129 ART MUSEUM
HISTORIC CITY OF AYUTTHAYA
AyutthayaSALA BANG PA-INHSUTAAT LIAONMPHONG
BANG PA-IN PALACE
ROUKH KIRI
GRANMONTE
BANGKOK
Ch
ao P
hra
ya R
ive
rKhao Yai
National ParkTHAILAND
BANGKOK
20 milesGETTING THERE & AROUND
Thai Airways and Eva Air have direct
flights from Heathrow to Bangkok;
Scoot operates direct flights from
Gatwick. thaiairways.com evaair.com
flyscoot.com
AVERAGE FLIGHT TIME: 12h30m.
Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar
Airways have one-stop flights via
their respective Middle Eastern
hubs, with flight times of about 17
hours. emirates.com etihad.com
qatarairways.com
A second-class return ticket from
Bangkok to Ayutthaya in an air-
conditioned train costs 345 baht/£9.
To get around by road, hire taxis or a
driver for the day via the Grab app.
Fares are very affordable, at around £1 5
one-way to Ayutthaya (1h30m) and £3 0
one-way to Khao Yai (3h). grab.comWHEN TO GO
It’s best to visit this part of Thailand in
the dry season (November to March),
when temperatures average 27C.PLACES MENTIONED
Khao Yai National Park.
thainationalparks.com
129 Art Museum. 129museum.com
Bang Pa-In Palace. royaloffice.th
GranMonte. granmonte.comWHERE TO STAY
Sala Bang Pa-In, from £130, B&B.
salahospitality.com
Roukh Kiri Khaoyai, from £210, B&B.
roukh.comMORE INFO
Tourism Thailand.
fanclubthailand.co.ukHOW TO DO IT
InsideAsia has a seven-night tour of
Thailand with two nights in Ayutthaya,
two in Khao Yai National Park and three
in Bangkok, from £1,272 per person,
including breakfast, transfers, private
guiding and international flights.
insideasiatours.comWith temples and shrines on every corner,
it would be easy to imagine the surrounding
town of Ayutthaya is steeped in spirituality,
but most Thais don’t come for the memento
mori, they come for the garlicky, deep-fried
glory — and the big, meaty river prawns, the
fluffy roti, luminous yellow pork satay and the
bright green pandan candyfloss. They come
for food that’s been showered with more Bib
Gourmand awards than Bangkok in the 2022
Michelin Guide — served up at street stalls,
hole-in-the-walls and family-run restaurants.
“This place has been here at least 10 years,”
Khun Pat tells me, as we duck below curtains
of pink orchids and around koi ponds at Phak
Wan Noodles, looking for a much-needed seat
in the air-conditioned section. Ten minutes
later, our table is laden with bowls — dishes
including rice noodles with river prawns,
papaya and shrimp stir-fry, and deep-fried
mushrooms — and there are baby coconuts
to drink from.
My journey onwards promises to be an
interesting one; eschewing the roads, I’ll
take the hour-long train to Bangkok’s Hua
Lamphong station.
Commissioned by King Rama V at the
turn of the 20th century, the exterior of this
terminal was built in the neo-renaissance
style; inside, the art nouveau terrazzo floors
and ornate balustrades are illuminated by
light flooding in through the facade’s giant,
half-moon window. For more than 100
years, the station served as Bangkok’s main
terminus, its trains literally stopping traffic
as they fanned out across the city. It was the
resulting jams that led to the development of
a more modern replacement, Bang Sue Grand
Terminal, which opened in summer 2021,
condemning its predecessor to redevelopment.
Architecture buffs and commuters threw up
their arms, the transport minister U-turned.
For now, the station is in a state of limbo: open
to the public but with only a few services still
running — including my route from Ayutthaya
to back to the capital city.
But, for now, I’m at Sala Bang Pa-In hotel,
lazing by the pool, entranced by the riverscape
beyond. A long-tail boat piled with laundry
sails past; another, with a plumage of fresh
leafy greens, passes slowly; a gaggle of
teenagers swim in the shallows, submerged up
to their nostrils like crocodiles; and on shore,
an elderly woman tends to the bougainvillea
overtaking her wooden deck. As the evening
turns golden, I watch village life scroll past
like a sepia-toned movie reel — the perfect
antidote to the kinetic chaos of Bangkok.Haew Suwat Waterfall, one of
the most famous landmarks in
Khao Yai National Park