We did a Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok on our recent 14 days trip to Thailand wherein we spent 5 days in Bangkok. Having visited many historical places and ancient temples in India like the ancient ruins of Hampi & the amazing temple of Lepakshi, and also several forts & ancient temples across Rajasthan including the livable and famous Jaisalmer Fort in Jaisalmer, Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhour, Udaipur, Jaipur, Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh and several historical sites during our 2 weeks Europe trip including a day in Rome, couple of days in Florence and a day trip to Pisa from Florence.,our love for historical places has been growing by leaps and bounds. In short, we are always excited to visit historical and cultural centres. And Ayutthaya Historical Park in Thailand is definitely one of a kind.
So, the day I planned to visit Thailand, Ayutthaya Historical Park was always on the radar. Since our parents accompanied us on this trip and we were also traveling with our infant. So, we based ourselves comfortably out of Bangkok, enjoying wonderful hospitality and comfortable stay at Hotel Evergreen Place Siam by UHG(Link to book: Agoda, booking.com). And after having planned a lot of things to do in Bangkok, we also took these day trips : –
We also planned to do this day trip from Bangkok to Erawan National Park. But later we changed this plan. Because we wanted to give a resting day to our parents and kids. Before embarking on our trip further to Sukhothai & Chiang Mai. But you can very much do all the above 3 day trips if you are staying in Bangkok for 4-5 days like we did. Having said that, let me tell you how you can do an efficient trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya.
Related read : How much does it really cost to travel to Thailand?
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A very brief history of the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya
Founded in the 14th century, Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom and a thriving capital city for almost 400 years. Actually, Ayutthaya was named after a magical kingdom from the country’s national epic, the Ramakien. The city was an important post and a business hub for the traders and merchants, particularly from Europe. The glorious city finally fell in the 18th century post Burmese invasion and a massive fire that destroyed most of its wooden structures. Many lives were lost. And those who survived were forced into slavery by the Burmese. Finally the ruins were discovered in 1991, restored and also declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How to reach Ayutthaya from Bangkok
The most convenient and economical way to reach Ayutthaya from Bangkok is via a train. You can check the Bangkok to Ayutthaya train schedule beforehand and choose the train that best matches your timings. Once you arrive at Ayutthaya Railway Station , you can take a tuk tuk (an autorickshaw) from outside the railway station. Bargain with them, generally they take a full load at around 600-700 THB. So, if you are in a group you all can share the charges. The tuk tuk driver can also act as a guide. The second best way and cheaper as well will be to take a bus from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Buses depart from Mo Chit Station twice hourly. And take around 90 minutes to reach Ayutthaya. You can take a tuk tuk from outside the bus station to see the Ayutthaya Historical Park.
The most expensive but the best and luxurious option will be to book a taxi of your own. But again, if you are in a group, it might actually prove to be economical as it will save you the hassle of first going to a railway station or a bus stand, then again bargaining with a tuk tuk. This is the option we went with. And we recommend if you are in bigger groups or if you are traveling with elderly or kids. And if you want a best of both worlds – economical yet private & guided – then go for guided tours in small groups from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Here’s some of the recommendations that we have:
Bangkok to Ayutthaya private day trip in small group
A guided tour covering the 5 main temples of Ayutthaya
Biking tour of Ayutthaya Historical Park
How best to see the ruins of Ayutthaya National Park
The total area of the world heritage site inside the Ayutthaya National Park is 289 hectare. It is divided into 9 sub zones, with each having it’s own boundary and many also have entrance tickets. . You can get a shared autorickshaw ride for visiting all the temples and ruins. But, we will highly recommend you take this guided tour of Ayutthaya from Bangkok . Which includes both the transfers as well as a guide on board who can explain to you the historical significance and importance of different sites and temples. The guide will also tell you about the different architectural styles that you come across while visiting the ruins of Ayutthaya Historical Park & the temples inside the world heritage site of Ayutthaya.
However, if you want to get a little adventurous and explore the ruins on your Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok on your own, then, we recommend you visit the main temples of Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Lokaya Sutha and Wat Chai Wattanaran in the order in which we have named them. Best is to start from Wat Ratchaburana. And then move to the zone that houses Wat Mahathat – one of the main Buddha temples. And it also houses the famous Buddha head inside a tree. As both of these complexes are located at walking distance from each other. For other temples, you can as well hire a local tuk tuk wherein the driver can also act as a guide. But overall, at a slow pace, you can definitely walk to all these temples or even bike through them.
Here’s a map to take you on a walking tour across these temples. And while visiting these temple premises, you can as well explore the ruins around them.
Our experience doing Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok
We had booked our transport from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Post breakfast from our hotel, we started around 10:00am and reached Ayutthaya around 11:30am. Our cab driver first took us to Ayutthaya floating market. Although, we were initially excited on an opportunity to visit a floating market. But later we realized that it is more of a setup and not a regular market. You can take a boat ride on a pond, and see the various shops which are setup around the banks. Or, you can directly walk around and visit the shops. If I knew about the details before, I would have skipped it altogether and directly gone to the ruins. In fact, we recommend you rather do this combined trip of the Damnoen Saduak Floating market & Ayutthaya from Bangkok. or, any other dedicated trip to one of the floating markets in Bangkok.
Nevertheless, we reached the ruins by 12:30pm. And explored the ruins at our own pace. We started from near Wat Mahathat. Along with the tickets, we also took a map from the tourist centre here. Which helped us navigate through the different zones of the historical park. This was the second time today that I regretted a bit about my planning. I wish I had instead booked this guided tour of Ayutthaya from Bangkok. Although visiting these kind of ruins on your own can be really exciting, wherein you feel no less than a real life explorer. But, at the same time, it takes a lot of time to figure out the map, and the places based on the map. And to navigate from one place to another. Particularly when you are constrained by time to finish visiting all the places in a day trip. And same was the case here. Anyways, we visited all the major spots.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple
Just opposite to the ruins surrounding Wat Mahathat there is a restaurant. Which also has some vegetarian food options. So, our group had a late lunch here, around 3:00pm. Post which we visited some more ruins inside the Ayutthaya Historical Park. And then proceeded to the Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon temple. The two major sites in this temple are the reclining buddha (picture above) and the big Chedi with big white buddha statue in front of it. The whole complex of the temple is impressive, well maintained, neat and clean. You will see some modern recently built smaller sub temples inside this temple premises as well. I must say we were a little tired after visiting rest of the Ayutthaya Historical Park through the day. So, we went fast through this temple, and hopped back within our bus in the next half an hour to get back to Bangkok. Overall we spent a wonderful day visiting Ayutthaya city and it’s ruins and beautiful temples.
Tips on doing Ayutthaya day trip from Bangkok
- Start early from Bangkok as Ayutthaya Historical Park timings are from 8:30am to 6:00pm. So, the park closes by 6:00pm.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes, there is a lot of walking to be done around the ruins and between them as well.
- Also wear comfortable cotton cloths as it is hot most of the year round and there is hardly any shade around the ruins.
- Dress modestly to adhere to the dress code followed in almost all the Buddhist temples – shoulders and legs covered, no shorts.
- Don’t forget your hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the same reasons as above.
- Carry a water bottle with you. You can also carry snacks around while you visit the ruins.
- Remember not to pose with your back towards Buddha – this is considered disrespect.
- Carry a map with you that will help you navigate through the ruins.
- Although the whole Ayutthaya National Park region is huge, you can visit the main temples and ruins in the centre if you are limited by time.
- Skip the Ayutthaya Floating Market, it’s not a real floating market. But only a setup to lure visitors into doing some boating and shopping. Wish we knew it before.
- There is a separate entrance ticket to each section of the Ayutthaya Historical Park. Some are at 100THB while some others at 50THB
- Do visit the reclining buddha at the Ayutthaya City Park.
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