4 days in Bangkok and Ayutthaya: ruin-day itinerary
Start with the Grand Palace block, keep one market night, then ride about one hour to Ayutthaya. Skip Kanchanaburi on this calendar; the 5-day page is the Erawan add.
The northbound train is why this four-day plan exists: two city nights, then one Ayutthaya ruin day, with the River Kwai left off. Sleep on Sukhumvit so a 2026 BTS tap (17 to 62 THB) covers the return. Give Rattanakosin its own morning: Palace 500 THB, Wat Pho 300 THB, Tha Tien ferry 5 THB, Wat Arun 200 THB.
Day 2 is a market or street-food hour, then Yaowarat. Day 3 is the Ayutthaya train (about one hour). Park sites are 80 THB each or 300 THB for the combo. See from Bangkok. Day 4 is a buffer. For river-plus-falls, use 5 days Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi.
Day by day
1 Rattanakosin tickets
Mani Noppharat at 08:30. Palace 500 THB, Wat Pho 300 THB, Wat Arun 200 THB plus 5 THB ferry.
2 Market and Chinatown
Chatuchak or Or Tor Kor. Yaowarat after 18:00 via MRT Wat Mangkon Exit 1.
3 Ayutthaya by train
About one hour from Hua Lamphong or Bang Sue. 80 THB per site or 300 THB combo.
4 Buffer or exit
One more Bangkok food street or an airport car. Do not add Erawan on this fourth day.
Keep Kanchanaburi off this four-day spine
The Ayutthaya train is the point. Erawan is 300 THB and a full day from Kanchanaburi, not a same-day add after ruins.
| Block | Sleep | 2026 clock or fee |
|---|---|---|
| Nights 1 to 2 | Sukhumvit or Siam | BTS 17 to 62 THB |
| Day 3 | Same hotel or Ayutthaya dawn | Train about one hour; 80 or 300 THB |
| Day 4 | Exit Bangkok | Airport car; skip a second ruin city |
Keep going
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- 80 THB or the 300 THB combo?
- Pay per site at 80 THB if you will see two wats. Buy the 300 THB combo if you want the full historical park loop.
- Same day as the Grand Palace?
- No. Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun fill a first day. Put Ayutthaya on its own daylight block.
- Add Kanchanaburi?
- Not on four days. Use the 5-day Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi page if Erawan is the point.