The 4 Best Guided Tours to Ayutthaya from Bangkok

What are the best tours to Ayutthaya? Your super detailed guide to the very best guided tours to Ayutthaya from Bangkok with my reviews and all the pros and cons of each tour. Are you in Bangkok and want to visit Ayutthaya in one day? Are you looking for an excursion by private car and a personal guide or do you wish to join a group tour? A comparison and detailed description of the 4 best guided tours and day-trips to Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Palace from Bangkok. Guided excursions to Ayutthaya from Bangkok include small group tours by minibus, shared group tours going to Ayutthaya by bus and returning to Bangkok by river cruise, tours by private car with a personal guide and tours reaching Bang Pa-In by minivan and exploring the Ayutthaya archaeological park by bike. With full descriptions of each tour, my considerations, some suggestions and direct links to check prices and easily book online by credit card.

Photo Credit: Heiko S

What Are the Best Guided Day-Tours to Ayutthaya from Bangkok?

The 4 Best Guided Tours and Day-Trips to Ayutthaya from Bangkok

Are you in Bangkok and want to visit Ayutthaya in one day? Are you looking for a guided group tour going to Ayutthaya by bus and returning to Bangkok by boat with a cruise on the Chao Phraya River? Would you prefer to reach Ayutthaya by private car with a driver and a personal guide reserved only for you, who comes to pick you up and take you back to your hotel in Bangkok? Do you only need a car with a driver for transportation and no guide because you would rather visit Ayutthaya archaeological park on your own? Would you like to explore the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya by bike?

• Now, you can go from Bangkok to Ayutthaya on your own, by bus or by train, spending very little money.

• But not everybody has the time or likes to study and plan what to visit and how to organise things and transportation in advance. And going to Ayutthaya takes up time anyway. Not only to cover the 85 kilometers separating Bangkok from the old capital, but also to reach the bus terminal or Bangkok railway station from your hotel and hang about waiting for a bus or train to leave. Both on the way there and on the way back.

• So, I have researched and compared tens of guided tours to Ayutthaya organised by Bangkok based travel suppliers and sold online, and have chosen 4 different tours.

• The 4 best guided tours and day-trips to Ayutthaya from Bangkok: the guided tour to Ayutthaya from Bangkok in small groups by minibus including lunch, the Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In river cruise tour from Bangkok, the private Ayutthaya day-tour by private car with a personal guide from Bangkok, and the full-day bike tour to Ayutthaya from Bangkok.

• These are not the only tours you can book but in my opinion they are among the best and most complete guided day-trips to Ayutthaya from Bangkok available on the market. The majority of the tours include pick-up and drop-off directly at your Bangkok hotel.

• All tours are described below, in a very detailed way, with full descriptions, my considerations, some suggestions, all the pros and all the cons and all the important things you need to know before choosing. Have a look and see if there is a tour you like.

• You can book all these tours easily by credit card through Get Your Guide, Withlocals and Viator. For the great majority of tours you get instant confirmation, while for some, tour confirmation is subject to availability and will be given within 48 hours of your booking.

Photo Credit: Viator

Ayutthaya in Small Groups: Guided Tour to Ayutthaya from Bangkok by Minibus Including Lunch

Founded in 1350, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 and strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers, Ayutthaya, situated about 80 kilometers north of Bangkok, was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom after Sukhothai. From Ayutthaya kings of Siam ruled for over 4 centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce. Until the city was attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 and the capital transferred to Thonburi, today a suburb of Bangkok on the other side of the Chao Phraya River. Ayutthaya Historical Park hosts fascinating buildings in Thai style with Khmer influences, stall prang (reliquary towers) and Buddhist monasteries of monumental proportions, which give an idea of the city’s past size and the splendor of its architecture. Ayutthaya is the easiest and most famous day trip you can do in Bangkok. This guided tour carried out in small groups and at very attractive prices is perhaps the best combination for visiting Ayutthaya with a guide and without having to worry about problems related to transport logistics. The local supplier is the Bigcountry Vacation, the reviews on TripAdvisor are mostly excellent.

• Pick-up and drop-off in Bangkok: there are several options, please read carefully, you can meet the guide directly in Ayutthaya, you can reach the meeting point in Bangkok on your own (in the link below look at the Google Map to locate it easily) or, and in my opionion this is the best solution, with a small supplement to include the pick-up directly to your hotel in Bangkok, in the latter case, upon return you will not be taken back to the hotel but dropped off at the arrival point of the tour in the center of Bangkok near one of the stations of the BTS/Skytrain.

• Duration of the guided tour: approx. 8 or 9 hours.

• Guide: English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese.

• Tour features: small group tour by minibus.

• Price: includes transportation by minibus from Bangkok and a guided tour of Ayutthaya including all entrance tickets to attractions/temples and lunch at a local restaurant.

• Pros: the really reasonable price, especially considering that it already includes both lunch and entrance fees to the archaeological park.

• Cons: no one, even if you decide to go to Ayutthaya on your own by public transport it’s not like you’ll spend much less.

• Recommended: if you want to visit Ayutthaya accompanied by a guide while spending as little as possible.

• Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Small Group Tour with Lunch

• A similar tour to Ayutthaya always in small groups: the local supplier changes, in this case TripGuru Thailand, highly appreciated on TripAdvisor, but the tour Viator | UNESCO’s Ayutthaya Historical Park Full Day: Small Group Tour can be a great alternative to the main tour presented above; if things haven’t suddenly changed this tour includes hotel pick-up and drop-off but does not include lunch or entrance fees, at least for the group tour carried out with a maximum of 9 participants (there are also options on private basis).

Photo Credit: Ronald Tagra

Ayutthaya River Cruise: Ayutthaya with Bang Pa-In Day Tour with River Cruise from Bangkok

This is the most classical of all guided excursions to Ayutthaya. It’s a shared group day-trip departing from the major hotels in Bangkok to visit Ayutthaya Historical Park and Bang Pa-In Palace, once the summer residence of Siam Kings and set among gardens and small lakes. In the morning you go from Bankok by bus and then, after visiting Bang Pa-In and Ayutthaya, in the afternoon you travel back to Bangkok by boat cruising the Chao Phraya River. While on board enjoying a late lunch, you can admire the temples along the riverbank, scenes from daily life and all the houses built on stilts. I am not a big fan of these group excursions, but I am aware that, with all their limits, these tours have a great advantage. They help keep costs down for people who are travelling alone and don’t want to worry about any hassles.

• Pick-up and drop-off in Bangkok: your hotel in Bangkok. Transfers are included for all hotels in and near Khaosan Road, Sathorn, Silom, Siam, Pratunam and Sukhumvit between Soi 1-39 and Soi 2-24, basically most Bangkok neighborhoods. Instead, if you are staying at a riverside hotel or in Chinatown you must go to a meeting point at the River City Shopping Complex. Select the pick-up option and write your hotel name and address at the time of booking.

• Duration of the guided tour: approx. 9 hours, departure from the hotel is between 6:30 and 7am, the local supplier of the tour will inform you of the right pick-up time, please be ready half an hour before and be prepared for possible waiting times, typical of this kind of tour.

• Guide: English.

• Tour features: group tour with other participants, transportation is usually by large 50 seater bus, you get instant confirmation at the time of booking.

• Price: is per person, it includes pick-up/drop-off at your hotel, bus transportation from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, cruise back from Ayutthaya to Bangkok, buffet lunch and guided tour of Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In including entrance tickets. At the time of the update of this post there is a small reduction if you decide to join the tour at a meeting point at the River City Shopping Complex, without the hotel pick-up/drop-off, but the difference in price is very small and probably not worth it.

• Pros: well, for a very reasonable amount of money you are picked up at your hotel, taken to Ayutthaya, visit both Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-in, have a buffet lunch and take a river cruise back to Bangkok; it is hard to ask for more.

• Cons: there are many things to see, travelling to and back is a long way and you are in a big group; that means the schedule is tight and the time at your disposal at each attraction is limited; do not expect any personal or silent, rapt contemplation of the temples, you will always be in the company of tens of other tourists at every moment of the day. It’s better to know in advance in order to avoid disappointment.

• Good to know: as per all group tours on departure and arrival the bus stops at a lot of hotels to collect passengers, this means wasting time, especially in Bangkok; sometimes you have to wait up to one hour before the bus actually leaves Bangkok for Ayutthaya, but as long as you know this in advance and don’t get upset.

• Recommended: if you are alone or travelling as a couple and want to reach Ayutthaya without spending too much and without having to think about arranging the logistics of transportation.

• Price, info & Booking: GetYourGuide | From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Day Tour by Bus with River Cruise

• Other options: two other very similar tours are offered by Viator of the TripAdvisor family; first is Viator | Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok; second is Viator | Thailand’s Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok and is one of the best selling tours in all Bangkok, carefully read everything, compare prices, what is included and what is not, book the tour that most inspires you.

• If you want to visit Ayutthaya starting from the Sukhumvit district: the floating market mentioned in the title and where you spend about an hour is a bit fake, to understand it better, it is of very little interest, but if your hotel is in the Sukhumvit district then the GetYourGuide | From Bangkok: Ayutthaya & Ayothaya Floating Market Day Trip could be the right tour for you, if only for the convenience of reaching the starting point of the excursion and the attractive cost of the tour. Keep in mind that if you want to see a real floating market, there are other markets to visit, namely those in the Samut Songkhram region in the Ratchaburi province, about 80 km South-west of the capital.

Photo Credit: GetYourGuide

Private Ayutthaya: Day-Trip to Ayutthaya by Private Car with a Personal Guide from Bangkok

NO large 50 seater bus. And NO shared services with other participants. On this tour you ride in style in a comfortable private car with your own personal guide who comes to pick you up and drop you off at your hotel at the end of the excursion. The tour lasts 6 hours in total, with one hour and a half driving time to go and the same to come back with about 3 hours in Ayutthaya, long enough to see the best of Ayutthaya archaeological park as it should be seen. You have time to visit the three big chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet; Wat Napramenthe, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and finally Wat Mahathat, this is the temple with the famous image of the head of Lord Buddha cradled by a strangler fig. Of course, as this is a private day-trip the cost is higher than all previous excursions, but it’s not excessive, rather it is advantageous when just two people travel together and becomes very attractive for families and groups of friends.

• Pick-up and drop-off in Bangkok: departure and return to your hotel in Bangkok.

• Duration of the guided tour: about 6 hours, I suggest you to select an early departure time, there is a reason to do so, read below.

• Guide: your personal local guide is Piyaporn, a Thai from Bangkok. She speaks English and is usually quick to answer all your pre-tour questions.

• Tour features: 100% private tour with a car and a guide reserved only for you.

• Price: select the date and insert the number of participants to get the correct price, you’ll only be charged when the host confirms your booking request within 48 hours. Costs include private transportation, guide assistance and entrance fees.

• Pros: the comfort of a private car, without having to waste any time picking up (and dropping off) other tourists staying at hotels different from yours, a common feature of all shared tours; considering Bangkok’s traffic nightmare this wastes precious time both at the departure and at the end of the excursion.

• Cons: none really, in addition the cost is very reasonable even if there are only two of you.

• Good to know: this private tour can be fully personalized for you, once you have booked and received the contacts of your guide, email her immediately, explaining what you want to see and what you are more interested in.

• Recommended: if you want to visit Ayutthaya without using up a whole day, if you leave early at 8am you will be back by 2pm, with all the rest of the afternoon at your full disposal to do other things in Bangkok or just to relax by your hotel pool.

• Price, info & Booking: Withlocals | Beautiful Ayutthaya Private Tour With a Local

• Video: Ayutthaya ruins from above, with green fields and small lakes which surround the archaeological park, these drone images are courtesy of Bentree’s Aerial Photography:

• If you want to take things slowly: this is similar tour, only slightly longer, lasting a total of 8 hours and includes a private boat trip around the Ayutthaya Island, here is the link to check prices and book Withlocals | The Ultimate Ancient city of Ayutthaya Day Trip. This second excursion is carried out by several different guides, you must select one at the time of booking, you get instant confirmation. It could be a good alternative if you are travelling in a group of at least 4 (with only 2 people it is a little bit expensive) or if the Piyaporn tour is already full. Lunch is not included, your guide can suggest somewhere to eat authentic Thai food spending very little.

• Two other tours to visit Ayutthaya always on a private basis: two different guided tours to visit Ayutthaya from Bangkok, both with a private car with driver, and with the option of having or not having a guide, starting and returning to your hotel in Bangkok, to compare with the main excursion described above in order to have more choices; first one is GetYourGuide | From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Private Full-Day UNESCO Trip, second one is Viator | Full-Day Private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Summer Palace from Bangkok, please check what is included and what is not in the description of each tours.

• If you need a transfer by private car with a driver only: this service is not bad at all and at this price it is really great. There is no guide, but you have a private car and a driver who comes to pick you up at your hotel, drive you to Ayutthaya, wait for you while you visit Ayutthaya on your own and then takes you back to your Bangkok hotel; here is the link to investigate GetYourGuide | From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Full-Day Trip with Driver; obviously, the lack of a guide and the non-inclusion of entrance tickets help to keep the cost down; it is perfect if you are travelling with friends or family and want to visit Ayutthaya independently.

Photo Credit: Nishanth Jois

Ayutthaya Bike Tour: Full-Day Bike Trip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok

Clearly you do not go from Bangkok to Bang Pa-In and Ayutthaya by bike. To reach Bang Pa-In you travel by a super comfortable, air-conditioned minivan. But as soon as you arrive in Bang Pa-In things change: you get out of your van, get onto your bike and slowly cycle through the countryside pedalling to Ayutthaya to explore the archaeological park in depth. Your guide leads the way on his bike giving the group all travel indications. How is the tour carried out? And what do you visit? Disembarking in Bang Pa-in, you ride through the backstreets of the town past the royal palace to reach a cargo ferry that takes you across the Chao Phraya River. Riding north towards the island of Ayutthaya, you cycle through the back lanes of the communities along the banks of the river with your destination being Wat Chai Watanaram, a 16th century temple and one of Ayutthaya’s most famous sights. Now it’s time for a break, you enjoy lunch on the banks of the Chao Phraya with a scenic view of the ruins of the royal palace. After you’ve got your strength back, you cycle to Ayutthaya Historical Park. The first stop is at Wat Lokayasutharam’s dreaming, reclining Buddha and the next stop is Wat Phrasrisanphet which was the prototype temple for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. For the last stop you cycle to mysterious Wat Mahathat, a temple that (distantly) recalls spectacular Ta Phrom in Angkor. Finally, you travel back to your hotel in Bangkok. Not bad!

• Pick-up and drop-off in Bangkok: your hotel in Bangkok.

• Duration of the guided tour: approx. 11 hours, departure from the hotel between 6:45am and 7:30am with return to Bangkok around 6pm.

• Guide: driver plus English speaking guide.

• Tour features: usually, this is a small group tour, transportation is by minivan, in the case of only 2 people booking (at least 2 people are required for this tour) then this becomes a private tour with no extra cost; the local supplier is Grasshopper Adventures, reviews on TripAdvisor are excellent.

• Price: is per person, it includes the guide, transportation from/to your Bangkok hotel by air-conditioned vehicle, bike, helmet, all entrance fees, the ferry to cross the river, lunch, drinks, snacks and insurance.

• Pros: a very unusual, fun and active way to explore the ancient capital; particularly pleasant is the off-the-beaten track between Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In, biking on small tree-bordered roads through small villages in the middle of the Thai countryside.

• Cons: none, as long as you feel like pedalling and the heat and the humidity don’t slow you down; anyway the distance is not too far, you cycle 35-43 kms on flat terrain.

• Good to know: you will be cycling with a support air-conditioned vehicle nearby, so you will always have the option to ride in the van if you need to or if you get tired and are exhausted by the heat. Both men and women need to cover their shoulders to enter temples and mosques, women need to cover their knees as well, so if you like to wear shorts while cycling, you should bringing a sarong to wear in order to enter a temple or mosque.

• Recommended: if you are active and sporty; for groups of friends and families travelling with children 10+ years old.

• Price, info & Booking: Viator | Full-Day Historic Ayutthaya Bike Tour, just keep in mind that unfortunately this tour does not always operate.

• Video: biking through the back lanes and the ruins of Ayutthaya in these images by Grasshopper Adventures TV:

Important!

• I am not the organizer of these guided tours, I do not arrange any of the excursions and day trips you can read about in this blog. And I have never even taken part in them. To write all the guides published in the blog I travel independently arranging all transfers and all visits on my own.

• But not everybody likes or has the time to study and prepare where to go, what to visit, how to organise things and transportation in advance. So, I have researched and compared tens of guided tours to Ayutthaya from Bangkok sold by the main online travel companies and have described the tours which I think are the best and the most complete. The results are the tours presented in this article.  

• Before booking read the full description of the guided tour you like in the official page of Viator, Withlocals and GetYourGuide carefully, please check what is included and what is not, meeting points, times of departure and cancellation policies. After booking, if you have any queries or doubts, immediately contact Viator, Withlocals or GetYourGuide Customer Service in order to receive assistance.

• And, most importantly, the day before the tour, please reconfirm the pick-up time with the local supplier. You receive phone and email of local supplier of the tour immediately after your booking. Maybe your hotel can help.

• Read the reviews of each guided tour. If the majority of the reviews are positive that’s a good thing. And always check all the info you read here in the official page of each tour, things change and the official site provides the latest updates.

• Finally, before leaving take out medical insurance, covering accidents and medical expenses while travelling, with the highest ceiling. Usually local suppliers are insured, but you can’t be too sure, always travel with your own insurance, issued in your own country, with a customer servicer who speaks your own language.

Last Update: December 7th 2023

Front cover photo credit: Ayutthaya, courtesy Justin Vidamo