Travel and Adventure
I did research before this recent visit to Bangkok (May 2015) about how I can get to Ayutthya without hiring a private taxi or tour company. The information was a bit vague, with most reports stating just to go to Victory Monument where the vans are. Well, when you first see Victory Monument Circle it can be pretty intimidating. The circle is huge with many vans and buses. I took the time to find the right place to go.
Take the BTS Skytrain to the Victory Monument BTS station. When you exit the train, you descend one level and turn towards the elevated walkway to Victory Monument. It could be right or left depending which direction you arrived from. It is easy to figure out but the most important thing is not to go down to street level yet. When you reach the Victory Monument on the elevated walkway you can turn left or right. Here you have a great view of the Monument. As you look out at the Monument, you can see the elevated walkway continues halfway around the circle to the right. Turn RIGHT! this is the easiest direction to go for the vans to Ayutthya. As you near the end of the walkway, halfway around Victory Monument Circle, there is a staircase. It is not the first staircase you encounter. I have attached photos of the stairs to descend. These stairs take you to a small shaded concrete park called Victory Point. There are several shops and food vendors. You will see a row of tables with all the writing in Thai. The table and person on the far right is who/where you can purchase a ticket to Ayutthya. The ticket is only 60 Baht! The vans are just behind on a narrow side street when walking away from the circle.
The vans run every 30 minutes starting at 5:00am. However the BTS system does not start until 6:00am so plan accordingly. If you are early or close tot he time they will depart, you will be directed straight to the van where you will pay the driver. I was a solo traveler and found this to be quite easy and affordable. Once I figured this all out, I made plans to arrive early the next day and went to Ayutthya for the day. It was awesome and cheap!
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