Phitsanulok Travel Guide: Wat Yai, Nan River, Sukhothai

Phitsanulok is the city most travellers pass through between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and the one that rewards a stop. It has a temple that holds one of the most copied Buddha images in Thailand, a river that still carries a few houseboats, a king's birthplace, and a position that puts Sukhothai about an hour west and two big national parks within a day's drive east. This guide covers the city and its two parks. For the ruins at Sukhothai we link to our own guide rather than repeat it.

Everything here was checked on 16 October 2026 against the sources listed below, mainly Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, plus hotel websites for distances. We say where sources disagree and where we could not verify something, such as opening hours and entrance fees, which we did not find on an official page and leave for you to check. Hotels are in our where to stay in Phitsanulok guide, or in Thai, ที่พักพิษณุโลก.

What Phitsanulok is

Wikipedia calls Phitsanulok a city on the plains along the banks of the Nan River, the capital of the province and one of the major urban centres of the north, with a city population of about 60,000 and an urban population of about 200,000. The province is approximately 377 km north of Bangkok by road. Wikipedia and Wikivoyage both describe a city with a long history: it began as Song Khwae, meaning two rivers, was a second capital under the late Sukhothai kingdom and under Ayutthaya, and was where King Naresuan the Great was born in 1555.

Wikivoyage is frank that the city itself is not the most exciting or prettiest place, and that most of the older parts were lost in a fire; Wikipedia dates that fire to 1957 and says it destroyed much of the older, mostly wooden, part of the city. So go for the temples, the river and the day trips rather than for a historic old quarter. The city is also an education and transport hub, with Naresuan University, a railway station on the Northern Line and an airport.

Getting to Phitsanulok

The 12Go page for Bangkok to Phitsanulok is titled Bangkok to Phitsanulok by train, bus, van, flight, taxi when we opened it in a real browser on 16 October 2026. Its editorial text says the city is about 380 km north of Bangkok, and that the train arrives in the centre while most buses use the Bo-Ko-So terminal out of town. We attribute those lines to 12Go and quote no prices, because we copied none and fares change with the date. Some links on this site may earn us a commission; that does not change the times or fares you see.

Where the sources disagree

Treat the shorter figure as the best case, and confirm times and terminals before you go.

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai) and the Phra Buddha Chinnarat

This is the reason most visitors come. Wikipedia says the temple, known locally as Wat Yai, the big temple, was built in 1357 and houses the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, one of the most revered Buddha figures in Thailand and the official symbol of the province. It adds that the mother-of-pearl inlaid doors were built in 1756 by order of King Boromakot of Ayutthaya, and that the Buddha Chinnarat National Museum on the temple grounds holds a sizeable collection of Sukhothai-period art. Wikivoyage says a large fair is held at the temple every January and that a small market on the grounds sells souvenirs and local food.

We could not verify opening hours or an entrance fee for the temple or the museum, so check on the day. The temple is on the river, and the Grand Riverside Hotel and Topland Hotel both give walking times to it: the former says 1 km, about 15 minutes, and the latter about 8 minutes. If you dress for temples, covered shoulders and knees are the norm in Thailand.

The Nan River and the houseboats

The Nan River runs through the middle of the city, and Wat Yai stands beside it. Wikivoyage says the houseboats were once a symbol of Phitsanulok, that only a few remain on the river, and that some now work as restaurants and cafes. Wikivoyage also lists a night bazaar along the river and a riverside alley behind Wat Yai with a noodle restaurant whose name means dangling your legs. We did not check whether either is open, so ask your hotel.

More sights in the city

Wikivoyage names several short stops near the river and the centre:

• King Naresuan Shrine and Chan Royal Palace: a shrine to the king north of the city centre, with the ruins of the palace where he was born. Wikipedia says the shrine was completed in 1961.
• Wat Ratburana: known for a very old tall chedi, with a small museum, on the south side of the Naresuan Bridge.
• Wat Wihan Thong: the ruins of a 15th-century royal temple facing Wat Yai across the river.
• Wat Chulamani: Wikivoyage says the original site of Song Khwae was at Wat Chulamani.
• Folklore museum: a small museum of local culture south of the centre.

Wikivoyage says the markets near the train station turn into a popular night market in the early evening, and that grilled chicken and fried noodles are good buys. If you are vegetarian, it warns that dishes labelled vegetarian may still include meat, so ask.

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

Wikipedia says Thung Salaeng Luang is a 1,262 square kilometre national park shared by Phitsanulok and Phetchabun provinces, with limestone hills, meadows and the Wang Thong River, and that the park was declared in 1963. Its places include Kaeng Sopha, a 3-tiered waterfall of the Wang Thong River, Kaeng Song waterfall, caves, and two savannas: Thung Salaeng Luang and Thung Nang Phaya. The average annual rainfall is 1,700 millimetres. Wikipedia also says that from the late 1960s to the early 1980s the park's forest was a base for guerrillas of the Communist Party of Thailand.

We found no official page with the park's entrance fee, opening hours or accommodation, so ask the park office or your hotel before you go.

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

Wikipedia puts Phu Hin Rong Kla 80 km east of Phitsanulok town, in Nakhon Thai district, in the forested mountains close to the border with Laos. It is cool all year, with temperatures rarely above 25 degrees C, and it was the base of the Communist Party of Thailand: Wikipedia says the area saw fighting between communist insurgents and the Royal Thai Armed Forces between 1968 and 1972. The park was declared in 1984, and Wikipedia lists a communism museum among its places.

The sights are natural ones too: Lan Hin Taek, a big broken stone sheet covered with orchids, ferns and mosses; Lan Hin Pum, natural rock formations; and Man Daeng waterfall, which Wikipedia says has 32 tiers and flows throughout the year.

The Grand Riverside Hotel puts the park at 100 km, about a 1.5-hour drive; Wikipedia says 80 km. The road climbs, so allow a full day and start early. We could not verify entrance fees or opening hours, so check with the park.

Phitsanulok as the gateway to Sukhothai

Wikivoyage calls Phitsanulok a great starting point for exploring Sukhothai, and gives 60 km to the new town and 70 km to the historical park, about an hour by bus. Several Phitsanulok hotels say the same: Pattara Resort and Spa puts Sukhothai Historical Park 45 minutes away by taxi and the Grand Riverside Hotel says just under an hour's drive. Read our Sukhothai guide and the Sukhothai Historical Park guide before you go.

The seasons

Wikipedia gives Phitsanulok a tropical savanna climate. Winters are dry and very warm, temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with an average daily maximum of 37.4 degrees C, and the monsoon season runs from May through October with heavy rain. The hills of the national parks are cooler. Check the forecast for your dates and carry rain gear from May to October.

Where to stay

Our stay guide checks 10 hotels against their own websites, in four areas:

• Centre: Topland Hotel and Convention Centre, The Grand Riverside Hotel, The Park Hotel and HOP INN Phitsanulok.
• Resort-style in the city: Pattara Resort and Spa and The Imperial Hotel and Convention Centre.
• Mittraphap and Sanambin roads: Mayflower Grande Hotel and HOP INN Phitsanulok Mittraphap Road.
• Outskirts and the road east: The Zense Boutique Hotel and U Phitsanulok.

Open where to stay in Phitsanulok for the area table and the hotel cards.

Nearby destinations

• Sukhothai: the ancient capital and UNESCO-listed historical park, about an hour west
• Phetchabun: the hills and Khao Kho to the south-east
• Tak: the next province to the west along Highway 12
• Phrae: the teak town to the north
• Nan: the mountain province further north-east
• Bangkok: where most trips to Phitsanulok start
• Thailand overview

FAQ

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.