The Burned Capital

Best Time to Visit

Come early, ideally right at opening around eight in the morning, or in the last two hours before sunset. Midday sun on the open brick ruins is intense and there is little shade, so the cooler edges of the day are far more comfortable and the low light makes the temples glow. The dry, cooler season from November through February is the most pleasant overall, while the rainy months from roughly June through October bring heavy afternoon downpours you can plan around.

Pro Tips

• •A single six-temple park pass costs two hundred twenty baht and covers the ticketed ruins on this route, which is cheaper than paying the fifty-baht entry at each one separately.
• •Rent a bicycle near the island if you want to link the stops faster, since the distances between temples are walkable but add up under the sun.
• •Carry more water than you think you need and refill when you can, because the open ruins offer almost no shade and the heat builds quickly.
• •Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit and Wat Thammikarat are free and still active, so you can dip into them anytime without a ticket.
• •Go at your own pace and treat every stop as skippable: if a ruin does not hold you, move on, and if one does, linger as long as you like.
• •Visit the nearby Chao Sam Phraya Museum if you want to see the actual gold and artifacts recovered from the Wat Ratchaburana crypt described on this walk.