A few days in Phitsanulok

I first visited Phitsanulok in 2010, using it as a place to break up a longish journey, from Sukhothai down to Lop Buri. With only one night and half a day in town, I hadn't seen a lot of the town; I'd spent an afternoon visiting the outstanding Sargeant Major Thawee Folk Museum and Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, and an evening wandering the town centre and eating at the market. But liked what I saw. So when I was planning my month exploring Northern Thailand, I knew I wanted to get back to Phitsanulok for a couple of days.

Phitsanulok clock tower

It's a busy little town with a good eating scene, both traditional street food and night markets, and trendy modern cafes. It's not the prettiest town in Thailand — much of the centre is modern concrete blocks, built after a fire in the 1950s — but it is friendly and has a good vibe.

One of the more attractive corners of the town centre

One of my favourite discoveries on this visit were the ruins of the Wang Chan palace, located just across the river from Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. The palace was the birthplace of local hero King Naresuan, and contains his shrine as well as a great small museum. The site is quite extensive, a green and pleasant place to walk among the ruins.

Wang Chan palace ruins

Phitsanulok is not a common inclusion in most tourist itineraries — certainly not Western tourists. But it is well worth a day or two exploring. Like Travelfish always says: everywhere is worth at least a night, and Phitsanulok proves that in spades.