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Ayutthaya Tours › Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Tours: The Six Day Trips That Stop at the PalaceUpdated 2026-09-09

Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In Tours: The Six Day Trips That Stop at the Palace

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

The gilded Aisawan Thiphya-Art pavilion on its white arched platform in the pond at Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, with a white colonnaded hall on the far bank

Six Ayutthaya day trips from Bangkok stop at Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. The only shared one is a small-group van capped at nine, from $30, which gives the palace an hour first thing. The other five are private cars from $104 to $176, and the longest palace stop, ninety minutes, is on the $176 tour. Pack long trousers: the palace dress code is stricter than the ruins.

The Bang Pa-In day trips, side by side

Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In tours compared, one row per day
TourPriceGroupLengthLunch and entryPalace stopCrosses the river
1. Small-group vanFrom $30Shared, up to 911–12 hoursLunch not listed; entrance fees on the inclusive option only1 hour, first stopYes
2. Private palace dayFrom $176Private, up to 157–9 hoursLunch included; entrance fees included90 minutesNo
3. Private car across the riverFrom $104Private, up to 308 hoursLunch not listed; entrance fees included1 hour, first stopYes
4. Private day with lunchFrom $167Private, up to 159 hoursLunch included; entrance fees included1 hour, last stopNo
5. Private day, lunch not listedFrom $167Private, up to 159 hoursLunch not listed; entrance fees included1 hour, last stopNo
6. Smallest private groupFrom $173Private, up to 99 hoursLunch included; entrance fees includedNot statedNo

The palace is the constant. Every one of these days gives it a stop of its own rather than a view from the road, and apart from that each is an ordinary Ayutthaya day tour from Bangkok with one extra stop. What changes from row to row is whether lunch and the entrance fees sit inside the fare, and whether the day also crosses the river. The days that skip the palace altogether are compared in Ayutthaya day trips from Bangkok. One more product flies over the palace by helicopter without landing, which is why it has no row here.

Ninety minutes at the palace, lunch in the fare

The private day that gives the summer palace the most time, with the ruins and a Thai lunch in the same 7–9 hours hours, from $176 per person.

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What is the Bang Pa-In palace?

It began as a king's retreat on an island in the Chao Phraya River. According to the Ayutthaya chronicle, King Prasat Thong, who reigned from 1629 to 1656, had a palace built on Bang Pa-In Island, and the one building the chronicle names, the Aisawan Thiphaya-art residence, went up in 1632, the year his son, the future King Narai, was born.

The fall of the old capital left it behind. By 1807, when the poet Sunthon Phu sailed past, the site was overgrown and only a memory of the palace remained. King Mongkut revived it, and most of what stands today was built between 1872 and 1889 under King Chulalongkorn, including Wat Niwet Thamprawat, a Neo-Gothic monastery on the outer island.

That makes the palace the opposite of everything else in an Ayutthaya day: intact, painted and planted, where the ruins are brick and grass. It is run by a different authority too. The Royal Office, the Bureau of the Royal Household, lists it among the royal palaces open to visitors, alongside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and it is not part of the archaeological park. The dates of the old capital are on the history of Ayutthaya page, and what to look for inside the grounds sits with the temples and what to see.

Did you know? A marble memorial in the palace grounds commemorates Queen Sunanda Kumariratana, who drowned on 31 May 1880 when the royal barge capsized.

Is Bang Pa-In worth adding to an Ayutthaya day?

For contrast, yes. For coverage, no. The palace costs a stop of an hour or more on a day that already runs seven to twelve hours, and it adds nothing to your picture of the old capital, because it is a later place entirely.

What it adds is surprise. After a week of Thai temples, a lake pavilion, a Chinese throne hall and a lookout tower are the stop that stays with you. On a first day out of Bangkok, four ruins with a guide fill the hours perfectly well on their own. The same question, weighed against every other shape of day, is part of deciding which Ayutthaya tour to book.

1. The small-group van: palace first, from the city centre

The one shared day of the six, and the cheapest by a distance at $30. It meets at MBK Center rather than at your hotel, caps the van at 9, and runs 11 to 12 hours. The palace comes first, for an hour, before Wat Mahathat and its Buddha head, forty-five minutes at Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and a crossing to Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the far bank.

Two things are left for you to pay. Lunch is excluded, and the entrance fees are inside the fare only on the inclusive ticket option, so read the option name at checkout. It is rated 4.7 from 1,723 reviews, far more than any other day here, and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead. If you are still weighing a private tour or group day trip, this is the group day to set against the five cars below.

2. The private day with the longest palace stop

The only one of the six with the palace in its name, and the one that gives it most: ninety minutes. A private car collects you from your Bangkok hotel for a day of 7 to 9 hours, with a Thai lunch and bottled water in the fare. The ruins are Wat Mahathat, Wat Lokayasutharam and its reclining Buddha, and thirty minutes at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon.

Its own information describes it as wheelchair accessible, the only one of the six to say so; confirm what that covers with the operator before you book. It is rated 4.8 from 342 reviews and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead, and the operator may cancel a departure if too few people book, refunding it when it does. The itinerary in full is on the private Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In tour page.

3. The cheapest private car, and the one that crosses the river

From $104 for 8 hours, the lowest private fare of the five, and the only private day here that reaches the west bank. The palace comes first for an hour, then Wat Mahathat, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, thirty minutes at Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and Wat Chaiwatthanaram beside the river.

Entrance tickets and all tax and service charges are inside the fare. Food and drink are not, so budget for lunch. The listing also names the buggy or tram at the summer palace as an exclusion, which matters because the grounds are large: plan to walk them, or pay for the ride there. It is stroller accessible, rated 4.7 from 70 reviews, and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.

The two palace days that also cross the river

One shared van at $30, one private car at $104, both with the palace first and the west bank last.

Check the small-group van Check the $104 private car

4. Five temples, lunch, then the palace on the way home

A 9 hours private day with hotel pickup and drop-off in the Bangkok city area, and lunch and bottled water in the fare. It makes five stops in the old city: Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon and Wat Phra Si Sanphet at thirty minutes each, then Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Mahathat. The palace comes last, for an hour, on the road between the old city and Bangkok.

Leaving it to the end suits a slow morning: the ruins get the first and coolest hours, and the palace breaks the drive home. It is rated 4.7 from 119 reviews and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.

5. The same route without lunch in the fare

Same operator, same $167 fare, the same five temples in a slightly different order and the same hour at the palace at the end of the day. Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Bangkok city area are included, and the car and guide are yours.

The difference is in the list of what the fare includes. The product name says it comes with lunch; that list names no meal. If lunch matters to you, confirm it with the operator when you book, or take the day above, which lists it. It is rated 4.8 from 38 reviews and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.

6. The smallest private group, palace on the way back

A 9 hours private day for a party of up to 9, with hotel pickup, lunch, admission and bottled water in the fare. It starts at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, then takes in Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit and Wat Mahathat before the palace on the way back. The itinerary does not say how long the palace stop lasts.

The record behind it is thin: 8 reviews, rated 4.8. That is a small sample next to the 38 to 342 behind the other private days, and it is worth weighing. The operator may cancel for bad weather or too few bookings, and refunds when it does.

How long do the tours give the palace?

  • One hour: four of the six — the small-group van, the $104 private car, and both $167 private days.
  • Ninety minutes: the $176 private palace day.
  • Not stated: the smallest private group, whose itinerary says only that the palace comes on the way back.

An hour covers the three buildings most people come for at walking pace. The Aisawan Thipphaya-at pavilion, standing in the pond, is the symbol of the palace. The Wehat Chamrun Throne Hall is Chinese in style, built by Chinese merchants in Thailand and offered to King Rama V in 1889. The Withun Tasana tower was built as a place to use the telescope. Ninety minutes is the difference between walking past each of them and stopping at each one.

The grounds are large and the palace runs a buggy or tram, and on at least one of these days the ride is not in the fare. If walking is hard for anyone in your party, ask the operator whether it is included before you book.

What should you wear at Bang Pa-In?

The palace sets its own rules and they are stricter than those at the temples. Sleeveless tops are not allowed, nor are skirts that do not cover the knee, tights or leggings, or sandals and slippers without a heel strap. Wrap-around skirts and shirts can be borrowed at the palace if you arrive in the wrong clothes.

Useful tip. Dress for the palace, not the ruins. Long trousers or a skirt below the knee, a top with sleeves and shoes with a heel strap will pass every stop of the day, and nobody has to change in the car park.

The palace opens every day from 08:00 to 16:00, and each tour sets its own arrival within those hours. The rules at the temples themselves, and what else to bring, are covered under planning a visit.

Which Bang Pa-In tours also cross the river?

Two of the six. Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, off the island that holds most of the ruins, and a day has to plan a crossing to reach it. Only the small-group van at $30 and the private car at $104 do, and both leave it to the end of the day.

The other four all go to Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon instead. That is a fine temple in its own right, but if the photograph of the four-towered prang complex is the reason you are going, pick one of the two that cross.

How to choose between them

  • Travelling alone, or on a budget: the small-group van, at $30, with the inclusive ticket option if you want the entrance fees covered.
  • The most time at the palace: the $176 private palace day, at ninety minutes.
  • A wheelchair user in the party: the same day, the only one described as wheelchair accessible. Confirm the detail with the operator.
  • Travelling with a stroller: the $104 private car, which describes itself as stroller accessible.
  • The west bank as well: the small-group van or the $104 private car.
  • Lunch inside the fare: the palace day, the $167 day whose list includes lunch, or the smallest private group.
  • The smallest private party: the $173 day, capped at 9.

Every private day, with or without the palace, is set out on Ayutthaya private tours, and the coach days, the river cruise and the market combinations sit beside them on Ayutthaya Tours.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-In in one day?
Yes. Six day trips from Bangkok do both, in seven to twelve hours, with an hour or ninety minutes at the palace depending on the tour.
How long do tours spend at Bang Pa-In?
One hour on four of the six, and ninety minutes on the private palace day. The smallest private group lists the palace only as a stop on the way back, without a time.
What time does Bang Pa-In Palace open?
Every day from 08:00 to 16:00. Each tour sets its own arrival time within those hours, first thing on some and on the drive home on others.
What should I wear to Bang Pa-In?
No sleeveless tops, no skirts above the knee, no tights or leggings and no sandals without a heel strap. Wrap-around skirts and shirts can be borrowed at the palace.
Is the palace entrance included in the tour price?
On five of the six the entrance fees or admission are inside the fare. The small-group van includes them only on its inclusive ticket option, so check the option name at checkout. The buggy inside the grounds is excluded on at least one private day.
Is Bang Pa-In part of Ayutthaya Historical Park?
No. Bang Pa-In Royal Palace is a royal property run by the Royal Office, mostly rebuilt between 1872 and 1889, and separate from the ruins of the old capital. More on how the two fit together is in the Ayutthaya FAQs.
Which Bang Pa-In tours also cross the river?
Two: the small-group van at $30 and the private car at $104. Both reach Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the west bank at the end of the day.

Four ways to see the palace and the ruins