Royal temple of Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Private temple of the kings of Ayutthaya on the site of the first palace: three chedis with royal ashes, the ruin of the chapel of 1499 and the empty pedestal of the great gold Buddha melted in 1767.
Ayutthaya, Thailand
Ayutthaya Audio Guide
Walk Ayutthaya with 31 audio stops narrated by experts. From the three chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet to the Buddha head embraced by a fig tree at Wat Mahathat and the prang of Wat Chaiwatthanaram by the river, every temple explains how the capital of Siam lived and fell.
- ~6h of audio
- 7 routes · 31 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English
Coming soon
- 7Landmarks
- 31Audios
- ~6hOf narration
Photo: Justin Vidamo, CC BY 2.0
7 audio guides in Ayutthaya
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Temple of the Great Relic
Wat Mahathat
Ruins of the royal monastery of Ayutthaya and seat of the Supreme Patriarch: the Buddha head among roots, the Vihara Luang and the empty base of the great prang with its gold crypt.
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Crypt of the royal gold
Wat Ratchaburana
Royal temple of Ayutthaya founded in 1424: the best preserved prang on the island, its stucco garudas, the painted three-chamber crypt and the story of the gold looted in 1957.
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Royal monastery of 1630
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Royal monastery of 1630 on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, in Ayutthaya: a 35 m central prang as Mount Meru, eight pyre-shaped towers and a gallery of headless Buddhas.
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Great Temple of Victory
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Living monastery of Ayutthaya with the tallest chedi in the province, tied to Naresuan's victory of 1592: a terrace with a relic chamber, a gallery of seated Buddhas and a 17-metre reclining Buddha.
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Living temple by the river
Wat Phanan Choeng
Active temple beside the river confluence of Ayutthaya: the 19-metre gilded Buddha Luang Pho To, dated 1324, the Chinese shrine of Princess Soi Dok Mak and an ubosot with a gold Buddha hidden under the stucco.
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Survivor of 1767
Wat Na Phra Men
Ayutthaya temple facing the Grand Palace that came almost unscathed out of 1767: an ubosot with a 6-metre crowned Buddha, a gilded pediment of Vishnu and a green stone Buddha of the 7th-9th centuries.
Ayutthaya Audio Guide
What to see in Ayutthaya with the EarGuide audio guide
In the centre of Ayutthaya island, Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the private chapel of the kings: a temple with no resident monks, raised on the site of the first palace, with three chedis in a row holding royal ashes and, in front of them, the empty pedestal of a 16-metre standing Buddha covered in gold that the sack of 1767 left as a lump of bronze. Very close by, Wat Mahathat, the monastery of the Great Relic and seat of the Supreme Patriarch, twice lost its 50-metre prang and is now famous for a Buddha head that a sacred fig tree wraps in its roots. Across the street, Wat Ratchaburana was founded in 1424 where two princes died in a duel on elephant back, and its prang, the best preserved on the island, hid a crypt with more than 100 kilos of gold that looters broke open in 1957. On the west bank of the Chao Phraya, Wat Chaiwatthanaram revived the Khmer temple-mountain in 1630: a 35-metre prang like Mount Meru, ringed by eight towers. Facing the Grand Palace, across the Khlong Sa Bua, Wat Na Phra Men is one of the few temples that keep their great ubosot and a 6-metre crowned Buddha intact. And off the island, Wat Phanan Choeng holds, at the confluence of the Chao Phraya and the Pa Sak, a 19-metre seated Buddha dated to 1324, before the city existed, while the monks of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon once more file down in procession around the chedi that Naresuan raised after his elephant duel of 1592.
With the EarGuide Ayutthaya audio guide, every temple reveals its history through professional narration prepared by guides who know the old capital of Siam inside out. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
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No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
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Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Ayutthaya audio guide
How much does the Ayutthaya audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Ayutthaya audio guide includes 7 independent routes with about six hours of professional narration spread across 7 temples and 31 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your tour of Ayutthaya. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Ayutthaya audio guide available in?
The Ayutthaya audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with professional narration prepared by guides and experts in the history of Ayutthaya and the old kingdom of Siam.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 7 independent routes with about six hours of narration in total, from 30 to 60 minutes per route. They are designed to be spread over one or two days: you can do them separately or string together the ones that lie close, such as Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana, a street apart, in a single outing.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you explore Ayutthaya without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of Thailand.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Ayutthaya audio guide covers 7 temples: Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phanan Choeng and Wat Na Phra Men, with stops that range from the three royal chedis to the Buddha head in the fig tree, the gold crypt of Wat Ratchaburana and the great seated Buddha by the river.
Can I do it all on foot?
Only in part. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Na Phra Men lie less than 1 km from one another in a straight line, in the centre of the island and beside it. Wat Chaiwatthanaram is about 2 km to the southwest, on the other bank of the Chao Phraya, and Wat Phanan Choeng and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, to the southeast, are between 2.5 and 4 km from Wat Phra Si Sanphet, so for those it is best to go by bicycle, tuk-tuk or taxi.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Ayutthaya audio guide free
The Ayutthaya audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the old capital at your own pace.
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