Ayutthaya or Sukhothai? - options
 

Option 1: Leave Chiang Mai at 1:30 PM for Sukhothai ; 5 hr Bus ride in 2nd class. Overnight in Sukhothai, Bike around the ruins in the AM till around 3, catch the last flight of the day ( 5PM) from Sukhothai to Bangkok. Last night in Bangkok

Option 2: Fly Chaing Mai to Ayutthaya after lunch, Catch the Train the Ayutthaya; overnight in Ayutthaya, Bike around the ruins in the AM till around 12; catch a tour boat back to BKK along the river. Last night in Bangkok

We do not want to do Ayutthaya as we have heard great things about the biking. The Train from CM to BKK is not an option since it is full.

Thanks

I'm a bit confused with your questions.

Since I have not been to Sukhothai, I cannot tell you which is best to visit. We decided to skip Sukhothai as it was not easily added into our schedule.

I will say that we visited Ayutthaya and would highly recommend that you not miss it. The day we spent there was one of the highlights of our trip.

Sounds like you are keen on biking (as my husband was), but believe me...the heat in Thailand is quite oppressive and you may appreciate having a tuk tuk to take you around instead.

THanks for the reply, the last sentance should read, We do not want to do Ayutthaya as a day tour since we have heard great things about the biking, which we could not do as part of a day tour from BKK. The Train from CM to BKK is not an option since it is full.

The ruins at Sukhothai are much more extensive than those at Ayutthaya, so I would recommend Sukhothai. But Ayutthaya is much more accessible, a short day trip from Bangkok. I don't know that it is possible to fly to Ayutthaya. I think you would fly to Bangkok and take a train or bus or boat from there.

I have been to both and much prefer Sukothai. Lots of places you can rent bikes and it is a great place to cycle around, much better than Ayutthaya IMO. there are some very nice guesthouse & small hotels and restaurants in Sukothai not a bad place to spend a night.

I've been to both and Sukothai is much more extensive. I believe it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you can get there without too much trouble I would say go there instead of Ayuthaya. You could spend a day bicycling from site to site, but if it is too hot for that, then pedicabs are an alternative.