Ayutthaya for Two
Golden Prangs, a River Evening & Quiet Temples

This is the most romantic view in Ayutthaya, and the one moment to plan your day around. Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a group of Khmer-style prangs lined up along the Chao Phraya River on the west side of the island. As the late light hits, the old brick glows orange-gold, and it looks even better once the floodlights come on in the early evening — the kind of view that makes you both go quiet. It is the prettiest spot in the city for a photo of the two of you.

Ayutthaya is an island wrapped by three rivers, so after dark a dinner cruise around the island fits the city perfectly. The boat drifts along the river past temples and chedis floodlit for the evening — a cool breeze, dinner on the water, and the reflections of the old ruins on the surface. It is an atmosphere you cannot get in the daytime. Some boats leave from a pier near the night market; choose an early-evening departure and you catch both the sunset and the lit-up city.

The charm of Ayutthaya is that many of the old temples sit close together in the historical park in the centre of the island — just a bike ride apart. Rent a bicycle for a few baht and pedal between them together. Stop at Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its three bell-shaped chedis in a neat row, then Wat Ratchaburana, where you can climb up the prang. Cycling slowly under the trees, stopping for photos whenever you like, is a far more relaxed and private way to see the place than from a vehicle. If the sun is harsh or a sight is further out, hiring a tuk-tuk by the hour is comfortable too.

If there is one image people picture when they think of Ayutthaya, it is the stone Buddha head cradled in the roots of a banyan tree at Wat Mahathat — and nearly every couple stops here for a photo. The temple is in the centre of the island, with prangs and ruined chedis to wander among. Go early or in the late afternoon for fewer people and softer light. One small thing to know: the head sits low, and out of respect you crouch down so your own head is not higher than the Buddha's when you take the photo.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon sits just southeast of the island and is a working temple, with monks in residence and locals coming to pray. You can climb the big central chedi for a view over the grounds, there are rows of white Buddha statues around the base, and a large reclining Buddha nearby. The gardens around the temple are shaded and pleasant to wander together, and the morning light is lovely before the crowds arrive. It feels calmer and more alive than the ruined temples in the centre of town.

If you want the stay itself to be part of the memory, spend a night in a wooden house by the river — a small Thai-style place on the water with a deck to sit and catch the breeze. You wake up to coffee on the river, and some places look across to a chedi or a temple on the far bank. It is something a high-rise hotel simply cannot give you, and it suits couples after calm and a sense of the old town. Some sit on the island within reach of the temples; others are on the river outside town and quieter — take your pick.

For a lighter mood during the day, drop by the Ayothaya floating market, built as a cluster of old-style wooden houses along a canal. Wander and snack your way through traditional Thai food, both savoury and sweet, including some hard-to-find old desserts. Take a little boat around the market, or just find a spot to eat together by the water. It is an easy place to stroll hand in hand, snap some sweet photos, and pick up gifts to take home. It gets busy at weekends, so an early or early-afternoon visit is more relaxed.

No trip to Ayutthaya is complete without roti sai mai — a thin, pastel-coloured pastry wrapped around fine threads of spun sugar, rolled and eaten a bite at a time. It is sweet but light, a charming little treat the two of you can share as you go. The well-known shops line the main road and the stretch near the hospital, and each one's pastry colour and scent differs slightly, so trying a few against each other is part of the fun. You can take some home as a gift, though it is at its best fresh on the day.

One of Ayutthaya's standout dishes is its giant river prawns, especially grilled, with the rich orange prawn fat running, dipped in a sharp seafood sauce. Many of the places serving them are riverside restaurants where you sit in the cool breeze over the water — an easy special dinner for two. River prawns are priced by size and weight, so a plate or two shared with rice is plenty. Pick somewhere with a bit of riverside atmosphere so it becomes a meal you remember, and ask the price per kilo before you order so there are no surprises.

End the evening with a wander through the town after dark. Ayutthaya has evening markets and streets along the floodlit ruins — stroll hand in hand picking up street snacks, from made-to-order dishes and grilled skewers to sweets and old-fashioned local desserts. The mood is relaxed and unhurried. Some stretches run alongside temple walls lit up at night, where the shadow of a prang against warm light looks completely different from the daytime. It is a gentle way to close the day before heading back to your riverside room.