Sukhothai to Ayutthaya: bus options (2026)

3 ways to make this trip, from ฿280 one way, and 5h–6h20 on the quickest, direct. Below: what each costs, who runs it, how often it goes and the pier or station it actually leaves from.

Fares checked 7 September 2026 and quoted as one-way bands per adult. They move with season, fuel and demand — the flight bands move fastest of all.

Our pick for time

Bus

5h–6h20 · ฿280–฿450 · Win Tour, Phitsanulok Yan Yon

Our pick for budget

Bus

฿280–฿450 · 5h–6h20 · Win Tour, Phitsanulok Yan Yon

Same option twice: on this pair the quickest way is also the cheapest, which is rarer than it sounds — it usually means one operator has the route to itself.

All options

Sukhothai to Ayutthaya: every option with mode, time, fare, operators and frequency
Option	Time	Fare	Operators	How often	Change
Bus	5h–6h20	฿280–฿450	Win Tour, Phitsanulok Yan Yon	A few departures a day, mostly morning	Direct
Bus + Minivan	8h35–13h30	฿460–฿1,000	Win Tour, Khao San Tara Tour, Tour with Thai, Minivans from opposite Mo Chit	Departures roughly 07:00–19:00 from Mo Chit · Through the day, filling as they go rather than to a timetable	via Bangkok
Bus + Day train	8h50–14h	฿415–฿920	Win Tour, Khao San Tara Tour, Tour with Thai, State Railway of Thailand (ordinary services)	Departures roughly 07:00–19:00 from Mo Chit · Multiple ordinary departures a day	via Bangkok

Booking notes

Bus · 5h–6h20 · ฿280–฿450

Chaining the two ruin sites in one direction saves a Bangkok backtrack, but check the departure the day before: the Ayutthaya stop is a roadside one, not a terminal.

Bus + Minivan · 8h35–13h30 · ฿460–฿1,000

Sukhothai → Bangkok: 369km. The ruins sit 12km outside the modern town, so budget a songthaew or a rented bicycle at the far end before calling the journey done.

Bangkok → Ayutthaya: Faster than the ordinary train and about four times the price, which on this leg still means under ฿100. Luggage space is the trade — a full-size case is a problem.

Bus + Day train · 8h50–14h · ฿415–฿920

Sukhothai → Bangkok: 369km. The ruins sit 12km outside the modern town, so budget a songthaew or a rented bicycle at the far end before calling the journey done.

Bangkok → Ayutthaya: Third class, fans not air-conditioning, no reservation — walk up and buy a ticket. Some Ayutthaya services still leave from the old Hua Lamphong station rather than Krung Thep Aphiwat, so read the station on the ticket.

Both ends of the trip

Sukhothai

The 13th-century capital's ruins, quieter and more spread out than Ayutthaya's.

Airport THS: Privately run and served by Bangkok Airways only, which is why the bus carries most visitors.

Ayutthaya

UNESCO temple ruins 71km north of Bangkok — the country's most-done day trip.

Ayutthaya guide

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get from Sukhothai to Ayutthaya?

5h–6h20 on the quickest option we hold — bus with Win Tour. The slowest of the 3 options here takes 8h50–14h, so the spread between them is about 5h45. Times are for the scheduled leg and exclude the transfer at either end.

How much is Sukhothai to Ayutthaya?

From ฿280–฿450 one way by bus, checked 7 September 2026 — and on this pair that is also the quickest way, so there is nothing to trade off. The dearest of the 3 options here runs to ฿460–฿1,000. That band comes from a dated route listing rather than a published tariff, so treat it as indicative.

What else runs between Sukhothai and Ayutthaya?

2 other options. The next one after bus with Win Tour is bus + minivan with Win Tour at ฿460–฿1,000 and 8h35–13h30, changing at Bangkok — dearer and slower. All of them are in the table above with their operators and frequency.

Where does the Sukhothai to Ayutthaya service leave from, and how often does it run?

Chaining the two ruin sites in one direction saves a Bangkok backtrack, but check the departure the day before: the Ayutthaya stop is a roadside one, not a terminal. A few departures a day, mostly morning.

Going the other way, or further

The return trip is on the Ayutthaya to Sukhothai page — fares are the same in both directions on almost every leg here, but the timetables are not. To string this hop into a longer trip with a pace check, use the route planner, and see the island comparison for which coast is dry in the month you are travelling.

Sources

12go.asia route listings (band from what was on sale, not a tariff) — aggregator listings, not a published tariff.
Bookaway Bangkok–Sukhothai route listings — aggregator listings, not a published tariff.
seat61.com Thailand rail fares (page updated 8 July 2026) — a dated route reference.

Checked 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page is a range, because every one of them moves.

All guides and tools