How to get from Ayutthaya to Bangkok by train

The Unesco World Heritage Site at Ayutthaya draws thousands of visitors each year to its temples. Whether you’ve spent several days exploring, or just a few hours on a day trip, it’s a simple journey back to the bright lights of Bangkok.

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Route map and details

Trains from Ayutthaya to Bangkok fall into two categories:

• Special/Express/Rapid trains are nearing the end of a long-distance journey from northern and north-eastern Thailand. Ayutthaya is one of the final stops, only an hour away from Krung Thep Aphiwat station.
  
• Alternatively, you can board a Commuter/Ordinary train that is typically used by commuters and locals travelling shorter distances. These services arrive at the Hua Lamphong station in central Bangkok, which used to be the main station in the country and the hub for all long-distance services. In recent years, Krung Thep Aphiwat has taken over this role.

On the map below, both Bangkok stations are marked by a blue circle. Regardless of where your journey terminates, all trains from Ayutthaya use the same route to reach the outskirts of Bangkok.

Timetables

Click here to check all Thailand train times

The two different types of trains each come with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Ordinary/commuter trains run to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station and serve a range of local stations along the Northern and Northeast Lines. These are frequent stopping services and nearly every station is included on the timetable. As a result, it’s rare for the train to pick up much speed between the frequent stops but it’s certainly an interesting way to witness Thailand away from the usual tourist viewpoint.

Ayutthaya is one of the final stops on long-distance Express and Rapid trains that have originated in far-off cities including Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani. Heading to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central, these trains require advance booking and it can be hard to find tickets during peak season as priority is given to passengers travelling long distance. Ayutthaya to Bangkok is only 10% of the entire route, so tickets only go on sale 24 hours before departure.

Ordinary trains

There are eleven trains per day from Ayutthaya to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station (third-class seats only).

Express and Special trains

There are sixteen trains per day from Ayutthaya to Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat station with a mixture of berths and seats, although as the journey is so short, most people opt for a cheap second-class seat. Some of these trains also offer third-class seats, which avoids having to buy tickets until just before departure.

How to buy tickets

The ticket buying process for the Ayutthaya to Bangkok journey varies depending which route you plan to take.

The Ordinary/Commuter trains to Hua Lamphong cannot be booked in advance and must be purchased from the station on the day of travel. These trains can’t sell out and you won’t be assigned a seat, instead you find an available one and enjoy the ride. As long as you’re not heading into Bangkok during the morning rush hour, the trains should be fairly quiet.

For the long distance trains heading to Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat station, the process depends on which class you are buying:

• Some of the trains to Krung Thep Aphiwat have third class carriages. Tickets for these can only be bought on the day of travel at the station.
• Other trains have first and second class carriages, and these tickets must be pre-booked and you’ll be assigned a seat.
• However, most of the trains heading to Krung Thep Aphiwat from Ayutthaya are long-distance services that are reaching the end of their long journey from north and north-eastern Thailand. As the leg from Ayutthaya to Bangkok is a short one (around 10% of the total route), first and second class tickets are only made available 24 hours before departure.
• In practice, this often means that tickets are sold out before they even become available, so many travellers end up buying third-class tickets for the route.

If you do decide to book online, Baolau is the best site to use as they have access to the live Thai Railways booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.

Payment can be made using international credit card and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.

Ayutthaya to Bangkok train tickets

How much does it cost?

As it’s such a short journey, many travellers choose a third-class seat or a non-AC second class seat, then open the windows and enjoy the Thai countryside. If you prefer the AC carriages, second-class AC seats are available on some trains and make for a comfortable, if slightly sanitised, journey.

Note that if you book a sleeper berth, it’ll be in the day configuration for most services on the route. It’s best to give the sleeper berths a miss and just take a seat.

What to expect onboard the Ordinary trains to Hua Lamphong

Although the faster, air-conditioned trains back to Krung Thep Aphiwat might seem tempting, we’d recommend taking the more atmospheric option onboard the Ordinary train back to Hua Lamphong. Built in 1916, Hua Lamphong was the main station in Bangkok for over a hundred years before the vast majority services were transferred to Krung Thep Aphiwat.

While the newer station is undoubtedly more efficient and practical, it’ll never match the romance and majesty of Hua Lamphong, and it’s undoubtedly a memorable experience arriving into the grand old station. With steam engines resting on the platforms, paintings on the walls and quirky details everywhere you look, it’s more like arriving at a museum than a city-centre railway station.

Train 210 is the last train of the day from Ayutthaya to Hua Lamphong, ideally timed (6.21pm) after a long day exploring the temples around the ancient city. Third-class tickets can only be bought in the hour or so before departure but, as they can’t sell out, there’s no need to arrive at the station too early.

Once onboard, try to get a seat that lines up with the ceiling fans although, before the train starts moving, the fans struggle to make much impact on the temperatures within the carriage. Once the whistle sounds and the train shuffles out of Ayutthaya, the breeze enters via the open windows and cools everything down.

What are the toilets like?

They’re actually ok, a mixture of Asian and Western style, both of which dispose waste directly onto the tracks.

Catering options

Although there isn’t a catering car attached to the train, you won’t be short of food or drink options, with a never-ending set of vendors walking up and down the aisle. Food options include crisps, biscuits, pad kra pao, chicken and rice, doughnuts and other sweet items. Cold drinks are available too, stored in ice buckets to keep them cool.

As with everywhere else on the Thai railway network, alcohol is prohibited.

Expect to pay around THB55 for a rice dish, and THB10-20 for soft drinks.

Journey description

Ayutthaya’s station is one of the prettier ones on the network, with a small cafe on the platform, comfortable seating and plenty of timetable information available. When trains are due to arrive, smartly-dressed guards appear on the platform, blow their whistles and allow passengers to wander across the tracks to get onto the correct platform.

The Ordinary trains back to Bangkok are full of character and it’s easy enough to get a third-class seat on the afternoon departures as most of the commuter traffic is coming out of Bangkok at this time. With the fans blowing and air coming in via the open windows, the stop-start journey is pleasant and breezy.

For the first half of the trip, the train maintains a decent pace, despite the frequent stops. As it nears the city centre and the popular stations of Rangsit and Don Mueang, the pace drops significantly but it gives plenty of time to observe the workings of everyday Bangkok life, with the slow-moving train cutting through neighbourhoods that would otherwise be difficult to visit.

Almost two hours after leaving Ayutthaya, the train rolls into Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong station. Take a few minutes to wander around the station before you head into the city, it’s more like a museum than a bustling transport hub.