Welcome in the Northern and Central Thailand

All the area in the north of Bangkok as far as the Burman border and the Golden Triangle, which is called Northern and Central Thailand, have an abundance of historic treasures and peacefull places which will make excellent stopping places while going to the far Golden Triangle. You can already find dedicated pages, in this site, for the main places of the area like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or Kanchanaburi, in the inside, and Pattaya, Rayong and Koh Samet, Koh Chang and Hua Hin and Cha-Am, on the seashores, so this page is about all the interesting remaining places in Northern and Central Thailand.
All the center is a vast fluvial plain, extemely watered and well irrigated, massively agricultural, it is one of the most fertile soil of the world, where farmers can make up to 3 harvests per year. This is the ricebasket of Thailand, with farms and ricefields as far as the eye can see and it is the same as far as at the feet of mountains, providing this splendid pictures of ricefields and mountains shot in the Mae Hong Son area or around the now famous Pai, shelter of the backpackers, who came here to seek for freshness after the heat of Koh Phangan and its parties.
But Northern and Central Thailand are mostly known for their architectural wealths and there are, actually, not less than three former capital cities, of different Kingdom of Siam, in the area, like Chiang Mai, for which you will find a proper guide in our pages, but also Ayutthaya, about sixty kilometers North of Bangkok, and Sukhothai, South of Chiang Mai. You will have the opportunity to quietly follow the trail up to the North while visiting splendid archeological sites, and you will not miss to stop at Phitsanulok, on your way, to discover what is considered to be "the most beautiful image of the Buddha in the Kingdom".

Once you have reached the North, in Pai or Mae Hong Son, you will be able to enjoy the peaceful way of life of the area and its stunning panoramas, pay a visit to the superb Jong Kham Lake, or enjoy trecking in the jungle and rafting on the rivers.

Welcome to Ayutthaya, former Royale Capital city

The city of Ayutthaya is located only 71 kilometers north of Bangkok, and is registered as Historic City for the World Heritage by the UNESCO. This is a very popular attraction as it is very close to Bangkok, and, indeed, it is possible to do the visit in the day, as the train travel from Bangkok to Ayutthaya is just two hours from Hualampung train station.
The city was built in 1350 by the King U-Thong (Ramathibodi I) and became the capital city of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. Destroyed many times, these are the ruins that make up the Historical Park of Ayutthaya. The Park covers many hectares and hosts many archeological sites. The Royal Palace is the historical park and is therefore the most famous and the first site you will visit, with the Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the most important temple in the Royal Palace complex, the equivalent of the Emerald Buddha of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Most of the sites are easilly visited by foot and, for the most remote, you will go there using collective taxi.
We can not speak of all the sites in the Park, you will discover them by yourself while walking around, like the Wat Panan Choeng, located on the riverside, hosting a very tall image of the "Luang Po To" Buddha, main attraction of this lovely temple, or the Wat Mahathat, former Royal monastery which was burnt in 1767 and of wich only ruins remains today. The Wat Maheyong is a very interesting temple, recently restored. Located East of the city, outside of the Grand Palace site, the Wat Phraram, just close to a pool, was built at the exact place where the cremation ceremony of the King U-Thong did take place... And these are only few examples... Ayutthaya is a stunning site, where the beauty of the place and the energy of the old stones will take you to the past centuries.

Welcome to Sukhothai, World Heritage

Sukhothai is located 600 kilometers North of Bangkok and 400 kilometers South of Chiang Mai, it was the capital city of the first Thai Kingdom in the basin of the Chao Phraya river. Alike Ayutthaya, Sukhothai is registered World Heritage by the UNESCO, you can then easilly imagine the marvels of architecture you will find there.
Like the Royal Palace, in the center of the city and surrounded by a ditch or the Phra Mae Ya Shrine, facing the City Hall and hosting an idole of Phra Mae Ya, a stone figurine with a white face and long hair, representation of the mother of the King Ramkhamhaeng. In the Historical Park of Sukhothai and its area, you will find many stunning sites.
Like the Wat Mahathat, the most famous site, with its splendid Buddha statues and stupas, North of Wat Mahathat you will find the Wat Chana-Songkhram and its Singhalese Chedi and the San-Ta-Pha-Daeng with its superb statues of Hindou deities. The Wat Traphang-Thong is located East of the Wat Mahathat, it is on an island in the middle of a pond. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Historical Park of Si Satchanalai, 52 km of Sukhothai, also registered as World Heritage by UNESCO. Just one hour away from Sukhothai you will find Phitsanulok and its architectural marvels like the Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat, the most famous and most worshipped temple, hosting a splendid statue of Buddha, considered as "the most beautiful image of the Buddha in the Kingdom (of Thailand)", this is a high valued place for buddhist pelgrims.

Welcome to Mae Hong Son and Pai, gates of Burma.

Just 10 km from the Burman border, famous for its stunning panoramas of ricefields at the bottom of the mountains, Mae Hong son and its area are particularly popular among tourists for its authenticity. Pai, neighbour town, was first a refugee for backpackers and it was oftenly called "Koh Phangan in the mountains" among them... It is true that, as backpackers in India move from Goa toward the North and the Laddakh, backpackers seemed to spend some time in Koh Phangan, then head for Pai to refresh in the mountain. Nowadays, Pai has been highly developed and it seems that the backpackers have changed their itinary, even if the area remains a favorite among travellers.
But aside its panoramas and way of life these are its wealths that attract so many visitors. The Wat Jong Klang, among others, splendid piece of architecture, especially at night, when the temple is illuminated and refflect in the water of the lake, or the Wat Phra Non and its 12 m long reclining Bouddha, or the Wat Kitti Wong which hosts relics of the Buddha, imported from Chiang Mai.

But the main attraction remains Trecking in the mountains and their tropical forest, meeting the hill tribes, Karen or Meo for the most of them, with the famous "girafe women". Indeed, Pai and Mae Hong Son are particularly renowned to be excellent base camps to go explore the area and its natural and ethnological wealth. You will also enjoy rafting in the rivers or swim in the pool of the many waterfalls around Pai.