Thailand Ayutthaya: Ruins of Siam's Ancient City

Even if not on our itinerary, I insisted on visiting the ruins of the old capital of Siam in our itinerary besides the nearby Bridge on the River Kwai

History of Ayutthaya

Founded in 1350 by King U-Thong on Chao Phraya river, full name's Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, it's the capital of the Thai kingdom at its zenith, later sacked by the Burmese in 1767, when the capital was trasnferred for a short time to Thonburi. The modern city was founded a few kilometers further east.

Ayutthaya's other English names are Ayotaya, Ayothaya, Ayudhya, Ayutaya, Ayuthaya and Ayuttaya.

How to get to Ayutthaya from Bangkok:

Trains to Ayutthaya, the cheapest and most colorful way.. All north and north-east line trains depart from Bangkok's Hualamphong Train Station and stop in Ayutthaya that takes about 1.5 hours. See Thailand "State Railway" for schedule and cost.

Ayutthaya's train station is to the east of the central island. The easiest way to get to central Naresuan Road is to walk straight ahead from the station and take the cross-river ferry for 3 baht.

Bus to Ayutthaya from Bangkok

Buses operate every 20 minutes or so from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Moh Chit) directly to Ayutthaya. First class air-con buses charge 45 baht, while second class is 35 baht. Allow at least two hours for the trip since the buses stop rather frequently and there are often jams on the roads out of/into Bangkok. Also you can take a minivan from the Victory Monument direct to Ayutthaya. Takes ~1 hour and costs 60baht. Buses depart every 20 minutes or so

In Ayutthaya, the central BKS bus station is on the south side of Thanon Naresuan next to the Chao Phrom Market. songthaews to Bang Pa-In also leave from here. Some 1st-class buses to Bangkok, however, leave from the north side of the road some 500m to the west, on the other side of the khlong (canal); the queue for air-con buses is easy to spot.

From Kanchanaburi, take a local bus from the main bus station to Suphanburi for 45 baht (2 hours), then another local bus to Ayutthaya for 40 baht (1.5 hours). A taxi from Kanchanaburi costs 2000-2500 baht (2 hours).

There is also a central bus station east of town serving northern destinations. It can be reached by songthaew - ask around to find the appropriate stop.