Wat Sa Si sits on a small island in the middle of a large rectangular pond called Tra Pang Trakuan, in the centre of the historical park. The composition — a bell-shaped Sri Lankan-style chedi behind a ruined vihara that still holds a serene seated Buddha, all of it reflected in the still water — is the single most photographed view of Sukhothai, and it deserves the attention.
The temple is reached by a wooden footbridge from the western side of the pond. There is little to see up close compared with the larger temples, but the setting is what matters; come at sunrise or sunset when the light is warm and the lotus flowers are open. A few metres away, a graceful walking Buddha — a bronze installed as part of the restoration — illustrates the most distinctive of all Sukhothai-period sculptural innovations.