Sukhothai, Thailand: Top Things to Do & Celebrating Loy Krathong
We decided to witness Loy Krathong in Sukhothai, Thailand. While it is celebrated in other places in Thailand like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Tak, etc., Sukhothai is the place to go. Loy Krathong is the full moon festival that is celebrated in the 12th lunar month on the full moon (every November). It is celebrated by setting afloat and lighting intricately crafted krathongs (made from banana leaves) into the water (“loy” means float). Paper lanterns are also lit and sent into the night sky – it’s a beautiful and enchanting sight.
Loy Krathong is modeled after Diwali, which is an Indian lantern festival. The story goes that Sukhothai’s King Li-Thai (from the 14th century) married Naang Noppamart, a daughter of a Brahman priest. When he witnessed her light a krathong and set it afloat, he was so mesmerized by its beauty. He then decided to incorporate this practice into Thai, Buddhist culture. Since Sukhothai is believed to be the birthplace of Loy Krathong, you must witness Loy Krathong in Sukhothai.
Sukhothai holds a large, week-long festival in Sukhothai Historical Park in November. The backdrop of the festival is magnificent, as it is celebrated amongst 193 historic temples and artifacts from the 12th and 13th centuries.
I suggest staying in Sukhothai for 2-3 nights depending on whether you come here for Loy Krathong.
Getting There
We took the Wintour Bus (roughly 400THB=$13 per person) from Bangkok to Sukhothai, which was very comfortable and the best bus we’ve taken so far. It was ideal for a 9-hour bus ride. Took a nap, watched a movie, and caught up on some reading.
Accommodations
We stayed in New Sukhothai since there wasn’t anything available in the Old City, which is where the Loy Krathong festival is held. However, it was easy to get to the Old City from New Sukhothai – you can board a public songthaew (about 15THB=$.50) or private tuk tuk (50-60THB=$2) to take you the 7km (4 miles) to the Old City. The songthaew is the cheaper option, unless you’re with your own group.
We stayed in the Ban Thai Guesthouse, which we wouldn’t recommend given the distance from everything and it wasn’t good value for the money. We spent $23 per night (720THB), which we thought was relatively high for the condition of the room, no food (not even when we were willing to pay for it), and absent staff.
There also isn’t much to do in New Sukhothai, so I recommend staying in the Old City and booking well in advance if you plan to go to Sukhothai for Loy Krathong.
We used Booking.com for our accommodation – use our referral link so that you can get a $25 reward! https://www.booking.com/s/43_8/roxyba87
Top 2 Things to Do in Sukhothai
As with touring anything in most of Thailand, do it early in the morning or in the late afternoon to escape the heat of the day. Because we were so sleep deprived from some restless nights due to uncomfortable beds, we didn’t get started until 11am. Bad idea, unless you want to sweat right through your clothes and be close to heat exhaustion. Entrance fee into Sukhothai Historical Park is 100THB ($3). Pro tip: if you are here for Loy Krathong you can wait until after 4pm to enter for free.
1. Rent a Bike and Ride around Sukhothai Historical Park
This is a great way to see the entire park and its 193 temples and artifacts. The park is 27 square miles (70 square kilometers) so it’s a lot of ground to cover on foot. The one caveat is that during Loy Krathong, the park is overtaken with festival goers and activities so it can be hard to maneuver a bike through some parts of the park.
The temple ruins are a fantastic sight. What is interesting is that they were built by the Khmer Hindus and were later transitioned to Theravada Buddhist wats under the Sukhothai Kingdom. The wats are particularly unique given the Khmer influence.
Quick history lesson – until the 13th century, the Khmer Empire controlled Sukhothai until Prince Phor Khun Bang Klang Thao defeated the Khmer garrison commander in an elephant duel. Pretty cool, huh?
2. Visit Sukhothai during Loy Krathong
This is a must do. Imagine a State Fair – there was every type of food for any palette and amusement park rides, beauty pageants, fireworks, concerts, and even a parade intermixed with traditional customs like setting a krathong alight.
Mike and I participated by buying our own krathong, lighting it, and making a wish before setting it afloat in a pond with dozens of other krathongs. It is said that one must wish for material gain and fortune given that Loy Krathong is all about celebrating a successful and bountiful harvest.
The food options are plentiful, which pleased the foodies in us. We found many food stands that sold different types of authentic, yummy Thai food. We munched on pad thai for lunch, had curry for dinner, and taste-tested the fried sweets in between. You definitely won’t go hungry!
We also popped into the beauty pageant, which was very long and didn’t appear to showcase any talents (a bit different from the pageants we’re used to), but it was worth it to see beautiful Thai women in their traditional garb.
After the beauty pageant, we walked over to Wat Mathathong, the largest wat, to catch the light and sound show at 10:30pm. We had assigned seats that were placed right in front of the wat. The hour-long show included a professional acting group that told the story of the history of Sukhothai. Every minute of it was fantastic. The wat was illuminated with different color light that was a magical touch. The highlight was the two elephants and the 40+ paper lanterns that were set off into the sky. The light and sound show was an additional 500THB ($16).
Food
If you’re in Sukhothai for Loy Krathong, you really needn’t venture outside of the festival for food since you’ll find some of the most authentic, delicious plates in the park. Otherwise, there are two noteworthy restaurants that we tried:
1. MAI PRA DIT Coffee and Bistro – located in New Sukhothai, this restaurant has fantastic coffee, breakfast/lunch, and pastries. We came here for a late breakfast and coffee and indulged in one of their cakes. The place also has great WiFi in case you need to work or FaceTime your parents, which is what we did.
2. Pizza House by Somprasong Guesthouse – this restaurant was next to our hotel in New Sukhothai. Not only was it incredibly convenient for us, but the pizza was one of the best pies we’ve had in Asia (we came here twice!).
Our Key Takeaways and Tips
Sukhothai is a great place to visit for the history buffs and temple lovers. It’s especially magnificent during Loy Krathong, which was the birthplace of this festival.
1. Stay in the Old City versus New Sukhothai
2. If you are going to Sukhothai for Loy Krathong, book accommodations well in advance
3. Buy tickets for the Loy Krathong light and sound show (500THB=$16)
5. Rent a bike outside of Sukhothai Historical Park to ride around the sprawling complex (50-60 THB=$2)