A Biker’s Adventure in Ayutthaya Historical Park

Biking is the best way to tour the Ayutthaya Historical Park, especially if you are not part of a programmed tour. I, for instance, did not join any Ayutthaya tour or hired a tour guide so I was on my own. Good thing that there are shops within the historical park that rent bicycles.

I rented my bicycle from Better Café, which is located near Wat Mahathat.

The lady owner asked a photocopy of my passport and 100 baht as the bike’s rental fee for the whole day.

I confess that I only learned how to bike when I went to Thailand. I practiced in the evenings so that people will not see me fall. I remember that I hit a tree and a trash can during my practice.

My adventure in Ayutthaya was my first time to bike with cars and trucks on the same road. It was a little scary but I kept myself safe by staying at the outer lanes.

I got bored with visiting another temple after visiting two temples: Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana. What I saw in two temples will be the same at the other temples. Since I had nowhere to go, I just biked to check some interesting things in Ayutthaya Historical Park like these elephants:

Minor temples abound within the historical park and most of them have free admission.

I biked near the river bank and I saw these Catholic church on the other side.

I knew that I have to go to that church so I crossed the bridged immediately to go to the periphery of old city of Ayutthaya.

Interesting spots dotted the riverbank outside of Ayutthaya. There are temples like the Wat Chaiwatthanaram, which looks like Wat Ratchaburana.

There is also a monument for a local hero, whose name I forgot to take note.

Thais offered flowers and food to him as if he is a deity. This way of honoring local heroes is typical in Thailand.

I reached St. Joseph Church after a 30 minutes. All I can say is that I was blown away by the beauty of this church. I never thought to see such a church in Ayutthaya. I will talk about St. Joseph Church in the next post.

I continued my biking adventure after spending an hour in St. Joseph Church. My destination this time was the ruins of the Portuguese settlement. I will talk about this settlement in a future post.

Biking around Ayutthaya Historical Park is gruelling because of the intense heat of the sun. But it was a good experience. I was able to move freely and I own my time. So, if you’re planning to go to Ayutthaya I suggest that you try renting a bike and go wherever you please.

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Read my adventures in Ayutthaya Historical Park:

Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 1): The Ruins of Wat Mahathat
Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 2): The Crypt of Wat Ratchaburana
Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 3): Close Encounter with Thai Elephants
Exploring Ayutthaya Historical Park (Part 4): St. Joseph Church of Ayutthaya

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