If you are planning a trip to Bangkok area visiting the ancient original capital of Thailand may be something you want to do. I will share with you how to plan an Ayutthaya day tour for under $40! With most tours starting at $80 per person this is clearly an easy way to save some money and best… do things on your own terms and time! You can accomplish this tour for much less per person should you be traveling in a group of 4. Ayutthaya was the original capital of the land known as Thailand and still complete with many ruins and a well deserved day visit, but I was not so enthusiastic about spending an entire 8 hour day with a buss full of people so I search for a less expensive method to visit the city on my own terms and time and will share how.
First hope on the very easy to use MTR and head to the National Monument easily accessible via the MTR. Exit National Monument and head towards the outer rims of the square to look for ticket stands and white minibuses.
Just ask anyone for the bus to Ayutthaya and someone is sure to point you to the right bus.
Fully air conditioned, clean and seat about 12 passengers the round to Ayutthaya will set you back 60 baht ($2 USD). Minibus looks like this:
We hopped on and were met by a group honeymooning also from Spain a father and son traveling from France, a loan woman traveling from mainland China and 3 other locals headed back home. After about an 1 and a half journey you will be dropped off in what seems a rather shady little stop in Ayutthaya where there is likely to be a tuk tuk driver or two. The tuk tuk drivers charge $200 baht per hour to drive you around. That is the going rate. You can try to negotiate less, but hey 200 baht is already a steal! The tuk tuk fit up to 4 adults comfortably do not attempt to squeeze in more… You will hate yourself for it.
Although these drivers are NOT tour guides they know the area well enough to guide you to the must see ruins. You can either do your homework before your trip or guide yourself by the English written signs outside each ruin.
All the attractions have a fee to enter and vary between 20 to 100 baht.
Ayutthaya is a big city. I do not recommend trying to view everything by foot as everything is spread out quite far. I also do not recommend viewing by bike on any of the hot months… Walking around alone makes you sweat as if you are in a sauna let alone peddling on a bike! Scooters are at your own risk. I found the rounds to be too risky with drivers driving however they wanted and at speeds not recommended. Best bet is to hop on a tuk-tuk and be driven around everywhere you want to go.
Enjoy Ayutthaya!! Travel Often!
