Sukhothai - the old city of Sukhothai was once the capital of the Kingdom, and it's now a good place in which to spend a few days exploring the elegant old ruins and temples on a bicycle.  New Sukhothai, 10 kilometres or so to the east, is the place to stay, with plenty of accommodation, and a few bars and restaurants to keep you occupied after dark.

How to get there - You can get a bus from Bangkok, 450km (7 hours) to the south, or from Chiang Mai, 250km (5 hours) to the north.  The Bangkok-Chiang Mai railway doesn't pass through Sukhothai, but you can get off at Phitsanulok which is only an hour away from the city on a bus or in a taxi.  Similarly, Thai Airways flies to Phitsanulok from Bangkok and Lampang.  Jeff and Caroline reckoned that they flew direct to Sukhothai on Bangkok Airways once, but I don't believe a word of it: when I asked, I was told there were no such flights. 

Where to stay -  There are plenty of reasonably-priced options in New Sukhothai.  In 1999, I stayed at the Lotus Village guest house near the river off Thanon Ratchathani.  They've got some very clean and well-furnished Thai-style teak houses, but if you get put in the main block where the rooms adjoin each other, you can hear EVERYTHING your neighbours are doing... I'd try for one of the bungalows on stilts next time, for a little more privacy. 

What to do in the day - Go and see the ruins in the old city, laid out in large square gardens, with ponds and moats.  Take your camera, and you can hire a bike when you get there to speed your trips between the main attractions.  Each of the five zones within the old city walls charges a separate admission fee, and falang (westerners) get charged more than Thais - officially.  Most of the better guest houses organise other trips to other attractions in the area if you want a change of scenery.

What to do at night - Eat at the night market in the new town near the covered market.  They start setting up their stalls when the sun goes down, and they're well used to tourists who don't know what they want or how to order it!  Pong and I found a little bar on the west side of the river, over the bridge on Charodvithitong Road, where you may catch a couple of guys singing some songs with a guitar, or if all else fails, you can just order a beer and some snacks and watch the world go by.  We didn't find any other places to go, but there are bound to be some.