Ayutthaya Old Town is located on an island, which is fully encircled by water. It is surrounded by three rivers, Chao Phraya, Pa Sak, and Lopburi Rivers. Taking a sunset boat around Ayutthaya island is one of the best ways to experience local life and famous temples on their banks.
Ayutthaya is the old capital of Thailand, known for its ancient temples and ruins dating back to the 14th century. You can easily explore these attractions on foot, by bicycle, tuk tuk, and by taking boat tours.
The best way to explore Ayutthaya, in my opinion, is by using the combination of bicycle to explore temples inside the old town, boat for exploring temples along the banks of the river, and tuk tuk or Grab for exploring temples outside of the old town.
I had a great time visiting major temples in Ayutthaya both by bicycle and boat. In this article, I will share with you how to book the sunset boat trip in Ayutthaya and what to do on the boat trip.
You can read more about my itinerary and things to do in these articles:
- Where to Stay in Ayutthaya
- 20 Things to Do & See in Ayutthaya
- My 1-2 days In Ayutthaya Itinerary
- How to get to Ayutthaya & Get Around
How to book Ayutthaya Sunset Boat Tour?
I stayed at Tamarind Guest House and booked the sunset boat trip with them. It is a two hour boat ride along Chao Phraya and Pa Sak Rivers visiting major temples like Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan, Wat Phutthaisawan, and Wat Chaiwatthanaram.
Our boat starts at 15.20pm and finishes at 17.20pm. It includes two ways to transfer between the hotel and the pier. The cost for a group tour of around 10-12 people is 25 baht. If you want to book a private boat (1-4 people), it will cost 1200 baht.
The fee is only for the boat ride, you need to pay entrance fee to the temple. It is 20 baht to the Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan, free access to Wat Phutthaisawan, and around 50 baht to Wat Chaiwatthanaram.
You can easily book boat tours at your guest houses, local travel agents, or online in advance. Trusted online platforms such as Klook, Viator, and Getyourguide offer these boat tours. Booking online can be a little more expensive than booking in person but you can guarantee the spot before your arrival.
Best time to take a boat trip around Ayutthaya island?
You can take the boat trip around Pattaya island at any time of the day, especially if you book a private boat. But, the most popular time to start Ayutthaya boat tour is around 3.30pm to be able to catch the sunset at Wat Chaiwatthanaram.
A sunset boat trip in Ayutthaya itinerary
The tuk tuk driver picked us up from our hotel to Atthapong Pier. We joined with another group, so the total was around 12 people on the boat.
From the pier, the boat ride along Pasak river to get to Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan on the eastern side of Ayutthaya Old Town, then ride along Chao Phraya River visiting Wat Phutthaisawan in the south, and finally reach Wat Chaiwatthanaram in the west.
The boat driver only drives you to the destinations and tells you how much time at each stop. He doesn’t give any extra information about the temples, what to see or what are the major sights at each temple.
You’ll have around 20-30 minutes at each temple, so to make the most of your visit, it’s best to research the main highlights in advance and decide what you’d most like to see.
I also recommend wearing clothes approximately, cover your knees and shoulders to show your respect to local culture. Bringing sunscreen or a hat is a bonus to protect you from the sun. It was still very hot when the boat first started at 3.30pm and cooler at the end of the trip.
If you sit at the front of the boat, there’s a chance you’ll get splashed with water. My clothes were soaked with water on the way back to the old town due to the strong wind and waves. They have life jackets available, but it’s up to you whether you wear one or not.
3.30 pm: Arrive at Atthapong Pier
Our driver dropped us at the pier around 3.30pm. We waited for the boat, onboard and headed to Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan.
3.50pm – First stop: Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan
Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan is a huge temple located on the south bank of Pasak River. The boat driver told us we have 20 minutes at the temple and the entrance fee is 20 baht.
To save time, I recommend walking straight to the Big Buddha Statue from the Wat Phanan Choeng Pier. You can follow the covered broad walk to reach the main area.
Skip spending too much time at the fish bridge and fish feeding area as you have only 20 minutes and you can do it later after seeing the most important attraction at the temple.
When you walk along the covered walkway, you will see the colorful Chinese shrine. You can have a quick look and take some nice photos. The main hall where the Big Buddha is located is right next to the Chinese Shrine. You need to take off your shoes to enter the main temple.
The Big seated Buddha is huge, approximately 19 meters high and 14 meters wide. It was built in the early 14th century. It is an active temple where many locals come to pray. You can walk around the hall and admire Buddha from all sides. It will take around a 5-10 minute walk around the main hall.
After the big Buddha, you can head out to see the colorful fish and enjoy the river views. You can buy a packet of fish food for 20 baht to feed them.
4.20pm – Second stop: Wat Phutthaisawan
After Wat Phanan Choeng, the boat ran along Chao Phraya River on the south side of Ayuthaya island. Our second stop is Wat Phutthaisawan. This temple is quieter and less crowded than other temples. It has a mixture of the 14th century ancient Prangs (Khmer style temple’s tower) and modern buildings.
You can spot the towering White Main Prang from the banks of the river when you get off the boat. You can use that as the direction to get to the main hall.
There are many Buddha statues on the temple’s ground. You can even climb one of the prang to see inside but beware that lots of bats live there and their guana make a bad smell. It can be bad for people with weak immune systems, so if you have sickness, it is best to avoid going inside.
Be sure to check out the ancient ruins area. You can find the small reclining Buddha, which has a spectacular atmosphere. We spent around 20 minutes at Wat Phutthaisawan and it was free entrance. I didn’t know the ancient ruins existed in this complex, so I didn’t have enough time to check it.
5pm – Third Stop: Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Wat Chaiwatthanaram is the last stop in our boat trip tour around Ayutthaya. We are around 5pm which is around sunset time. This is one of the best times to visit the temple. When we got off the boat, we had to pay a 50 baht entrance fee.
This is a beautiful ancient ruin with lots of Buddha Statues without the head, similar to other temples you see in Ayutthaya Historical Park. This is because Burmese army destroyed the Buddha statues and chopped down the head during their invasion.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram is also known for its impressive prangs. When we arrived around 5pm, the sun was still very high, and we were taking photos in the riverside against the sun ray. It is best to go all the way back to the back of the temple for the better lighting.
There are shops around the temple where you can rent traditional Thai costumes to take photos. I visited the temple in mid November, and I found that 5.30 pm is the best time for the best photoshoot with beautiful golden sky and stunning temples.
We spend around 30 minutes at this temple and back to the boat, ride along the river on the west side of the old town, the north side, and finally come back to the pier around 6pm.
The boat ride in the late afternoon involved some strong wind and waves. Some of us sitting at the front got wet from the splashing water.
6pm: Back to the pier
The long tail boat arrived at the pier around 6pm. Our songthaew driver waited for us at the pier and dropped us to our hotels.
If you are staying in Ayutthaya for a night or two, I highly recommend taking the sunset boat trip around the island, in addition to renting a bicycle exploring the old town. Even if you just take a day trip from Bangkok, many tour agencies will offer a couple of hours on the boat.