Destinations
From Bangkok to Sukhothai to visit the famous historical sites
15
Oct
Oct
From Bangkok to visit the historical sites of Sukhothai
Are you a person who loves to explore history? Do you love walking or cycling outdoor surrounded by the incredibly breathtaking view of historical sites and ruins of ancient temples? In case you are in Bangkok already, you should really be planning to go anytime soon then just do not miss going to Sukhothai, as it is a great adventure time to go from Bangkok to visit the historical sites of Sukhothai.
Sukhothai Historical Park
The reason is that place holds the history and if you love to explore outdoor and history then this place is definitely for you.
Most of the tourists visiting Thailand and Bangkok are also interested in going over there.
You are supposed to head towards north from Bangkok in order to reach Thailand’s famous UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The city of Sukhothai is one of the oldest in Thailand, has been holding the ancient Empire, as history still prevails over there. This city back in days was the capital of Sukhothai Kingdom.
Here for you just a brief list of all the historical Sukhothai temples
- Wat Phra Phai Luang
- Wat Mahathat
- Wat Si Sawai
- Wat Tra Phang Ngoen
- Wat Si Chum
- Wat Sorasak
- Wat Saphan Hin
- Wat Sa Si
- Wat Chetuphon
Sukhothai in the modern world
It is a modern city which is still blessed with the historical sites and in case you are concerned about the distance that you might have to cover in order to reach there then you have to keep on following this piece of writing as it is going to cover all the possibilities by which you can reach to this historic place.
Today, there is a modern city of Sukhothai that is situated nearby the ruins for the purpose of accommodations and restaurants.
The distance of modern city of Sukhothai from the ruins is around 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) where the tourist can stay and enjoy the restaurants in various budget schemes, this makes it easier for the tourists to come and stay and explore the ruins in the daylight, you would love to explore the surroundings of the countryside.
It will give you a short reach from all the chaos of Bangkok, and you can easily reach over there from the capital.
Means of Transportation to reach Sukhothai from Bangkok
How far is Sukhothai from Bangkok?
If you are concerned about the total distance that you have to cover in case you want to go to Sukhothai from Bangkok then it is approximately 427 kilometers from the capital.
One can say that the distance is reasonable and can be covered with ease.
Here is a little tip from our side that you should plan your trip in advance because according to the distance it takes a half-day to get there.
How do I get from Bangkok to Sukhothai?
Do not lose hope because we have good news your way as well, which is that there are several options in terms of transport that are available for going to Sukhothai from Bangkok.
You actually can get pretty easily to Sukhothai in various ways which we will see now together:
Bangkok to Sukhothai by Flight
Bangkok to Sukhothai by Bus
Bangkok to Sukhothai by Van
Bangkok to Sukhothai by Taxi
Bangkok to Sukhothai by Train
For some brief examples here:
- By Bus takes around 8 hours and 360 THB and about $12.50
- By Train takes around 7 hours and 610 THB and about $21.00
- By Flight takes 1hour and 15min, not considering airport transfer, the flight cost is always around 1,600 THB and $50 with Bangkok airways as a fare example
There is an option of going by plane or you can avail also a cheaper option such as by grabbing a bus. It totally depends upon your choice and budget that how you want to reach there, but it is our responsibility to provide you with the information of available transport options with the perks.
Let us get into the detail of every possible option of transport that you can easily go there.
Going by a flight to Sukhothai from Bangkok
You have to keep in mind that the modern city of Sukhothai is not huge, but here is the good news that it has its very own airport which made it easy for the tourist to reach over here in less time.
In case you have the budget and want to fly from Bangkok to Sukhothai then it the most reliable option as it consumes less time.
It is considered as one of the fastest ways of reaching Sukhothai because it only takes 1 hour and 15 minutes in order to reach Sukhothai.
You might be concerned about the time that it takes in getting to the airport, doing the check-ins and going through the security even then it is the fastest way to get there.
An example of premium airline flying this route is Bangkok Airways, departing from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport
- From Bangkok To Sukhothai / One Way Fare (All inclusive): 47 USD
- From Bangkok To Sukhothai / Round-Trip Fare (All inclusive): 95 USD
- From Sukhothai To Bangkok / One Way Fare (All inclusive): 47 USD
- From Sukhothai To Bangkok / Round-Trip Fare (All inclusive): 95 USD
As soon as you are landed at Sukhothai Airport, all you need is to reach the city center which is about 30 kilometers (approximately 19 miles) away from the city.
But, we consider it not an issue because there are many taxis available there in order to take you there, not only taxi services but shuttle service is also available there.
If you have already your hotel booking details in advance then you can take the hotel shuttle service because it is more reasonable in terms of cost.
It will take you around 30 minutes in order to reach your hotel.
The reason why I am suggesting at first going by a flight, that is because I want you to know that this gives you also the rare options for you to cover all the places at Sukhothai and come back to Bangkok in a day.
This is a great deal if you are on a very short schedule and you can t dedicate much time to the city (which you should by the wat).
You can go and see the Sukhothai Historical Park and come back to Bangkok in a day which means you will not have to pay for any accommodation.
Saving that cost and investing in a flight is not a bad idea sometimes!
If you want to know the timings for the flights, then there are three flights per day from Bangkok to Sukhothai, one early in the morning, in the mid-day and in the evening.
The departure of the flights takes place from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport by Bangkok Airways.
The return flight from Sukhothai also takes off three times a day. You can choose the timings that are suitable for you.
Other options:
You can also choose to fly to the Phitsanulok Airport (PHS) and from Phitsanulok get a bus to reach Sukhothai city.
Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, AirAsia, they all fly from Bangkok (DMK) Airport having prices about 2000 THB for the round trips. Actually there are many flights during the day with many times options.
Going by a bus from Bangkok to Sukhothai
There are many tourists that come to Thailand and the only mean of transport they use are the local bus companies because of the fact that it is very cheap in terms of cost.
The road trip Bangkok to Sukhothai
Especially, if you a budget-conscious traveler then you should road, around in a bus and even go to Sukhothai in a bus from Bangkok as it is the cheapest way to reach there.
It is also perfect if you like to roam around and have free time as well because obviously the journey would take long.
There are many bus companies that are offering the service of this route, the departure will be taking place from the Morchit Bus terminal situated in Bangkok and will take you directly to the bus station situated in Sukhothai.
Transport Co Intl and Phitsanulok Tour offer a couple of schemes, it totally depends upon your budget.
Another option is the Express bus that is offering you air-conditioning, the facility of a restroom, refreshment and a steward service in the package.
I can suggest using Phitsanulok Tour as bus operator company
Phitsanulok Tour has 16 departures, every day, from the Morchit bus terminal Bangkok, between 07.00 and 23.00.
This journey normally takes around eight hours, should be easy to find a departure time that will fit very well with your schedule.
Tickets for this route are priced around 300 THB for one-way fares.
A big plus of this company is the very frequent and reliable timetable to actually tailor your arrival time to your personal schedule.
In general, just remember please that the bus services I mention they depart from Bangkok and from the famously busy, sometimes even confusing, Morchit bus terminal. It will always be a good idea to arrive with plenty of time in advance when you need to catch a bus here.
VIP bus
You can just add a little more money and can go by catching up on a VIP bus and in that, you will also be getting meals and Television facility on the board.
The departure of buses takes place throughout the day, as far as the total duration of travel is concerned then it is the same, around 8 hours.
There is also another option that you can avail and that is an overnight bus, I suggest it because it travels in the hour when there is less traffic and you can reach Sukhothai in less than 8 hours.
This might seems like the best option for you, but in case you have no hotel bookings in advance or you are not able to check in to your hotel until morning, you would be hanging around at the bus station for few hours.
Going by a Van from Bangkok to Sukhothai
If you want to travel by road, but you never like to share a bus with a lot of other passengers, you can avail of the option of going by minivan.
It is roughly the same price as of the higher end VIP bus, as far as the booking of the van is concerned it can be booked through Tara Tour and Travel and it will take you quicker than by bus to Sukhothai.
Although you would not get the facilities such as a restroom or steward, the minivan will stop on the way for little breaks and toilets time.
Taking a taxi from Bangkok to Sukhothai
So, do not be a shock but the most expensive way to reach Sukhothai is by a private taxi.
It is obvious that you will have the most comfortable tour but it is expensive.
If you are happy in paying more because all matters to you is the comfort then go on grabbing a taxi.
The plus is that when you hire a private taxi it will be picking you up from your hotel in Bangkok and you are the one who is going to decide the time as well. You will be taken directly to your hotel in Sukhothai.
This means is flexible because you can make stops on the way too, which allows you to watch the extra sight on the way.
If you have a large group of friends then you should go to chose a minivan because that has the capacity of fitting 9 passengers and it will give you the benefit of splitting the cost.
Going to Sukhothai by train
I left the best for last!
The final option you have is to travel by train, but you have to keep in mind that it not fast. Traveling on a train in Thailand is one of the affordable options and you will have the sight of the countryside.
You have to keep in mind that Sukhothai does not have any train station which means you will be taking a train to the city of Phitsanulok.
After then it is 60 kilometers to Sukhothai that you have to cover by road.
The total cost will be about $21.00
Ok! Let see here how!
The first part of the route:
Bangkok to Phitsanulok by Train
5 hours
- This train route takes about 5 hours and it departs directly from the Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station.
- You can arrive there by MRT or by.
- As you will be getting off at Phitsanulok train station, where you need to catch a bus to arrive in Sukhothai.
- You can reach Sukhothai by bus from Phitsanulok, you can easily find buses at the bus station, grab a tuk-tuk from the train station to the bus station.
- Total costs about 510 THB or $17 + the cost of the tuk-tuk from the train station 60 THB or $1.90.
- The daily train schedule departing from Bangkok:
The slowest train – Train RP111 – departs at 07:00 and arrives at 13:43. Route length is about 6h 43m. The cost is 300 THB ($10) in Second Class seat with A/C
Quicker train – Train SP7 – departs at 08:30 and arrives at 13:12. Route length is about 4h 42m. The cost is 510 THB ($17) in Second Class seat with A/C
Quicker train – Train SP3 – departs at 10:50 and arrives at 15:59. Route length is about 5h 09m. The cost is 510 THB ($17) in Second Class seat with A/C
Mind that some little delays are pretty common.
The second part of the route:
Phitsanulok to Sukhothai with Bus
1 hour and 30 minutes
- Departing from Phitsanulok Bus Terminal number 1
- Arriving at Sukhothai Bus Terminal
You can get on the buses that are departing in the afternoon after lunchtime at 13:30, 14:30, 16:30.
These trips cost about 40 THB or $1.30 and the route ride takes 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Get the tickets directly at the bus terminal or online!
The bus will take one hour and 30 minutes to take you to Sukhothai, adding time to the train route hours, but honestly going by train is always the best way to see the countryside.
In this picture and example of bicycle rented in Ayutthaya to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site. Ayutthaya and Sukhothai are both really lovely places to visit around by bicycle!
Endnote
The place is definitely worth all this travel if you are someone who is always curious to dig in the history of ancient Thailand.
I have listed all the means of transport above now you can choose one according to your ease if you still have any confusion regarding going to Sukhothai feel free to ask us any query related to your travel journey in Thailand.
More info at From Bangkok to visit the historical sites of Sukhothai
See also
How to get from Krabi to Phuket
Weekend in Khao Sok National Park
How to go from Khao Lak to Koh Samui?
Krabi to Koh Samui. How is it best to go from Krabi to Koh Samui?
Going from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai – an easy and quick guide
