kamphaeng Phet | Bus south, then local transport to the ruins | About 2 h |
| Mae Sot | Minibus from the station behind the market | About 3 h |
Sleep
- New Sukhothai (Charodwithitong Rd)
- Guesthouses, food and the bus station; 15 min walk from the bus station into town. Best for onward travel.
- Old Sukhothai (near the park gate)
- Walk or cycle to the ruins at opening; fewer services, quieter evenings. Best for one full park day.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Too expensive | แพงไปphaeng pai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Can I pay by card? | จ่ายบัตรได้ไหมjai bat dai mai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- The park is split into five zones and each zone charges its own admission; the combined ticket is no longer sold.
- Buddhist temples face east: after midday you photograph into the sun.
- Some review sites mix up the temples; check the name on the sign before you trust a review.
- Tuk-tuk drivers at the bus station may say the walk into town is impossible; it is a 15-minute path.
Sukhothai is generally safe for tourists. The real risks are scooters on the highway to the ruins, heat between 11:00 and 15:00, and unlit paths after dark (check local conditions). Wear a helmet and carry water.Sukhothai is generally safe for tourists. The real risks are scooters on the highway to the ruins, heat between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and unlit paths after dark (check local conditions). Wear a helmet and carry water.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sukhothai yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sukhothai Historical Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Wat Maha That and the lotus-bud stupa
- Wat Si Chum and its seated Buddha
- Bicycle rides between the ruins
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Sukhothai municipality (official): www.sktmun.go.th/
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Wikivoyage: Sukhothai, revision 5240121 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5240121
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sukhothaiสุโขทัย
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Sukhothai; the US and most Western missions are in Bangkok. Consular help locally: tourist police 1155.
Park zones open 06:30–19:30, to 21:00 on Saturdays.Park zones open 6:30 AM–7:30 PM, to 9:00 PM on Saturdays.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sukhothai). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.