In 2018 we missed the train to the former capital of Thailand because of jet lag … This year we managed to visit the Historical Park of Ayutthaya Thailand on a day trip by train from Bangkok! We organized everything ourselves, as always. In this post I will show you briefly how much money you can save when doing your own research and reservations. To have the price comparison information, we asked in several Facebook groups for a driver to Ayutthaya and contacted some of them. A private car from Bangkok to Ayutthaya and back would cost 4000 THB. This does not include entering temples or your lunch.
How to plan your walk in Ayutthaya
Historical Park We decided to book everything ourselves. We got up at 5:30 in the morning, had breakfast and headed to the subway (MRT Blue line). After 6 stops we arrived for 56 THB (for two people in total) at the central train station in Bangkok. We bought 2 tickets for the fastest train to Ayutthaya (2nd class) for 690 THB. When we arrived in Ayutthaya, we found a tuk-tuk driver for the whole day – we paid 700 THB.
The ticket for the 6 main temples costs 440 THB (for two people in total). For lunch we paid 220 THB (2 lunches). The train to Bangkok cost only 40 THB (for two people in total), because the train was from the 3rd class. To be honest, the train wasn’t bad at all! Each passenger had 2 places for social distancing and was (unexpectedly) clean. The whole trip for 2 people came out in total: 2146 THB for 2 people (1073 THB for 1 person). With a personal car and the agency would come out: 4460 THB for 2 people (2230 THB for 1 person).
I started taking notes of how much it cost when we were on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand, because it’s forgotten, and everyone asks mainly about it. So we saved more than 50% by organizing everything ourselves. And don’t miss the unforgettable experience with the train, the locals and our tuk-tuk driver (three-wheeled vehicle) Riding a tuk-tuk is a great experience. There are more here and there in Sri Lanka and India, but we will write about it in the following travelogues.
Which sights we visited in Ayutthaya Historical Park
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet
- Wat Phra Ram
- Wat Mahathat
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
- Wat Chai Watthanaram
All sights in the area are protected by UNESCO and can be reached both by boat and by car (more convenient transport). Access is free, you can climb the stairs of any temple and even peek into the blind entrances inside. Religious ceremonies of the king and his heirs took place here. Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, is located in the rich rice plains of the Chao Phraya River, about 90 km north of Bangkok, Southeast Asia.
In the past, Ayutthaya was the largest kingdom that ruled these lands for more than 400 years. In 1431, Ayutthaya managed to win the war with the Khmers and in 1431 even conquered their large capital Angkor. The rulers of Ayutthaya appropriated many of the Hindu ideas and practices of the Khmers, including the concept of the ruler as a god-king. This is the reason why many of the temples look similar to the temples in Angkor, Cambodia, but unlike them are not so well preserved. It can be seen that there are some restorations, but in general it is quite neglected. It is obvious that the country is poor.
Ayutthaya was one of the richest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world in the 17th century. However, in 1569, Burma (Myanmar) conquered Ayutthaya and devastated the entire province. For the second time in the 18th century, Burma managed to win the war against Ayutthaya and all its works of art were destroyed or stolen … Most of the monasteries, temples and palaces remain in ruins. We just want to warn you to be careful not to steal valuables and documents, because we have heard of many cases of injured foreigners.