Ayutthaya Train Station Thailand
If you want travel by the Thai railway network, Ayutthaya Train Station will be your point of entrance to the historically important old capital city of Thailand.
The ancient city is located just over 70 km north of Bangkok and was the capital of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya for more than 4 centuries (1351 – 1767) before being destroyed by a Burmese invasion.
Photo of the front of Ayutthaya Train Station สถานีรถไฟอยุธยาIn the 1970’s the Ayutthaya Historical Park was created, which covers the ruins on what is known as "The Island."
Old temple ruins
The Grand PalaceAyutthaya was declared a World UNESCO Heritage site in 1991 and is nowadays a major tourist attraction for both Thai and foreign tourists who come to admire the magnificent ruins.
You can easily visit the old capital on a day trip from Bangkok by train or minibus, or if you want to escape Bangkok for a while longer, there are plenty of reasonably priced accommodations to stay at.
The Ayutthaya Railway Station
The station is located along Highway 3053, east of the Pasak River (แม่น้ำป่าสัก) and the Island.
It is served by trains running on Thailand's Northern and North-Eastern lines.
Commuter train from Bangkok
Inside a commuter trainThere are many daily trains serving Ayutthaya from Bangkok and the same number of trains going back to the Thai capital.
The train trip from Hua Lamphong Railway Station takes in between 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on the kind of train you travel with and it is really inexpensive (from only 15THB) on the slower commuter / ordinary trains.
You can also take a train from the new Bang Sue Grand Station to
Ayutthaya.
If you are about to fly from Don Muang Airport and don’t really fancy spending a night or two in Bangkok, why not stay in the old capital, as it is just a short train trip away from Don Muang Airport Train Station.
At the station you will find three ticket selling counters from where can be made advanced bookings for any destination in Thailand.
Ticket counters
Waiting areaFacing the ticket counters is a seating area with big white wooden benches.
Outside along the Platform #1 you will find more benches to wait for your train as well as the cargo and luggage service counter.
Waiting area outside along Platform #1
Luggage and cargo service counter at Ayutthaya Railway StationNorthern bound trains are boarded from Platforms #1 or #2, whereas Southern Bangkok bound trains are boarded from Platform #3.
Platform #3 for Bangkok bound trains
Bangkok bound train arriving at the stationThe contact telephone number for Ayutthaya train station is: 0-3524-1521
How to get from Ayutthaya Train Station to the "Island"
As mentioned before the station is located east of the Island where you will find most of the ruins. So, to get to the Island, you will have to cross the river by boat or take a Tuk Tuk over the bridge.
The cheapest way is to cross the river by boat!
To get to the river crossing, after exiting the station, just cross the road and walk straight ahead for a couple of minutes to the river.
Boat crossing to "Ayutthaya Island"
Boat crossing the Pasak RiverThe boat crossing of the Pasak River is quite pleasant and costs only 5 THB.
Once on the Island you can choose to get to your final destination by one of the local Tuk-Tuks (three-wheeler vehicle) roaming the Island, or you can hire one out by the hour to take you around the main sights of the ruins.
Here Tuk-Tuks look very different from the ones that are normally found in Thailand. They are larger and (depending on whom you ask) have a frog or pig kind of shape!
Tuk Tuk in Ayutthaya
Tuk Tuk - frog or pig kind of shape?Undoubtedly more aerodynamic and stylish than the usual ones!
If you want to do a tour on your own, a more leisurely way to tour the ruins is to rent a bicycle (costing 30 to 50 THB for a day). Most of the temples are within an easy bike ride of each other and a bicycle is a really nice way to explore the ancient capital.
Another option is to rent a motorbike (costing 150 to 200 THB) for the day.
If you want to do the tourist thing - you can also choose to take an elephant ride around a small part of the ruins.
Elephant rides
The famous Buddha Head in the tree roots can be found in Wat Maha Tat
One of the old Wats (temples)