Ayutthaya Tours
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya · Thailand

Ayutthaya Tours

The ruined capital of Siam, 76 km north of Bangkok, with every guided day compared

Ayutthaya tours take you 76 km north of Bangkok to the ruined capital that ran Siam for 416 years. Compare every guided day in one place: the coach trips with lunch, the private cars that cross the river, and the half-day ride that starts in the old city itself.

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Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on almost every trip listed.

1351Founded
416 yearsCapital of Siam
From $30Per person

Hours, prices and access verified by the Ayutthaya Tours team — last checked 2026-09-09

Ayutthaya Tours › Tours & Tickets 2026 Updated: 2026-09-09
Most booked

Top Ayutthaya Tours for 2026

Three genuinely different days: a coach from Bangkok with lunch and four temples, a private car that adds the royal palace, and an Ayutthaya half day tour that starts in the old city and doubles as an Ayutthaya city tour on two wheels. Between them they cover the ways almost everybody visits.

Best sellerFrom Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch

From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch

★★★★★ 4.7 (12,163 reviews · 7 hours)

From BangkokEntry is a ticket option

Board the coach in Bangkok and be standing in front of the first ruin ninety minutes later. The route takes in four of the temples people come for, including Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the river bank and Wat Mahathat with its Buddha head in tree roots. Lunch and the entrance tickets come with every version except the English-tour-only budget ticket, so check which option you are buying. Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Lokayasutharam fill the rest of the day, and hotel pickup is a ticket option too — without it you join at the River City meeting point.

  1. Coach from Bangkok, ninety minutes
  2. Wat Chaiwatthanaram, forty-five minutes
  3. Wat Lokayasutharam and the reclining Buddha
  4. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, forty-five minutes
  5. Lunch break in Ayutthaya
  6. Wat Mahathat and the Buddha head

From $33 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Bangkok: Private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Summer Palace Tour

Bangkok: Private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Summer Palace Tour

★★★★★ 4.8 (342 reviews · 7-9 hours)

From BangkokTemple entry includedMeal includedYour group only

Half a royal palace, half a ruined city, in a car that is yours for the day. Your morning goes to Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, where King Chulalongkorn's pavilions still stand on their lake, and the afternoon to Wat Mahathat, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. Lunch at a local restaurant, bottled water, the entrance tickets and a round-trip private transfer are all in the fare. It is also the only listing here whose own notes describe it as wheelchair accessible, and the dress code for the palace is long trousers and covered shoulders.

  1. Private car from your Bangkok hotel
  2. Wat Mahathat and the Buddha head
  3. Wat Lokayasutharam and the reclining Buddha
  4. Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, thirty minutes
  5. Thai lunch at a local restaurant
  6. Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, ninety minutes

From $176 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Half-Day Ayutthaya City Cultural Bike Tour

Half-Day Ayutthaya City Cultural Bike Tour

★★★★★ 4.7 (78 reviews · 3 hours)

Starts in AyutthayaTemple entry includedMax 16

The only trip here that starts in Ayutthaya rather than in Bangkok, which makes it the Ayutthaya bike tour for anyone already on the island or arriving by train. Three flat hours run from the shop on U Thong Road along the riverside track past Pom Phet, then through Wat Lokayasutharam, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Mahathat with admission covered at the temples on the route. A bicycle, a helmet, a snack and bottled water come with it; two people is the minimum booking and sixteen the maximum. Cover your shoulders and knees, because you will be riding straight into the temples.

  1. Meet at the U Thong Road shop
  2. Ride the riverside track past Pom Phet
  3. Wat Lokayasutharam and its reclining Buddha
  4. Wat Phra Si Sanphet inside the old palace
  5. Wat Mahathat and the Buddha head
  6. Back through the island's market lanes

From $46 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Why book with us

Trusted by Thousands of Visitors

★

Best Guides

Licensed local guides who know which king built the thing in front of you and where to stand for the photograph. Travellers name them by name in review after review, and that is the recommendation worth reading.

✓

Book With Confidence

Almost every Ayutthaya booking made through these pages can be cancelled in full up to 24 hours before it starts, at no charge. Where a fare is a final sale, its card says so instead of carrying the usual line.

☼

Experience of a Lifetime

You get a whole capital city left where it fell: brick towers, a Buddha head held in tree roots, and three chedi standing over the ground the kings of Siam lived on for four hundred years.

Amazing Thailand Tripadvisor

FREE CANCELLATION up to 24 hours in advance on almost every trip listed here.

Everything available

All Ayutthaya Tours & Tickets

Grouped by the shape of the day rather than by price, because that is what actually differs. Every card tells you the hours it spends at the ruins and what your fare covers before you choose. These are all the Ayutthaya tours and tickets we list; Ayutthaya tickets for the temples themselves are sold at the booths rather than by us.

Private days with your own car

Your own vehicle, your own start time, and the guide kept to your party. These are the days that cross the river to Wat Chaiwatthanaram and add the royal palace without either becoming a production. An Ayutthaya private tour is the only shape that lets you be standing at the first temple before the coaches can arrive.

The Ultimate Ancient city of Ayutthaya Private Day Trip

The Ultimate Ancient city of Ayutthaya Private Day Trip

★★★★★ 5.0 (140 reviews · 8 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedYour group only

Eight unhurried hours with a private guide, a car and a carbon-neutral operator. The circuit works through Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Worachettharam and the wider Historic City of Ayutthaya, with the tickets for the ruins already bought and a stop at the riverside Pae Krung Kao restaurant built into the timing. Lunch itself is not in the fare, which keeps the choice of what you eat with you. A full day out here involves a great deal of walking, so wear something you can cover up in and still move in.

From $267 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok

Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok

★★★★★ 4.7 (119 reviews · 9 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedMeal includedYour group only

Pickup and drop-off at a Bangkok city-area hotel, a private air-conditioned car and a nine-hour run at whatever pace suits you. Six stops sit inside the old city — Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Mahathat — and Bang Pa-In Royal Palace closes the day on the way home. A Thai lunch, bottled water, the entrance tickets and an English-speaking guide are all covered. The listing prints its own dress note: shoulders and knees covered, and nothing torn or tight.

From $167 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Private Tour: Ayutthaya Day Trip with Boat tour

Private Tour: Ayutthaya Day Trip with Boat tour

★★★★★ 4.8 (75 reviews · 8 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedMeal includedYour group only

Food is woven through this one rather than bolted on at lunchtime. Alongside Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Mahathat and Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the day stops for roti sai mai at Bang Muad and gives a full hour to Hua Ro market. That makes it the closest thing here to an Ayutthaya food tour, and your fare covers lunch, selected tastings, hotel pickup and a private vehicle. Strollers are fine and infant seats are available, though the kitchen cannot handle gluten-free, halal, vegan or vegetarian, and two people is the minimum booking.

From $202 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Ancient City UNESCO Heritage Ayutthaya Private Guided Day Tour

Ancient City UNESCO Heritage Ayutthaya Private Guided Day Tour

★★★★★ 4.7 (70 reviews · 8 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedYour group only

The most affordable way to have the car and the guide entirely to yourself. Eight hours run from a Bangkok hotel to Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, then Wat Mahathat, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram, with the entrance tickets, all taxes and an English-speaking guide inside the fare. Food, drinks and the buggy at the summer palace are the things you pay for on the day. It is stroller accessible, and the operator will happily end your day somewhere other than your hotel if you ask when you book.

From $104 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok With Lunch

Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok With Lunch

★★★★★ 4.8 (38 reviews · 9 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedYour group only

Nine hours, a private car and a guide who works to your clock rather than a coach timetable. The route covers Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Mahathat before an hour at Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Bangkok city area, the air-conditioned car, the professional English-speaking guide and the admissions on the route are all covered. Its inclusion list does not name a meal, so budget for lunch at the restaurant your guide suggests.

From $167 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Amazing Ayutthaya Day Trip from Bangkok

Amazing Ayutthaya Day Trip from Bangkok

★★★★★ 4.8 (8 reviews · 9 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedMeal includedYour group only

Six temples and a royal palace across nine hours, with the fare covering rather more than most. Lunch, private transport, hotel pickup and drop-off, an English-speaking guide, the admissions and bottled water are all inside it, which leaves gratuities and alcohol as the only extras named. The circuit runs Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Mahathat before finishing at Bang Pa-In. Your group has the vehicle to itself, up to nine, and the operator can cancel for bad weather with a refund.

From $173 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Group days from Bangkok

A shared vehicle on a fixed timetable, which is what makes an Ayutthaya day tour so much cheaper than a private one. One is capped at nine travellers; the other comes back down the river with lunch on deck. Both are a full Ayutthaya day trip tour rather than a morning.

Best valueUNESCO's Ayutthaya Historical Park: Full-Day Tour from Bangkok

UNESCO's Ayutthaya Historical Park: Full-Day Tour from Bangkok

★★★★★ 4.7 (1,723 reviews · 11-12 hours)

Meet at MBK CenterEntry is a ticket optionMax 9

Meet your guide at MBK Center in the morning and travel in a group capped at nine. That cap is the point of this Ayutthaya historical park tour: the same circuit as the coach parties, in a van small enough to move at the pace of the people in it. The day gives an hour to Bang Pa-In Royal Palace before the ruins, then Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram, and runs eleven to twelve hours door to door. Entrance fees are a ticket option rather than an automatic inclusion, and lunch is not covered.

From $30 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Day Tour by Bus with River Cruise

From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Day Tour by Bus with River Cruise

★★★★☆ 4.3 (1,913 reviews · 9 hours)

Phra Nakhon pickupTemple entry includedMeal includedBoat ride included

One direction by road, the other by water, which is what makes this Ayutthaya boat tour different from the coach days. An air-conditioned bus runs you up to Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Lokayasutharam with the temple entry fees covered, and a guide who works in English. You then board at Nonthaburi for a two-hour cruise back down the Chao Phraya River with a Thai and international buffet served on deck. The day ends at River City Bangkok rather than at your hotel, so plan the last mile.

From $76 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Days on the water

The old capital is an island, and an Ayutthaya boat tour is the angle almost nobody goes home with. One circles the historical park in the last of the light; the other puts an hour on the river inside a private day.

Private Excursion to Ayutthaya, UNESCO World Heritage site with Boat Tour

Private Excursion to Ayutthaya, UNESCO World Heritage site with Boat Tour

★★★★★ 5.0 (479 reviews · 7-8 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedBoat ride includedYour group only

A private boat around the historical park is the part of this day nobody else sells the same way. Your guide and car collect you from a single Bangkok address, then work through Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit with every admission covered. An hour on the water and Thai desserts in the old city close a seven-to-eight-hour day, with accident insurance included and meals left to you. The fare is non-refundable, which is the trade for the price.

From $152 per person

Final sale — this one is not refundable, so fix your date before you book.

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Ayutthaya Sunset Boat & UNESCO Temples: Multi-language private tour from Bangkok

Ayutthaya Sunset Boat & UNESCO Temples: Multi-language private tour from Bangkok

★★★★★ 4.7 (98 reviews · 9.5 hours)

From BangkokTemple entry includedMeal includedBoat ride included

This is the Ayutthaya sunset tour, and the boat is the reason to take it. Nine and a half hours cover six temples with every admission included, among them Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the west bank and Wat Phra Ngam with its root-framed gateway. A private boat then carries you round the island as the light goes, and one meal — lunch or dinner — sits inside the fare with travel accident insurance. Guiding is available in German, Spanish, Italian, French or Mandarin as well as English, and the car stays with your group alone.

From $190 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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With the floating markets

Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak sit south-west of Bangkok while the ruins are north, so these run to eleven or twelve hours and give the temples less of it. Book them for the markets, not for the brick.

Bangkok: Ayutthaya, Railway & Floating Markets Full-Day Tour

Bangkok: Ayutthaya, Railway & Floating Markets Full-Day Tour

★★★★★ 4.8 (2,219 reviews · 11 hours)

From BangkokTemple entry included

Three of Thailand's best-known sights in eleven hours, starting before most of Bangkok is awake. You watch a train ease through the stalls at Maeklong Railway Market, then ride a longtail boat through the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. A drive of two and three quarter hours north brings Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Mahathat, with the entrance fees inside the fare and a guide working in English or Spanish. Lunch is a break at a local restaurant rather than an inclusion, and hotel pickup only applies on the private option.

From $65 per person

Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

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Top ratedPrivate Excursion to Floating Market and Ayutthaya World Heritage

Private Excursion to Floating Market and Ayutthaya World Heritage

★★★★★ 5.0 (535 reviews · 11-12 hours)

Bangkok hotel pickupTemple entry includedYour group only

Two hours before dawn buys you the version of this day that includes Maeklong Railway Market — the seven o'clock start reaches it, the eight o'clock start does not. After the railway market comes a longtail boat through Damnoen Saduak, then a two-and-a-half hour drive north for three hours among the ruins at Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Lokayasutharam. Admissions, transport, desserts, fruit, water and accident insurance are all inside the fare, with a guide and car for your party alone. This one is a final sale, so fix your date before you book.

From $180 per person

Final sale — this one is not refundable, so fix your date before you book.

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From the air

One listing does the whole city in an hour without landing at any of it. The fare charters the aircraft rather than a seat, which is why it looks nothing like everything above.

Ayutthaya by Helicopter : The Ancient Capital of Siam Grand Tour (SHA Plus)

Ayutthaya by Helicopter : The Ancient Capital of Siam Grand Tour (SHA Plus)

No traveller rating yet — this one is new to the platform

Bangkok hotel pickupYour group only

Sixty minutes in the air over the old capital, heliport to heliport, with a car each way from your Bangkok hotel. The flight traces the Chao Phraya River and passes above Bang Pa-In, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Mahathat. It lands at none of them, so this is the city seen whole rather than walked, and the fare buys the aircraft for up to five passengers with a 120 kg limit each. That is why the figure looks nothing like the rest of the list, and it is sold as a final sale with no traveller rating behind it yet.

From $3,196 per person

Final sale — this one is not refundable, so fix your date before you book.

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The destination

About the Ancient City of Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was founded on 4 March 1351 by King U Thong, on an island where the Chao Phraya, the Lopburi and the Pa Sak rivers meet. For 416 years it was the capital of Siam, one of the largest cities in the world, trading with China, Persia, France and the Dutch Republic. On 7 April 1767 the Burmese army took it after a fourteen-month siege and burned it, and nothing was ever built on top. What you walk through is the religious core of that city, inscribed by UNESCO in 1991.

History

Founded in 1351 and destroyed in 1767, with thirty-odd reigns in between and a monument signed by almost every one of them. The Phra Si Sanphet image alone carried 343 kilograms of gold until it was melted off. Restoration is a twentieth-century story: the three chedi went back up in 1956.

Planning a visit

Give the ruins three to four hours and you will see four or five temples properly. There is no gate around the park; you buy at each enclosed temple, and most guided days put those admissions inside the fare. Shoulders and knees covered, flat shoes, and a hat that you will be glad of.

Temples and what to see

Wat Mahathat for the Buddha head in the tree roots, Wat Phra Si Sanphet for the three chedi, Wat Ratchaburana for the stucco and the crypt, Wat Lokayasutharam for the reclining Buddha. Wat Chaiwatthanaram and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon sit outside the river loop, which is why not every day reaches them.

The sandstone Buddha head held in the roots of a bodhi tree at Wat MahathatThe restored hall of Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit beside Wat Phra Si SanphetThe Aisawan Thiphya-Art pavilion standing in the lake at Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
What you will see

Named Highlights of an Ayutthaya Historical Park Tour

Six things worth walking to, and the two that decide whether an itinerary suits you.

The Buddha head at Wat Mahathat

A sandstone head held about a metre off the ground in the roots of a bodhi tree, and the most photographed object in Thailand.

The three chedi of Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Three restored towers in a row, each holding the ashes of a king, on the ground where the first royal palace stood from 1350.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the west bank

A 35-metre Khmer prang with four smaller ones around it, built in 1630 and facing the water it was designed to be seen from.

The reclining Buddha of Wat Lokayasutharam

Laid out in the open air on a platform with no building around it, and free to walk up to.

The great chedi at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

Raised in 1592 to mark King Naresuan's victory, ringed by seated Buddhas in yellow sashes, and the one you can climb.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace

A pavilion standing alone in a lake, a Chinese throne hall and a painted lookout tower, mostly built between 1872 and 1889.

Plan your visit

Everything You Need Before You Go

Seventy-six kilometres north of Bangkok. SRT Bangkok Connex has run a dedicated train from Krung Thep Aphiwat since 1 August 2026, in just over an hour, and minivans and coaches take about ninety minutes by road. Tickets for the train are sold at the station only and seats are not reserved.

Compare every way in

There is no gate around the park. You buy at each of the enclosed temples, and a combined ticket covering several of them is sold at the first booth you reach. Shoulders and knees covered everywhere, long trousers at the royal palace. Most days here put the admissions inside the fare.

Read the visitor guide

April averages 35.9°C on ground with almost no shade, and August takes 260 mm of rain. November to February is the comfortable stretch and the busiest. Whatever the month, the first two hours after opening are the best of the day.

See the month-by-month figures

Six temples inside the river loop and two outside it, plus the royal palace to the south. An Ayutthaya temple tour reaches four or five of them; only the longest days reach more. Each one takes twenty minutes to an hour.

Read what stands where

An island ringed by the Chao Phraya, the Lopburi and the Pa Sak, a few kilometres across. Wat Chaiwatthanaram is on the far bank and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon beyond the rivers, which is the single fact that separates one itinerary from another.

See the map and layout

Be honest with me

Do You Need a Guided Tour at All?

Not always, and it is worth saying so plainly. The park is open ground with no gate around it, the new train from Krung Thep Aphiwat puts you in Ayutthaya in just over an hour, and a hired bicycle and a combined ticket will get you round the island for very little. If you like arranging things, that is a good day.

What Ayutthaya guided tours solve is the road, the river and the ticket booths. Four or five temples get walked in the right order, the admissions are handled, and the vehicle crosses to the west bank without you planning it. On a first visit with one day and 76 km of road at either end, that is usually the better trade — and an Ayutthaya day tour starts at less than the price of dinner in Bangkok.

See Top Tours  Going without a tour?

Which one is me

Choosing an Ayutthaya Tour From Bangkok

The comparison table below sorts the options. This one picks for you.

You have one day and a tight budget

A group day trip covers the four temples people come for, with lunch and the admissions on most ticket options.

You want the river crossing and the royal palace

A private car. It is the only shape that reaches both without the day running to twelve hours.

You are already staying in Ayutthaya

The half-day ride. Three flat hours, three temples, and no commute at either end.

You want the markets as much as the ruins

An eleven-hour combination day, knowing the temples get about ninety minutes of it.

You are travelling alone

A group day, every time. Private fares are per person but their value comes from splitting a car.

Compare

Which Ayutthaya Tour Is Right for You?

Sorted by rating against review volume, so you can read down it. Ayutthaya ticket prices are set by the Fine Arts Department at its own booths; the figures here are tour fares, and most of them already include those admissions.

TourRatingFromLengthBest for
From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch4.7From $337 hoursFirst-timers who want four temples walked and explained for the least moneyBook
Bangkok: Ayutthaya, Railway & Floating Markets Full-Day Tour4.8From $6511 hoursTravellers with one free day who want the markets as well as the ruinsBook
UNESCO's Ayutthaya Historical Park: Full-Day Tour from Bangkok4.7From $3011-12 hoursAnyone who wants a group of nine rather than a coach of fortyBook
From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Day Tour by Bus with River Cruise4.3From $769 hoursVisitors who would rather come home on the river than on the roadBook
Private Excursion to Floating Market and Ayutthaya World Heritage5.0From $18011-12 hoursEarly risers who want both markets and three hours among the ruinsBook
Private Excursion to Ayutthaya, UNESCO World Heritage site with Boat Tour5.0From $1527-8 hoursCouples who want a boat around the park without a coach anywhere near itBook
Bangkok: Private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Summer Palace Tour4.8From $1767-9 hoursAnyone who wants the royal palace as well, or who needs step-free accessBook
The Ultimate Ancient city of Ayutthaya Private Day Trip5.0From $2678 hoursWalkers who want eight unhurried hours and choose their own lunchBook
Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok4.7From $1679 hoursFamilies who want hotel pickup, lunch and six stops handled end to endBook
Ayutthaya Sunset Boat & UNESCO Temples: Multi-language private tour from Bangkok4.7From $1909.5 hoursPhotographers, and anyone who needs guiding in a language other than EnglishBook
Private Tour: Ayutthaya Day Trip with Boat tour4.8From $2028 hoursEaters - market stalls and tastings alongside the four headline templesBook
Half-Day Ayutthaya City Cultural Bike Tour4.7From $463 hoursAnyone already in Ayutthaya, or arriving on the train, with a morning freeBook
Ancient City UNESCO Heritage Ayutthaya Private Guided Day Tour4.7From $1048 hoursSmall parties who want a private car at close to group-tour moneyBook
Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok With Lunch4.8From $1679 hoursTravellers who want their own car and are happy to buy their own lunchBook
Amazing Ayutthaya Day Trip from Bangkok4.8From $1739 hoursGroups up to nine who want almost everything inside one fareBook
Ayutthaya by Helicopter : The Ancient Capital of Siam Grand Tour (SHA Plus)—From $3,1962-3 hoursA party of up to five chartering an aircraft for an hour over the cityBook
Everything was well arranged in terms of ground transportation and admission tickets, and the food and explanations from the live guide were very good.Tiziana, September 2026
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon was the highlight for us, with Wat Mahathat and the Buddha head in the tree roots close behind.Angel R., December 2024
The bikes made getting between the temples easy rather than a chore, and the guide knew the ground well.Maria S., November 2025
What to expect

How a Day Trip to Ayutthaya Runs

1

Pickup or meeting point

Collected from your hotel on the private days, or joining at a Bangkok meeting point on most group ones.

2

Ninety minutes north

Up the expressway. This is the fixed cost of any day trip from Bangkok and it comes off your time at the ruins.

3

Four or five temples

Twenty minutes to an hour at each, with a short introduction from your guide and then free time to walk it.

4

Lunch in the middle

Inside the fare on some days and a restaurant stop you pay for on others. In the hot season it is also the shade.

5

Back before the evening

Returned to your hotel, or to a city drop-off point. The river days finish at River City instead.

Traveller reviews

Ayutthaya Tours Reviews

Travellers' own words after their own day at the ruins, with the stars each of them gave. The mixed ones are here too, because a two-star about an early pickup tells you more about a long coach day than another line of praise.

★★★★★

From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch

Perfectly organised from the pickup onwards. Sam gave us a short introduction at each temple and then let us walk it ourselves, so the timings held without anyone being hurried.

Sam's group · Traveller from Italy · September 2026

★★☆☆☆

UNESCO's Ayutthaya Historical Park: Full-Day Tour from Bangkok

The pickup came twenty minutes early and we were messaged repeatedly to hurry because of traffic, which set a tense tone before we had left Bangkok. The sites themselves were fine.

Ana A. · Two travellers · July 2026

★★★★★

Private Excursion to Floating Market and Ayutthaya World Heritage

The railway market was the best hour of our time in Bangkok. The train came through and the stallholders folded their awnings away, then put everything back seconds later. We were standing close enough to touch it.

Becky R. · Couple · January 2026

★★★★★

Private Excursion to Ayutthaya, UNESCO World Heritage site with Boat Tour

I travelled with family, which can be hard work, and Johnny held everyone's attention and matched their pace. We never felt rushed and still reached everything on the plan.

Johnny's party · Family · September 2025

★★★☆☆

Bangkok: Private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Summer Palace Tour

A decent day and a guide who knew the sites. It felt hurried in places though, and I would have liked longer at one or two of the temples rather than keeping to the clock.

Umut S. · Solo traveller · January 2025

★★★★★

From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Day Tour by Bus with River Cruise

Donna's grasp of the history was the making of the day, and she explained it in a way that held a full coach. The cruise back was a quiet way to finish.

Steve · Traveller from Australia · September 2026

★★★★☆

Ayutthaya Sunset Boat & UNESCO Temples: Multi-language private tour from Bangkok

The itinerary covers all the main sites and the driver was excellent. Our boat leg did not actually land at sunset, and I would have liked more detail on the temples themselves.

Craig W. · Two travellers · March 2024

★★★★★

Half-Day Ayutthaya City Cultural Bike Tour

Three hours well spent on the highlights. The bikes were in good condition, the pace was easy enough for most people, and we stopped for water and Thai sweets on the way round.

Emma S. · Two travellers · January 2024

★☆☆☆☆

Ancient City UNESCO Heritage Ayutthaya Private Guided Day Tour

A long drive from Bangkok to see ruins that struck us as neglected. Our guide seemed keener on taking our photograph than on explaining what we were looking at. Not what we had hoped for.

Gary G. · Two travellers · May 2025

★★★★★

Private Ayutthaya Day Tour from Bangkok

If you are willing to pay for it, the private version is the right call here. We went at our own pace in a comfortable vehicle, and Whiskey found us sweet roti in a market on the way back.

Matt J. · Couple · December 2025

★★★★☆

The Ultimate Ancient city of Ayutthaya Private Day Trip

A good change of pace from Bangkok, and the private format meant the guide adjusted to us. It is a long day outdoors, so bring sunscreen and water, and be ready for a lot of walking.

Domenica B. · Family · April 2025

★★★★★

Private Tour: Ayutthaya Day Trip with Boat tour

Food and history in the same day, which is exactly what we wanted. Jum walked us round the market and introduced us to things we would never have picked out ourselves, between the temple stops.

Lee M. · Two travellers · February 2025

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Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Ayutthaya tours cost?
Fares on this list start at $30 for a small-group day from Bangkok and $33 for the coach day with lunch, and run to about $270 for an unhurried private day with your own guide and car. Private days with the entrance fees and a meal inside the fare mostly sit between $100 and $200. Everything is priced per person except the helicopter charter, which buys the aircraft.
Do I need to book in advance?
A few days ahead is enough for most of the year, and a week in the cool season between November and February. The private days are the ones that fill first because each operator only has so many cars and guides. Since every tour here except three refunds in full up to 24 hours before departure, booking early costs you nothing.
How long does a day tour take?
Seven to nine hours is the usual shape: about ninety minutes each way on the road and three to four hours among the ruins. The days that add the floating markets run to eleven or twelve hours and start before dawn. The one exception is the half-day bike tour, which is three hours and begins in the old city rather than in Bangkok.
Are the entrance fees included?
On most of the tours here the temple admissions are inside the fare, and each card says so. On a couple more they are a ticket option you choose at checkout rather than an automatic inclusion, so read the option name before you pay. The Fine Arts Department sets the fees and sells them at its own booths, and they are revised from time to time.
Is Ayutthaya worth a day trip from Bangkok?
It is the ruined capital that ran Siam for 416 years, 76 km up the road, and its temples have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1991. A day gives you four or five of them at a reasonable pace. If you want a candid answer, the critical reviews are on the reviews page alongside the enthusiastic ones.
What is the difference between a private and a group tour?
A group day puts you in a coach or a van on a fixed timetable, which is why it costs $30 to $76. A private day gives you the vehicle, the guide and the start time, which is why it costs $104 to $268. The middle ground is the small-group day capped at nine travellers.
Can I get there from Bangkok by train?
Yes, and it got easier on 1 August 2026 when the State Railway launched SRT Bangkok Connex between Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal and Ayutthaya Station. The run takes just over an hour, with six services a day on weekdays and four at weekends. Tickets are sold at the station only, unreserved and first come first served, so it pays to arrive early.
What should I wear at the temples?
Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Several operators print the rule on their own listings and one notes that trousers or a scarf can be bought near the gate for a small sum if you arrive without. Flat shoes matter more than most people expect, because the ground is uneven brick and grass.
How hot does it get, and when should I go?
April averages a high of 35.9°C and the park has almost no shade, so the hot season is the one to plan around. November to February is the comfortable stretch, with January averaging 31.0°C by day and 17.0°C at night. Whatever the month, the first two hours after opening and the last hour before closing are the kindest.
Which temples will I actually see?
Almost every tour here covers Wat Mahathat, where a sandstone Buddha head sits in the roots of a bodhi tree, and Wat Phra Si Sanphet with its three restored chedi. Most add Wat Lokayasutharam and its reclining Buddha, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, or Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. Wat Chaiwatthanaram, on the far bank, and Bang Pa-In Royal Palace are the two stops that separate the itineraries.
Is lunch included?
On a good number of these tours a meal is inside the fare, and the card says so. On rest the day stops at a local restaurant and you pay for what you order, which is usually the cheaper way round. One private day includes either lunch or dinner but not both.
Can I cancel once I have booked?
Most of the tours here refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. The ones sold as a final sale return nothing, and their cards say so in place of the usual note. Two operators can also cancel a departure themselves for bad weather or too few bookings, and refund it.
Are these tours suitable for children?
Most take children, and the age bands differ: one private day carries an infant seat and takes strollers, while the bike tour sets twelve as the adult age with discounts down to six. The long market days involve two to three hours in a vehicle before anything happens. Sun, not distance, is the thing to plan for.
Can I see Ayutthaya by boat?
Several of the tours here put you on the water. One runs a private boat around the historical park, one closes a private day with a sunset circuit of the island, and one comes back down the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok with a buffet lunch on deck. The old city is an island, so the river is not a novelty leg — it is how the place was built to be seen.
How far is Ayutthaya from Bangkok?
About 76 km due north, which is ninety minutes by road without traffic and just over an hour on the new train. Tours allow ninety minutes to two hours each way and build the return around the evening rush. The floating-market days go south-west first, which is why they run to eleven hours.

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Photographs

Ayutthaya Gallery

The three restored chedi of Wat Phra Si Sanphet standing in a row above the lawnThe brick path leading up to the chedi of Wat Phra Si SanphetWat Phra Si Sanphet seen across the ruined brick platforms of the old royal palaceThe sandstone Buddha head held in the roots of a bodhi tree at Wat MahathatClose view of the Buddha head grown into the tree roots at Wat MahathatA monk in an orange robe walking between the brick ruins of the historical park

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What else the day holds

Beyond the Historical Park

Three things within reach of the same day, and one that is not.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace

About 20 km south on the road back to Bangkok, and nothing like the ruins: intact, planted and mostly built between 1872 and 1889. Six of the days here include it.

Hua Ro market and roti sai mai

The local candy floss wrapped in a thin pancake is an Ayutthaya speciality, and one private day builds a full hour of market time around it. That is the closest thing here to an Ayutthaya food tour.

The floating markets

Maeklong and Damnoen Saduak are excellent and they are on the wrong side of Bangkok. Two combination days reach both, at the cost of half your time among the temples.

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Ayutthaya Guides and Advice

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Where it is

Finding the Historic City of Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya Historical Park
Pratu Chai, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya 13000, Thailand

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Name

Historic City of Ayutthaya, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991 and looked after by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand.

Address

Ayutthaya Historical Park, Pratu Chai, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya 13000, Thailand

Hours

The park is open ground with daytime hours at each ticketed temple, set by the Fine Arts Department and best confirmed on the day. Several of the major temples are floodlit after dark.

Getting there

76 km north of Bangkok. Every day tour to Ayutthaya from Bangkok drives it in about ninety minutes; the train takes just over an hour. Details on how to get there.

Book Your Ayutthaya Tour

Compare what every fare covers, then pick your date. An Ayutthaya reservation made through these pages costs you the same as booking direct, and almost all of them refund in full up to 24 hours ahead.

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