The Ancient City Park in Samut Prakan

The Ancient City is a park near Bangkok featuring small-scale replicas of buildings from across Thailand. It is a wonderful place to discover the basics of classical Thai architecture. The park itself is shaped like a map of Thailand, and each replica is placed roughly where the original stands in the real country. So in one day you can "travel" from the south to the north. It is often called the largest outdoor museum in the world, and after a full day of cycling around, I believe it.

Childhood memories

I first visited in 1996, when I was six years old. At that age, the entire place felt like one enormous playground. I climbed the buildings, ran around, and stopped for photos. I have visited the park about six times in total, and every time I discover something new. The park keeps growing, so even the buildings change between visits.

Me at six years old

Getting there

Since the BTS was extended to Samut Prakan, reaching the park has become much easier. The entrance is only about 5 km from BTS Kheha station, and a taxi from the station costs around 50 baht. On Saturdays and Sundays, a free shuttle is available.

Get around

The park offers several ways to get around. There is a wide range of bicycles, from city bikes to good mountain bikes. Cycling is my favorite option, but if the hot Thai weather is too much, you can choose:

1. The park bus
2. A golf cart
3. Walking

The park is big, around 320 acres, so walking the whole thing is a serious commitment. I would not recommend it. Take the bike.

The bike

Rental bikes

What to see

The park is very Instagramic, and people come here to take all kinds of pictures. Some visitors even rent traditional Thai costumes at the entrance for the photos.

It also provides a great overview of Thai and Khmer architecture. There are more than a hundred structures in total: temples, palaces, pavilions, a floating market, and even entire village scenes. Some are exact scale copies of existing buildings, some are reconstructions of buildings that no longer exist, and a few came from the imagination of the park's creator. Below are some of my favorites.

The fish

The fish-shaped structure is built around one of the islands, and for a long time I had no idea what it actually was. It turns out it is not a replica of any real building. It is the Sumeru Mountain Shrine, a creative design based on Thai and Buddhist cosmology.

According to that cosmology, Mount Sumeru is the center of the universe, the pillar that holds up the heavens. It stands in the middle of a cosmic ocean, and at its base sits a giant mythical fish called Anondha, who carries the world on its back. The park built exactly that: a small mountain temple on an island, wrapped by an enormous sculpted Anondha fish whose body curves around the shore. You reach it by a winding bridge across the lake.

Sanphet Prasat Palace

This is a reconstruction of the royal palace of Ayutthaya, the old Thai capital. The original was destroyed when the Burmese burned the city in 1767, so nobody alive has ever seen it. The version in the park was rebuilt from historical records, and it is one of the most impressive buildings here. If you only have time for a few stops, make this one of them.

The Pavilion of the Enlightened

A group of golden pavilions standing in the middle of a lake, connected to the shore by a long bridge. This one is not a copy of anything, it was designed for the park itself. It might be the most photographed spot in the whole place, and for a good reason.

The Floating Market

In the middle of the park there is a small floating market on the water, with wooden houses and boats. You can actually buy food here, so it doubles as a good lunch stop halfway through the ride.

Preah Vihear Temple

This is a replica of a temple located on the Thai-Cambodian border. The site has long been disputed by both countries. The real one sits on top of a cliff, and the replica here is built on an artificial hill, so you even get a bit of climbing.

For more information, see Wikipedia: Preah Vihear Temple

Practical tips

A few things I learned over six visits:

1. Come early. The park opens at 9 am, and the morning is the best time to cycle before the heat arrives.
2. Take water, a hat, and sunscreen. There is not much shade between the buildings.
3. Plan at least half a day. A full day is better if you want to see everything without rushing.

For more photos, see my Ancient City album.

Let me know if you have been there.

Here is my YouTube video from the park: