Updated for 2017 minivan departure location
The ancient city of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is just an hour away from Bangkok and the incredible old city ruins make it a Thailand must visit. It’s an easy and inexpensive trip to Ayutthaya by minivan from Mo Chit bus station in Bangkok and a fun adventure!
Here’s our step by step guide to getting to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. If you prefer an organised tour there are some great options from Bangkok which you can check out some great tours here.
1 | Get to Mo Chit Bus Station
Note: as of November 2016 minivans to Maeklong leave from Mo Chit Bus Station.
- BTS: Take the BTS Skytrain to Mochit BTS. The bus and BTS station are around a 20 minute walk apart so either get a taxi (less than 50 bhat) or a local bus: buses 26, 77, 96, 104, 136, 145, 509 go to the bus terminal
- Bus: buses depart from different places in Bangkok. Buses 3,16, 26,49, 77,96, 104, 134, 136, 138, 145, 170, 509, 517, 529, 536 all go to Mo Chit.
- Finding the minivan: ask around for directions or head to one of the counters and ask where to wait.
2 | Arrive in Ayutthaya
The minivan makes stops along the route to Ayutthaya so make sure you continue to the end of the route at Naresuan Alley, the main street which runs parallel to the Chao Phrom market and is close to Wat Mahathat.
Where to stay in Bangkok
We’ve spent over two months in Bangkok and have had the opportunity to sample some amazing hotels across the city. Our favourites include:
- Riva Surya: great value and the river views are superb – Check prices here
- Cubic Hostel: is an awesome choice and the perfect option for travelers who love the social side of travel – Check prices here
- Aldephi forty nine: is fab value and perfectly located to hop on off the BTS Skytrain – Check prices here
Click here for the best Bangkok hotel prices
3| Getting Around Ayutthaya
The historical park Ayutthaya is quite spread out and, while it’s possible to walk to some of the central temples, the outer ones will require some form of transport. It’s also likely to be very hot and, I don’t know about you, but I like to conserve my energy and not walk too far in high temperatures! Tuk tuks and bicycles are the most popular transport options.
Tuk tuk:
Tuk tuk drivers park around the bus and train stations waiting for passengers and it’s possible to negotiate a fare of around 200 baht per hour for a tour of the temples. There were lots of six seater tuks tuks available for groups.
Bicycle:
Bicycles rent for between 50 and 100 baht per day. We spotted a place called Tour with Thai close to the minivan stop which had bicycles to rent. Just bring water!
4 | Enjoy the temples!
The tuk tuk drivers didn’t speak much English but they had postcard pictures of the temples to understand where to drive to. We had a map of Ayutthaya marked with the temples we wanted to visit and this worked for us!
Our Route in Ayutthaya:
After arriving in Ayutthaya our first stop was Wat Yai Chai Mang Khon with its towering stupas and reclining Buddha. From there we went to Wat Phra Mahathat to see the Buddha head in the tree roots. We continued on to Wat Phra Si Sanphet and the Phra Mongkhon Bophit chapel and finished up at Wat Chaiwattanarm.
5 | Take the minivan back to Bangkok
The minivans back to Bangkok leave from the drop off point at the minivan terminal close to the market. The journey back to Bangkok was slightly longer with traffic.
Cost: 60 to 70 baht per person each way
We arrived back in Bangkok after an incredibly fun day at Ayutthaya where we managed to see all the temples on our list. The total cost was around 500 baht plus our BTS fares to Mo Chit.
A great way to get there and very cheap too
Or take train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya (15 baht), cross road to ferry (5 baht) and hire bike (50 baht).
Total $3, and more comfy than a minibus.
Hi John, may I know which station to take train to Ayutthaya from Bkk ??
Hey, I also want to know. If you could give us the trick, would be super!
Cheers
Hi! Thanks for the post, this is really useful! We’re trying to do a day trip to Ayutthaya by ourselves as well, and most people just keep saying it’s hard to do it by yourself with limited time, blabla.
I have a question though, you said you took the minivan to the last stop near Wat mahathat, but your itinerary shows you first visited the Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, which is pretty far from the drop-off point. How did you do this, or can you please explain more?
Our wishlish is similar to yours, including maybe a 1h boat around the river. Do you know if these boats can stop wherever you ask them to? It would be a good way to visit the further Wat Chai Watthanaram!
TIA
Hi mimiyu, glad you liked the post! We got a tuk tuk after getting off the minibus. The sights are quite spread out across the city so it’s not really walkable but bikes would work. We didn’t get the boats so not sure on that one.
We did Ayutthaya and the Maeklong umbrella market by ourselves and both worked out great. The minibuses go straight to both from Bangkok so you don’t have any more transport time!
Hope you have fun!
Thanks for answering 🙂 I have one more question then, regarding the tuktuks. Did you rent one for several hours (at 200 baht/h rate) or do you rather recommend getting it for the far temples like Wat Yai Chai Mongkol and Wat Chaiwattanarm?
If weather allows, we will rent bikes, but otherwise I prefer tuktuks too, seem inexpensive and a better option for hot and humid days. Going at the end of September this year!
Hi Mimi! We got them for the whole day but it would be possible to walk to Wat Mahathat (the Buddha head in the tree) in about 10 – 15 minutes and save the tuk tuk for those further out. It was quite busy the day we were there so lots of tuk tuks around!
hi! may i know if it’s good to visit ayutthaya on a sunday? we are planning to visit on a sunday. are there minivans available and are the temples open?
thank you!
Hi Camille! I think Sunday is fine to visit Ayutthaya but we went on a weekday as far as I remember. The traffic is a little quieter in and out of Bangkok at the weekend as well. Do double check to be sure!
Elaine
Hi-
Thank you for sharing your experience! I think my husband and I will follow a similar plan. However, we were wondering at what time you recommend we arrive at Victory Monument to get to Ayuthaya at a good time? Also, how about the ride back, how late are the minivans available? Or other types of transportation.
Last, I read that most temples close by 4pm, but how about the markets? Do they stay open later?
Thanks for the help!
Hi! Very helpful post! I just have a question about the time(approx.) of your whole trip, beginning from departure from Victory Monument and back in Bangkok? We don;t have much time in Bangkok and i am wondering if we can make it…
Hi Kate, we left Bangkok at 7:30am and got back around 3. Have fun in Thailand!
Elaine
dear ms elaine,
really, 15 usd for the whole day at ayutthaya?
Hi Sue,
Yep that was all it cost although we did pick up some food and souvenirs on the day which were a little extra!
Elaine
Great tips! I searched for “Bangkok to Ayutthaya” on Google and yours was one of the first results to appear.
It’s going to be extremely useful for me in just a couple of weeks. Thanks!! 🙂
how long did you spend to visit around ayuthaya? when the van stops at naruesan alley, did you walk to the nearby temples?
Hi Rosros, we spent about 3/4 of the day visiting the temples in Ayutthaya. The bus dropped us off near Wat Mahathat and it was a short walk to that temple. Enjoy your visit!
Well worth blog. It is going to be a cost effective trip than I expected. Thank you Elaine.
Hi guys great blog with very useful tips! Do you need to pre book the minivan or are there enough there that you can pretty much juat turn up?
Hi Stella,
no need to book the minivan. Just turn up at the location and you can catch the next bus
Great article! Thank you for the info 🙂
THANK YOU FOR ALL INFO I WILL DEF TAKE THIS TRIP NOW , THANKS TO ALL BLOGS MY TRIP WILL BE BETTER THAN I EXPECTED, XX
Hey guys I don’t know when you went but to this date 1000 baht are more 30 dollars than 15…
Hey! I think you have to update your post.
The minivans don’t depart from the Voctory monument any longer.They moved to Mo Chit 2. Which means you have to take the BTS to Mo Chit, then a free ride to Mo Chit 2 and from there you can get the minivan to Ayutthaya. It is quite complicated for a tourist as I lost half a day to find it.
I am in the minivan atm,going to Ayutthaya. The tickets indeed are 60 baht/1 way. Thanks and I hope this is a usefull comment. Cheers!
Hey Adelin
Thanks so much for the update, I’m going to update the article right now! Hope you found your way and had a good time in Ayutthaya!
Elaine
Hi! This is a great post! I’m wondering if the minivan is comfortable if the passenger is tall? Im worried I wont have enough legroom. Would you suggest I just take the train instead? Thank you!
It’s quite tight for sure! I think if you got on first there might be a seat with a bit of extra legroom but I can’t remember how the bus was laid out. I took my mum for a trip and we were quite squished so just jumped off and waited for the next one so we could get a bit more space!
Elaine
Hello Elaine!
I would want to ask if the return trip to BKK from Ayutthaya ends at Mo Chit 2 as well? I saw online that Mo Chit 2 is incredibly near the Chatuchak Weekend Market, and it could be a great place to go to after seeing Ayutthaya.
Hope to hear from you! Great blog!
Regards,
Fitz
Hi Fitz
They are to and from Mo Chit and the market is about a 15 minute walk away – you’d probably have to leave early to make Ayutthaya and Chatuchak in one day. There are minibuses to and from Mo Chit from Victory Monument as well but not sure if that is just in the transition period moving the minivans to the bus stations.
Let me know how you get on!
Elaine
Thank you for this userful information. it is so clear and helpful
I did this today and the directions to Mo Chit worked well. I found the correct counter for the van easily by asking at the information booth, and the woman selling the ticket spoke English.
I have to say, though, that the minivan driver was an utter maniac on the road—texting and driving, going twice the speed of other vehicles on the motorway in heavy traffic, honking, tailgating, and overtaking on the left and right. Fortunately, the entire route to Ayutthaya is on dual carriageways so there is less risk of a head-on collision, and yes, I lived to tell the tale. Still, if I were to do it again I’d consider taking the train instead.
Hello,
Next month I am going to Bangkog and I want to visit Ayutthaya. I want to know how many times a day there are minivans departing for Ayutthaya and back. Does anyone knows the time table.
Hi Orlin
The buses leave frequently. It’s usually when they fill up so I’m not sure there’s a timetable.
Elaine
Hi,
I have just finished my trip to Ayutthaya. Above description was mega helpful. I literally followed it to the T.
When arriving at MoChit we wanted to take a bus but didn’t know which direction it should go to, despite asking no one was able/willing to help us so we decided to take a taxi. (Now We know we need to take the exit that takes you to the opposite side of the road than the park). Taxi drives tried charging us 200baht but we followed your advise and didn’t agree with the price. Only after a local person helped us with the negotiation we got it a cab that switched their meter on and guess what – 47baht!!!
Main station – really easy to find Ayutthaya ticket desk (I think it was 17). 60baht per person!
On the way back we were dropped off by the Mochit skyline stop and it seemed to me like it was their not only final but most importantly 1st stop too. So I would suggest that if anyone is going to follow this post, pls ask when leaving the skyline train as it might save you taxi fare to the bus station and the frustration of Thai taxi drivers trying to rip you off.
Enjoy!!! So worth visiting.
We hired bikes – 50baht per person but we passed a hire place that was charging 40. Also, opposite to temple no. 1 or 2 there is an amazing little ‘restaurant’ that serves delicious chicken noodles.
So happy that your trip worked out Karolina and so glad you knew the meter trick as well! Thanks for the extra tip, I’m going to update the post later with your advice on the stops.
Elaine
Hi,
Awesome guide! Where to have lunch in Ayutthaya? Can you provide suggestions?
Hi Mark
We picked up some snacks around the market so don’t have any specific recommendations.
Elaine
Hi,
I am planning on staying in Ayutthaya for three nights, is there room for luggage on the minivan?
I didn’t see any luggage on our buses so not sure. Maybe they’d strap it to the roof!
If you are taking the MRT to Mo Chit no 2…is it better to get off at the Kampaeng Pet Station, as opposed to Chatuchak Park?