Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was the capital for four centuries until it was sacked in 1767, and what survives is deliberately unrestored: brick cores stripped of their plaster, rows of Buddhas without heads, a stone face grown into a fig tree. The historical park is spread across an island between three rivers, so it is a cycling site more than a walking one.

The train from Bangkok takes about ninety minutes and costs very little in third class. That makes the day trip tempting, and it works — but you arrive with everyone else, in the heat, and leave before the light turns. A night here is cheap and moves your visit into the two hours after opening and the two before closing, which is when the place actually looks like the photographs.

Rent a bicycle for around ฿50 a day rather than hiring a tuk-tuk by the hour. The main cluster of temples is flat and close together, and being able to stop where you like is most of the pleasure. Each major temple charges its own admission of ฿50 or so; a combined ticket is worth it only if you plan on four or more.