Trip Planning

As it is located less than 100 km from Bangkok, along the banks of the Chao Phraya River and along the northern rail line, Ayutthaya can be reached via car, bus, boat, or train. Once there, visitors can explore the city with standard forms of local transportation, including songtaews, motorbike taxis, and tuk tuks, ride bicycles, or even explore the world heritage attractions atop elephants!

By Train
Trains to Ayutthaya leave Bangkok's Hua Lumphong Station approximately every hour between 4.20 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. Train schedules are available from the information booth at Hua Lumphong Station. Alternatively, call 0 2223 7010, 0 2223 7020, or 1690 or visit www.railway.co.th for reservations.

By Car
There are a variety of routes to drive from Bangkok to Ayutthaya.
1: Take Highway No. 1 (Phahonyothin Road.) and then Highway No. 32.
2: Take Highway No. 304 (Chaeng Watthana Road.) or Highway No. 302 (Ngamwongwan Road.); turn right onto Highway No. 306 (Tiwanon Road.), then take Highway No. 3111 (Pathum Thani - Samkhok - Sena) and turn right at Amphoe Sena to Highway No. 3263.
3: Take Highway No. 306 (Bangkok - Nonthaburi - Pathum Thani Road.) and then take Highway No. 347

By Bus
Ordinary buses depart from Bangkok’s Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit 2) for Ayutthaya's main terminal on Naresuan Road every 20 minutes between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. The fare is 30 baht and the trip takes around 2 hours. Air-conditioned busses operate the same route every 20 minutes from 5.40 a.m. to 7.20 p.m. (departing every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.) at around 50 baht; the trip takes 1.5 hours when traffic north of Bangkok is light, otherwise it takes two hours.
Getting Around Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

Getting Around:
Songtaew and tuk-tuk will go anywhere around Ayutthaya for 10 to 30 baht/person depending on the distance, destination. A tuk-tuk from the train station to any point in the old Ayutthaya zone is approximately 30 baht. Note that the trip on the island (old Ayutthaya city) itself costs 20 baht/trip maximum.

To tour the ruins, the most economical and ecological option is to rent a bicycle from one of the guesthouses (40 to 50 baht/day). Walking is also an option, but not recommended during the hot or rainy seasons.

It is possible to charter a samlor, tuk tuk or songtaew by the hour or by the day to explore the ruins but the prices are relatively high by Thai standards (150 baht/hour, or 500 baht for the entire day).

Another interesting way to explore the area is to charter a boat from Tha Chan Kasem (Chan Kasem Pier, next to Hua Ro Market) for a semicircular tour of the island that allows visitors to see some of the less accessible ruins. A long tailed boat with a capacity of up to 8 people can be hired for 400 baht for a 2 to 3 hour trip with stopovers at Wat Phutthaisawan, Wat Phanan Choeng and Wat Chai Wattnaram.

Minibus services operating from the railway station into the city are also available. Hiring a minibus within Ayutthaya costs 250 - 300 baht/day. If you wish to travel between Ayutthaya and Bang Pa - In, minibuses regularly leave Chao Prom Market (on Chao Prom Road). Daily schedules start from 6.30 a.m. with a fare of 30 baht. The trip takes approximately 50 minutes.

Area Map

History & Info

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province
The Ayutthaya Kingdom was established around the year 1350 by King U-thong or King Rama I, the first monarch of Ayutthaya, on the island landscapes surrounded by three rivers. The strategic location fostered Ayutthaya to be the main transportation hub that allowed commuting conveniently between other cities nearby. This then was how it became the glorious port and the key centre of political power in this region.
Ayutthaya city arose into a real kingdom during the reign of King Boommatrailokanat. The Ayutthaya king successfully placed himself as the centre of a highly stratified social and political hierarchy that extended throughout the realm.
Ayutthaya’s prosperity came from trading with foreign countries. Emerging into the main production and exchange market for large trade and international relations, Ayutthaya also had obtained advanced technologies to help develop various aspects of the kingdom. As well Ayutthaya entered into the golden age in arts and literature, which was passed onto the Rattanakosin Kingdom.
The glory of Ayutthaya ended when it lost the war to Burma in the year 1767. The city of Ayutthaya capitulated and was burned down including temples and the Royal Palace. The Burmese brought the Ayutthaya Kingdom to ruin, and they looted and captured the Ayutthaya people as prisoners of war. This completely destroyed the glorious symbol of Ayutthaya.
Wat: The Centre of the Universe on Earth
Brahman in Hinduism, and Mahayana and Theravada in Buddhism believe in the harmony of Earth and universe. This belief of harmony was reflected in the religious architecture, which established the sanctuary, shrine or temple as the centre of the kingdom.
During the early 12th century when the Ancient Khmer Empire was blooming, Jayavarman VII was the great Khmer king who ordered to construct Mahayana Buddhist temples all around his kingdom. The continuation of building temples as the city centre expanded to central and southern regions of Thailand. As sandstone-style sanctuaries, influenced by Angkorian architecture in Jayavarman VII’s reign, are found in many provinces; such as, Lop Buri, Phetchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Sukhothai. Some experts have analysed that this belief of sandstone construction was to announce the king’s or landlord’s achievements, just like that in the Khmer prosperous era.
This was seen during the early Ayutthaya era that was accustomed to building temples as the centre of the city, and later on was adopted as the location where the Buddha’s relics were enshrined; such as, Wat Mahathat. Many experts said that apart from being the establishment of the Buddha’s relics, it implied that Ayutthaya was an emerging and prominent kingdom respected by other surrounding regions after the decline of the Angkor Empire.
Around the late 12th century, Mahayana Buddhism was fading in popularity as the majority of people turned to practice Theravada Buddhism instead, including Burma, Mon, Laos and Cambodia. During this period, the centre of Buddhism switched to Ceylon that had gained popularity in the 13th century, is monks attended a pilgrimage to study Buddhism and they brought back Theravada Buddhism to teach in their home towns.
Dr. Srisakra Vallibhotama mentioned in his book called “The Meaning of Relics in Siamese Civilization” that the main entity of Theravada Buddhism since the Dvaravati period was to worship the Buddha’s relics. During the initial phase of Buddhism, it was the word-of-mouth teaching by monks, priests, and hermits. Later on, more people gave support by establishing temples and religious institutions as the centre of the village and to perform religious ceremonies and teaching. Once the population of villages became bigger, it expanded into a town. Hence, it was necessary to build a sacred centre to hold local ceremonies and religious rituals. However, the priests or monks had no power or assets to construct a temple as a town centre, unless seeking for a sacred item for local worship. Theravada Buddhism believed the sacred item were the Buddha’s relics.
Later on, the preference was for building a temple or a Mahathat Stupa as the town centre. This resulted in different styles of pagodas in different regions; such as, in the Central Region, the pagoda style was adapted from Angkor Wat as found at Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Phra Ram.
Palace: Centralisation of the Lord Monarch
King Borommatrailokanat successfully reformed and structured the Siamese bureaucracy. At the same time, the King expanded the Royal Palace territory by building a new palace on the north close to the Lop Buri River. The palace was divided into 3 main courts: the Inner Court, where the King and noblemen resided, the Middle Court, where all the royal governance and ceremonies took place, and the Outer Court, where the noblemen and senior officials enacted orders. The construction included the previous area of the royal palace that King Borommatrailokanat donated to construct the Royal Temple, Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This appeared to be an exception in Thai history.
The main purpose of Wat Phra Si Sanphet was to perform religious ceremonies of the kingdom. At that time, many of the royal ceremonies and coronation customs were restored. This new temple was considered shifting the people’s centralisation by moving the worship centre from the prior royal temple, Wat Phra Si Mahathat, to this new royal temple. This action represented the king’s prestige and virtues. That practice was passed later onto the Rattanakosin Era.

Direction Map

Information

Once considered the most spectacular city on Earth, the ruins of the capital of the Kingdom Ayutthaya are now a major tourist attraction easily accessible from Bangkok by car, train, or boat as either a daytrip or overnight excursion.

Ayutthaya is one of Thailand’s historical and majestic highlights. The capital of Thailand, then known as the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was a glorified as one of the biggest cities in Southeast Asia and a regional power for 417 years. The Kingdom of Ayutthaya reached its apex in terms of sovereignty, military might, wealth, culture, and international commerce in the 16th century, when the Kingdom’s territory extended into and beyond present-day Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Ayutthaya had diplomatic relations with Louis XIV of France and was courted by Dutch, Portuguese, English, Chinese and Japanese merchants. During the 17th century, most foreign visitors to Ayutthaya, traders and diplomats alike, claimed Ayutthaya to be the most illustrious and glittering city that they had ever visited. The map of Ayutthaya published in 1691 by Simon de la Loubere in Du Royaume De Siam is proof of such recognition. Visitors can explore and appreciate Thai history in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, which is only 86 kilometers north of Bangkok. Visitors to Ayutthaya can marvel at its grandeur reflected through numerous magnificent temples and ruins concentrated in and around the city, which is located upon an “island” surrounded by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi Rivers. Although there are numerous attractions, the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park in the heart of Ayutthaya city, is a UNESCO’s World Heritage site and a wonder to behold.

Once the capital of the Thai Empire, Ayutthaya was a truly impressive city; with three palaces and over 400 temples, located on an island threaded by canals, it attracted traders and diplomats from both Europe and Asia. In 1767, 417 years after it was founded and 15 months after the siege began, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was conquered and the city’s magnificent structures were almost completely destroyed by Burmese invaders. When King Taksin the Great finally liberated the Kingdom, a new dynasty was established and the capital was moved to Thonburi, across the river from modern-day Bangkok. The ruins that now remain, many of which have been painstakingly restored, have been granted World Heritage status by UNESCO. The architecture of Ayutthaya is a fascinating mix of Khmer and early Sukhothai styles. Some cactus-shaped obelisks, called prangs, denote Khmer influence and look something like the famous towers of Angkor Wat. The more pointed stupas are ascribed to the Sukhothai influence. Ayutthaya is only located about 90 kilometers from Bangkok and can be visited on a daytrip; however, if you appreciate history and religious and historical monuments, an overnight stay will allow for two full days of sightseeing, including a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya, past the illuminated Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park, and a visit to only of the city’s many other attractions, including the nearby Bang Sai Folk Arts and Craft Center.