Thailand's Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Visit the Ayutthaya temples on a cultural day trip from Bangkok, it's a highlight of any Thailand visit. The tour to the ancient capital of Siam includes a trip by riverboat, a must-do activity when you're in Bangkok, with close-up views of the temples and historic sites that line the Chao Phraya River.

The Unesco World Heritage site of Ayutthaya is 53 miles (85 kilometers) north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya was a thriving Siamese kingdom from 1350 until 1767, when it was captured by the Burmese. Today, Ayutthaya is know for its spectacular ruins and temples. Many of its temples are still intact, such as Wat Phra Sanphet, Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Panangcherng and Wat Chai Mongkol, known for its large bronze statue of the Reclining Buddha.

You will also see the summer palace of King Rama IV with its mixture of Thai, Chinese and Gothic architecture. The palace is a well-preserved 'museum', providing a glimpse into a time when Thailand was known as Siam.

On your full-day guided excursion from Bangkok you have a choice of visiting Thailand's former ancient capital by boat and returning to Bangkok by van, or vice-versa. During the boat cruise to or from Ayutthaya you will see temples such as Wat Arun lining the Chao Phraya River.

USD $60.60

Review by: Angela B	April 2012
The tour company was very punctual in picking us at the hotel. The tour was good but it involved a lot of time inside a bus driving from one temple to another, they are all beautiful and different. The river cruise was ok, the buffet inside the boat was ok too.

Review by: Can T	April 2012
everything was smooth. But it took forever to arrange the logistics of where i was going to be picked up from as I booked the trip on a weekend and a bit of chasing from my end, which should not have been the case. Other than that it was a fun trip.

Review by: Dinah Z	April 2012
Typical big bus tourism but a good way to see the temples and have a river cruise. Guide was not great.

Review by: Shobha G	April 2012
Excellent Tour! Enjoyed the special 100% vegetarian food in the Cruise! I would recommend it to all my friend.

Review by: TBugarsky	March 2012
Great trip. Enjoyed the entire trip!

Review by: Syed Z	March 2012
Excellent trip and the river cruise was really enjoyable with an excellent lunch

Review by: Sylvia G	March 2012
beautifully planned and a wonderful guide who gave us a lot of information and presented in a lively manner, a day worth remembering.

Review by: wallyowl	March 2012
Comentary by the guide "Krit" was excellent. Plenty of times at the Royal Palce and the other temples. The commentary on the cruise was too much information. Overall a great day out.

Review by: Bertold S	March 2012
Pleasant and priceworthy.

Review by: david f	March 2012
The temples and ruins on this tour are impressive. However this tour was ruined by a surely guide with very little historical /archeological knowledge. Her idea of doing the tour was to release the group at a set of ruins advising them as to how much time they had for the visit rather than escorting the group through the ruins providing explanations. I found this attitude extremely disturbing more so because the guide at the end of the tour expounded on the need to give her a tip.

Review by: john g	March 2012
a perfect day with a perfect guide. really nice trip

Review by: Karen H	March 2012
Long day but great to get out of the city. Tour guide was fun and well informed

Review by: Olga T	February 2012
Trip was just perfect with the superior guide. Good lunch on the boat. Confortable transportation. They were able to pick up us from the hotel eventhou it wasn't in the pick up list. I would reccoment to spend whole day in visiting history.

Review by: Klaus P	February 2012
Very good

Review by: Dixie C	January 2012
Excellent trip, thoroughly enjoyed the day. Our guide was great and was able to give us the history of the various sites. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in the history of Thailand. The return trip by boat was most enjoyable as well.

Review by: Verena M	January 2012
For us it was a waste of time..._br/_ You don´t see enough from Ayutthaya, one place is only passed by bus while the guide gives the advice to take a photo from inside the bus..?!_br/_ Then you drive nearly one hour (back to bangkok) before going on the boat. The lunch there is not good, the atmosphere is not nice, nothing I would recommend.

Review by: Gilbert Adam S	January 2012
I think 50% of the time is spent on traveling. The places visited were interesting and we had ample time to explore and take pictures. The guide we had was very knowledgeable but sometimes tend to be preachy. All in all, it was a pretty OK tour.

Review by: Laura	January 2012
This trip with Kuhn Pon was excellent. He is the best tour guide I have ever had, offering information all along the ride to Ayutthaya, in addition to at the site, and also on the cruise back to Bangkok. I can't say enough about Kuhn Pon's excellence! He should get a bonus for being so willing to offer extra information, answer questions, and make the tour an incredible experience. Thank you!

Review by: CanadianGal6	January 2012
I felt our time spent at the actual Ayutthaya ruin sites were too short. I felt really rushed during the entire trip. For those who are actually interested in seeing the ruins, I'd advise you to choose something else. The river cruise was also unimpressive. I'd rather take the ferry in Bangkok because there was really nothing interesting to see on the way back.

Review by: thinkfad	January 2012
It was fun and exciting. Go up by bus, return by boat. Not much of action, but nice scenery.

Review by: Jolanta J	January 2012
Well spend money. The tour guide was knowledgeable and funny we saw a lot that day. River course on the way back was a good addition to the tour and we could see how the life looks like along the river.

Review by: GARY R	December 2011
Interesting tour and well informed guide. Worth the trip.

Review by: Krassimira I	October 2011
The guide Paul was very knowledgeable and funny. We could have spent more time at the site and see the seated Buddha imagest Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. _br/_ When the trip started we waited some 20 minutes at a hotel for two group members to join the trip. This is unacceptable- I don't think waiting for more than 5 minsutes should be tolerated!

Review by: DJHOANNA D	September 2011
I did not expect too much from this trip but I was just amazed when it happened. i enjoyed it specially that the tour guide named Nui was so entertaining! The river cruise coming back to Bangkok was really nice as well!

Review by: Kat	September 2011
Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and friendly. You definitely see a ton of temples, so be ready to see one after another. Also, the dress code (long pants/covered shoulders) was a bit exhausting in the Thailand summer, but no way around that. Great tour.

Review by: Holly W	September 2011
Excellent!

Review by: Susan L	August 2011
the day was excellent and the bus very comfortable the cruise down the river and the meal was a great way to end a good day.

Review by: Georgine M	August 2011
excellent and the cruise was lovely

Review by: juliette s	August 2011
super excursion vraiment tout était parfait. pick up tôt le matin mais permet de visiter sans avoir trop chaud. le guide était très sympa et parlait très bien anglais. les visites sont belles tout est bien pensé pour que l'on soit à l'aise et relax. on voit beaucoup de temples et le guide donne des explications historique. il y a beaucoup de temps libre à chaque visite. la croisière sur le bateau à la fin est très agréable et le buffet bien garnit. c'est un beau bateau de croisière confortable et le personnel est aimable et souriant. excursion à recommender à tout prix. très bonne organisation.

Review by: Neddy	August 2011
imagine having no cement - the idea that these amazing structures have stood for so long based on starch and sugars, is a little mind stretching. However, a wonderful place and as with every viator tour I've experienced, a fantastic tour guide; helpful, full of great information, courteous and kind and never without a smile or a joke.

Review by: John C	August 2011
The bus is prompt and a nice ride. It was great to see the countryside. The summer palace was beautiful, though I would have preferred less guided tour and more free time to roam and admire on my own.

Review by: Bridgette	July 2011
This was a great tour. The bus was comfortable and we were given ample time at each location. Our tour guide "First" was interesting and provided some good details on the sites. The boat ride back was also good, with lunch and First provided some commentary on the sites we saw along the river as we returned to Bangkok. I would recommend the tour to others.

Review by: Teresa Yuk Yin C	July 2011
Our guide, Po, was very experienced and informative. There was ample time at each palace/temple to wander around and take photos. The lunch buffet on the cruise was excellent and the river journey back to Bangkok was certainly the most relaxing way to wind up the trip after the morning palace/temples visit.

Review by: Aussieguy	June 2011
Great day trip! The guide was very knowledgeable and provided a great commentary! The temples were amazing and the cruise back to Bangkok was very relaxing! Highly recommended!

Review by: Jurga C	June 2011
It was a pleasant trip. The tour guide was very helpful and had a good sense of humour. It was interesting to see the old temples after seeing the shiny ones in Bangkok city. Ending the day on the cruise boat was nice after a hot day out, and was a good chance to try Thai cuisine.

Review by: Kenia T	June 2011
Well organized tour. Gave you the ability to see just enough of the ruins before heading back on boat cruise back to Bangkok. It was a really great way to end the trip with relaxation after a very HOT day. The food on the boat was very good as well. Highly Reccomended.

Review by: Tiffany G	June 2011
It was very accomodating and we made lots of stops. They provided wet wipes for the heat, but it would have been nice if they had bottled water too considering how hot it was and the price of the trip. All in all, it was a very worthwhile trip and I would highly recommend.

Review by: James N	May 2011
Fun and informative trip. Our guide Paul was very entertaining. I would have preferred less time at the Summer Palace and more time spent at the temples.

Review by: Kim R, Australia	May 2010
The bus was comfortable, the guide was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. The cruise was fabulous.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2010
Highly recommend

Review by: Jeffrey W, Australia	March 2010
A most enjoyable tour with no complaints! Our tour leader was absolutely terrific - humourous, knowledgeable and very courteous. He thanks us for being back in the bus on time. The bus was comfortable and clean. The cruise back to Bangkok was very enjoyable with a very delicious lunch. The only thing that could have ended in disaster was our pick up at the hotel. The driver from the pickup van came to our hotel and picked up 4 other passengers. It was only when we enquired with the lady at our hotel's tour desk that the lady then ran out to stop the pick up driver from leaving. The driver checked his list and my name was on it! He could have left without us! Why did he not check he had all the passengers from the hotel?

Review by: Graham B, United Kingdom	March 2010
Well organised trip incorporating a very relaxing river cruise back.

Review by: Matthew N, Australia	March 2010
Great trip out to the Ayutthaya. Great english speaking guide. Great food. Well worth the money we spent

Review by: Anonymous, Belgium	March 2010
Very easy and comprehensive way of visiting Ayutthaya. The cruise is a must.

Review by: Kiem Si Mu N, Switzerland	March 2010
The guide knows how to explain and has a lot of knowledge. The temples are a must see. The food offered on the boat was very good. The hotel pick up and drop off went fine. Fantastic.

Review by: Anonymous, Germany	February 2010
Very interesting and impressive. Good guide with a lot of knowledge.

Review by: Jason Marc D, Japan	February 2010
First we headed to Ayuthayya by coach, went to bang pa In palace, ayuthaya ruins, some temples and headed back to bangkok by river cruise boat. its a great 2 hours cruise! highly recommended. if your planning to book a dinner river cruise, i suggest booked this tour. this is cheaper than the 2 hours dinner cruise around bangkok area.

Review by: Anonymous, Taiwan	February 2010
A great tour and a very good pace. The river cruise back to Bangkok was great.

Review by: Erick P, China	January 2010
The temples are a must see in Thailand. They are everywhere. We actually did the river cruise to Bangkok, not from, so we were more in a resting mood, enjoying the view. The food offered was really good.

Review by: Pat B, United States of America	December 2009
Our Guide was the best guide ever! Knowledgeable, friendly, professional, accepted questions graciously, and kept us informed. Thank you!