Thailand in 5 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Amphawa

Five days is not enough for Bangkok and a beach, so this one does not try. Three days in the city, a day among the ruins of the old capital at Ayutthaya, and an evening at the floating market that is not staged for tourists.

Southeast Asia
5 days
≈ AED 1,600 / person
A long weekend from the Gulf that stays in one city and gets it right

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 30 October 2026

Before you go

Five days is a Bangkok trip. A beach costs you a flight each way and most of two days, which leaves two nights on sand and two rushed days in the city — the worst of both.

So this stays put. Three days in Bangkok, which is more than almost anyone gives it, a day at Ayutthaya, and an evening at Amphawa, which is the floating market Thai families actually go to.

If you have a week, the seven-day route adds Krabi properly.

Figure THB 14,500 (≈ AED 1,587) per person. November to February.

Before you go: the admin

Entry

Visa exemption covers most nationalities, including Indian passport holders, up to 60 days under the 2024 rules. Thailand changes this often — check yours.
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is completed online before arrival.
Six months’ validity.

Getting about

The BTS Skytrain and MRT cover most of what you want and avoid the traffic entirely. Get a rechargeable Rabbit card for the BTS.
The Chao Phraya express boat — the orange-flag local one — is the best transport in the city and the cheapest sightseeing.
Grab for everything else; it settles the fare in advance and ends the tuk-tuk negotiation.
Suvarnabhumi to the centre is 30 minutes on the Airport Rail Link, or an hour in traffic by car.

Money

Baht. ATMs charge about ฿220 flat per withdrawal — take larger amounts less often.
Cash for street food, boats, markets and temples.

The Grand Palace dress code

Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone, and no see-through fabric or ripped jeans. They will lend you a cover-up at the gate and the queue for that is long. Dress correctly and walk past it.

Day by day

Day 1 — Bangkok, the river

Arrive and go straight to the river, which is where the city makes sense.
15:00 — The Chao Phraya express boat, orange flag, which is the cheap local one and the best sightseeing in Bangkok.
16:30 — Wat Arun in the late afternoon, climbing the steep central prang as far as they now allow.
18:00 — Across on the ฿5 ferry for the view back at sunset — the photograph is taken from the Bangkok side looking over.
19:30 — Dinner in Chinatown — Yaowarat Road — the best eating street in the country, which only starts at seven.

Day 2 — Bangkok, the old city

08:30 — The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew at opening. The Emerald Buddha is 66cm of jade and the most revered object in Thailand — and it is dressed in one of three seasonal gold costumes, changed by the king.
Shoulders and knees covered, and they enforce it at the gate.
11:00 — Wat Pho next door — the 46m reclining Buddha, and an hour of massage at the school where Thai massage is formally taught, which costs a fraction of a hotel spa.
13:30 — Tha Maharaj or Tha Tien for lunch by the water.
15:00 — The Museum of Siam if you want the history explained well, which it is — interactive, air-conditioned and under an hour.
19:00 — A rooftop bar — there is a dress code at most and sandals will not get you in.

Day 3 — Ayutthaya

07:30 — Eighty minutes by train from Krung Thep Aphiwat, and the train is the pleasant way — third class with the windows open costs almost nothing.
09:00 — Hire a bicycle at the station. The island is flat and the sites are spread; a bike turns a hot slog into a good day.
09:30 — Wat Mahathat for the Buddha head held in banyan roots — the image on every poster and genuinely striking.
11:00 — Wat Phra Si Sanphet and its three restored chedis, the royal temple of the old palace.
13:00 — Lunch, and sit out the worst of the heat.
16:30 — Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the river, best in late afternoon light.
The ruins are what the Burmese left in 1767. The headless Buddhas were not weathered — the heads were struck off.
19:00 — Back in Bangkok.

Day 4 — Amphawa and the markets

09:00 — Maeklong Railway Market on the way — the market built on a live railway line, where the awnings fold back eight times a day as a train passes through the stalls at walking pace. Check the timetable and be standing there for one.
12:00 — Lunch at Maeklong, which is a working seafood market.
15:00 — Amphawa floating market, 90 minutes south-west. It runs Friday to Sunday afternoons and evenings. Go in the late afternoon.
It is a Thai market, not a tourist one — boats selling grilled seafood to people sitting on the boardwalk, and the crowd is local.
19:00 — The firefly boat after dark along the Mae Klong, which is the reason to stay into the evening.
Skip Damnoen Saduak, which is the famous one and is almost entirely staged.
If your dates are midweek, swap this day for Chatuchak (weekends only) or Or Tor Kor market and Jim Thompson House.

Day 5 — Out

Most Gulf flights leave late evening, so the day is usable.
07:00 — Lumpini Park early, when it is monitor lizards and tai chi and nobody else.
09:30 — Bang Krachao — the “green lung”, an almost-island of jungle and cycle paths across the river — if you want an unexpected last morning. A boat from Klong Toey and a hired bicycle on the far side.
14:00 — Back, shower, and a last massage.
17:00 — Airport Rail Link from Phaya Thai, 30 minutes, which beats a taxi at that hour by an hour.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

November–February — dry, 28–32°C, low humidity by local standards. The right months.
March–April — hot, building to 40°C. Songkran in mid-April is a nationwide water fight centred on Bangkok.
May–October — the monsoon. Rain is usually a heavy afternoon hour rather than a washout, and the city is a third cheaper.
September–October are the wettest, and Bangkok floods in places.

Travel tips

Dress for the Grand Palace and skip the cover-up queue.
Use the orange-flag river boat, not the tourist one — same river, a fifth of the price.
Amphawa runs Friday to Sunday only. Check your dates before planning day four around it.
Use the BTS and MRT rather than taxis at rush hour; the traffic is genuinely immobile.
Grab, not tuk-tuks, unless you enjoy the negotiation.
Carry small notes.
The “the palace is closed today” conversation that starts with a friendly stranger ends at a gem shop. The palace is not closed.
Do not touch anyone’s head or point your feet at a Buddha image.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 4 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Hotels, 4 nights	THB 9,800 (≈ AED 1,072)
Food and drink, 5 days	THB 7,000 (≈ AED 766)
Temples, Ayutthaya and the Amphawa boats	THB 7,000 (≈ AED 766)
BTS, MRT, river boats and the Ayutthaya train	THB 3,600 (≈ AED 394)
Airport transfers	THB 1,600 (≈ AED 175)
Total for two	THB 29,000 (≈ AED 3,174)

Roughly THB 14,500 (≈ AED 1,587) per person, which is among the cheapest short breaks reachable from the Gulf.
Food is the line you control entirely. Street food is a dollar or two a plate and better than most restaurant cooking.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

Temple clothing — shoulders and knees, cotton or linen.
A scarf or sarong, which solves every dress code.
Shoes that slip off for temples.
Something smarter for a rooftop bar, which will refuse sandals.
Repellent, applied by day — dengue’s mosquito is a day biter.
A Type A/B/C adapter.

FAQ

Can I add a beach to five days? Not well. A flight each way costs most of two days, leaving two nights on sand. Seven days is where Bangkok and Krabi both work.

Is three days too long for Bangkok? No — it is about right, and most visitors give it one. The city needs a day for the old quarter, a day for the river and markets, and an evening or two for the food.

Which floating market? Amphawa, on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening. Damnoen Saduak is the famous one, is two hours away, and is staged.

Is the Maeklong railway market safe? Yes — the trains pass at walking pace eight times a day and the whole market is built to fold back for them. Stand where the vendors tell you.

How much is a taxi from the airport? About ฿400 plus tolls, and an hour in traffic. The Airport Rail Link is ฿45 and 30 minutes.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 30 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.