Getting To Ayutthaya By River Boat

[russianrobert]

Does anyone know if i can get to Ayutthaya by river boat? If so, where does it leave from, price, times, how long does it take?

Thanks in advance.

[asanee]

Does anyone know if i can get to Ayutthaya by river boat? If so, where does it leave from, price, times, how long does it take?

Thanks in advance.

yes-but effectively ONLY by prebooked all-in excursion, out boat-back bus, or reverse, and doing some short tour along the ruins in bteween. Cost varies with class of boat and service offered-but none is really cheap. For a very long part the boatride is pretty boring. Any local travel-agent can book for you-though probably not all for all boats. when you book you will be told where to assemble, the price to pay (think of at least 1500/2000 for a budget-tour), bus/other transp. from where you stay till quay included.

there is also a 2-day tour, with an overnight near to Ayut, in a converted rice-barge. this goes out and back all the way in that boat

[beano2274]

Check out the Grand pearl (www.grandpearl.com) they go upto Ayutthaya

[montrii]

Does anyone know if i can get to Ayutthaya by river boat? If so, where does it leave from, price, times, how long does it take?

Thanks in advance.

yes-but effectively ONLY by prebooked all-in excursion, out boat-back bus, or reverse, and doing some short tour along the ruins in bteween. Cost varies with class of boat and service offered-but none is really cheap. For a very long part the boatride is pretty boring. Any local travel-agent can book for you-though probably not all for all boats. when you book you will be told where to assemble, the price to pay (think of at least 1500/2000 for a budget-tour), bus/other transp. from where you stay till quay included.

there is also a 2-day tour, with an overnight near to Ayut, in a converted rice-barge. this goes out and back all the way in that boat

The Ayuthaya tours of this sort are to my mind a waste of time and money. You spend way too much time on the bus, and get herded around with a group to a few selected sites, with limited time, missing many others. The return boat portion neither leaves from Ayuthaya nor returns to Bangkok, there is considerable bus time both getting to the pier and getting back from where the boat stops in Nonthaburi to the starting point in Bangkok, at least there was on the one I recently took. I believe you can get up and down all the way by boat, at least you once could. I did it once long ago, but it was a long-tail passenger boat with many local stops. It was a long trip, but I didn't find it boring, quite the opposite, in fact. I'd suggest learning all you can about Ayuthaya and places of interest before you go, taking the hour-long train trip from Hua Lamphong, hiring a guide when you get there (they'll be all over you at the station) and going to places of your own choosing. Have lunch along the river, then when you're finished either take the train back or see if you can find a boat going downriver. That's what I plan to do next time.

[russianrobert]

Thanks for the replies. I will probably take the train, seems a lot less hassle. I just thought as Ayutthaya was on the river there might be some sort of fast, direct boat service. Doesn't look that way.

Cheers