The Death of Queen Sunanda
In 1881, Queen Sunanda Kumariratana and her only daughter Princess Karnabhorn Bejraratana were on their way to the Bang Pa-In Palace when the royal barge carrying them capsized. According to Thai law at the time, touching a royal was punishable by death, so onlookers looked on helplessly as they drowned - and were instructed to do so by a guardian on another boat. King Chulalongkorn, shocked by the events, demoted and jailed the vizier who obeyed the letter of the law at such cost and erected a memorial to her in Bang Pa-In.
By bus
Air-con 2nd class buses depart from stall 99 of Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal Moh Chit every 30 minutes or so and cost 43 baht Nov 2007, no advance ticket needed. You may also be able to hop on board along the way outside MRT Phayon Yothin station. Being a second-class bus, it stops at every bus stop, shopping mall and grilled chicken stand along the way, so the journey takes the better part of two hours.
From Ayutthaya, minibus/songthaews connect to Bang Pa-In from the central BKS station, a 40-minute journey.
By ship
There are no scheduled services, but many of the tourist cruises to Ayutthaya stop at Bang Pa-In on the way.
By train
Bang Pa-In is on the northern line to Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai. Three trains per day in each direction stop at Bang Pa-In, and the journey from Bangkok takes 1.5 hours. You'll have to make an early start to catch the 07:00 from Hualamphong though.
By taxi
A taxi from Bang Pa-In to Ayutthaya costs a fixed 150 baht.