Hello. We are arriving late next Wednesday and depart Sunday nite on the overnite train for Chiang Mai. I'm hoping the Grand Palace will be open after the first 30 days of the mourning period. Also, any thoughts of getting to Ayutthaya for a day? We were hoping to do it Sunday and continue on the train north, but they won't save our 1st class sleeper if we do that. Thank you. 

Ayutthaya is definitely worth a trip but I would say start early morning to avoid the traffic then look to get back early....or very late.

 

Avoid the rush in the evening too if possible.

 

A beautiful and unique place but for me if you start early you can leave by 3pm.

 

Of course its worth staying there and spending a few days but I understand time constraints.

 

Grand Palace is always busy....good luck with that lol.

Oh I see you have the 1st class sleeper....take a blanket as the aircon can get chilly.

 

If "we" means you will be traveling with Thai Wife / Family, (unless you speak good Thai), I would strongly suggest you leave it up to your Thai's to take care of the logistics. They having the advantage to speak Thai.

It is customary, that related Thai's will take care of matters that (due to language problems) must appear very cumbersome for a Farang and therefore (if willing and capable) will take care of such matters. Of course, if "not willing and not capable", would be cause for some concern.

BUT: If "we" is a Farang couple, with no other local connections, any local Travel Agency will be glad to help.
Cheers.

5 minutes ago, lungnorm said:

What a load of crap. Why is it necessary to ask such stupid questions?

 

What a rude reply, if you need the information you ask and hope ypu get a useful reply like the first person to answer the question gave

A post offering no helpful information has been removed.  

You can do Ayutthaya as a day trip - most hotels can probably book you a tour... though if you have the time, a day or two in Sukhothai is outstanding... near the historical park.  Have fun.

Would you take the train or Uber? Driver wants 3000 baht for the day. We don't like commercial tours. How bad is the traffic on Friday or Saturday? Thanks.


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In my opinion a taxi would be much more convenient than a commercial tour as you can do as you please.  On the other hand, a commercial tour probably can tell you more about what you are visiting.  Up to you.  Your best route out of Bangkok is probably the Don Muang Tollway on to Route 1, on to Route 32.  These are pretty large streets with lots of lanes.  Saturday should not have much traffic.  Friday could have traffic, but in the morning you'll be heading in the opposite direction of most others.  Likewise, returning in the afternoon.

Ayutthaya is an awesome day trip from BKK! One I ALWAYS recommend. Fantastic historical city where photo ops abound. Enjoy! 

2 hours ago, CACohenDVM said:

Would you take the train or Uber? Driver wants 3000 baht for the day. We don't like commercial tours. How bad is the traffic on Friday or Saturday? Thanks.


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Take a taxi....3k Baht for the day is reasonable.

The old Capitol is worth a few hours big time.  Great photo ops.  Get there by 10 am and hire a ride to take you to the landmarks.  Especially the old temple ruins dating back at least 1200 years or so.  Nice casual dining on the Chao Paraya river.

Ayutthaya... Skip it. There's absolutely nothing there. Just a few broken ruins which they have even failed to maintain. Save your money and go to Siem Reap instead. The Cambodians know how to take care of their heritage. The Thais don't care a fig. Siem Reap is 100 times more impressive.