I visited this WHS in December 2017 as a day trip from Bangkok. Being quite easy to reach by taxi, it is always pretty much crowded unlike Sukhothai. in the 18th century it also suffered extensive damage by the Burmese, so what is left today is pretty much ruins on quite a large scale.

The restoration works seem much worse than Sukhothai with total reconstructions, additions, restorations with reinforced concrete and iron railings on some of the few chedis and stupas which tourists can climb. However, what I disliked most was that there is no actual buffer zone or restricted area for vehicles and few parking spaces so it was not unusual to see SUVs driving literally over the lower city walls.

The patchwork of roads were surely built right on some of the most ruined temples so it is actually quite difficult to appreciate Ayutthaya as an ensemble and it is much more difficult to visit both on foot as well as by the shuttle-shaped tuktuks. There are all sorts of dos and don'ts but nothing against the use of loudspeakers by tour guides which are really a nuisance for all visitors (including the tour groups themselves!).

That said, I managed to enjoy the site by using a set of earphones and an audioguide and headed towards the perimeter of most stupas and prangs instead of the main pathway. At Wat Mahathat, I bought a combined ticket for 6 wats, namely: Wat Mathathat which houses the Buddha head in the Bodhi tree, Wat Phra Ram and Wat Ratcha Burana which have a few mural paintings, Wat Phra Sri Sanpeth (photo), Wat Maheong and Wat Chai Watthanaram (which is actually not part of the inscribed WHS).

This ticket together with many other free wats and remains which you'll eventually visit on your way from one wat to the next, gives you the opportunity to get a good overview of the different buildings and styles of Ayutthaya.

The UNESCO WHS inscription plaque is can be found close to the entrance of Wat Phra Sri Sanpeth, opposite the Wang Luang/Royal Palace. I'm glad I visited this WHS but after my visit I would find it hard to place it in my top 200 WHS (unlike Sukhothai).