River Cruises and Boat Trips in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
The Chao Phraya is the only part of Bangkok that never jams. A longtail engine coughs, the boat swings out from Tha Chang, and within five minutes traffic noise gives way to wake slapping against stilt houses in the Thonburi canals. The options run from pocket change to seriously expensive: a commuter express that costs about what a bottle of water does, an hour on a hired longtail through the khlongs, a teak rice barge converted for dinner service, or a floating buffet with a live band and the illuminated riverfront sliding past the windows.
Choosing a trip
Dinner cruises leave from ICONSIAM, Asiatique and River City piers, typically boarding around seven and running two hours downriver and back past Wat Arun and the Rama VIII bridge. The large buffet boats are cheap and loud, while smaller operators such as Supanniga and the Manohra teak barges charge considerably more for better food and fewer people. Longtail canal tours through Khlong Bangkok Noi and Khlong Mon run one to two hours and are negotiated at Tha Chang or Tha Tien, or booked ahead through an operator. For a full day, take the express boat north to Nonthaburi and cross to Ko Kret.
The cheap way
The orange-flag Chao Phraya express is a working commuter boat charging a few baht flat, stopping at most main piers between Sathorn Central Pier, under BTS Saphan Taksin, and Phra Athit. It is faster than any tourist boat and considerably more interesting. The blue-flag tourist service costs several times more but adds commentary and a hop-on day pass. Several riverside hotels and ICONSIAM run free shuttle boats from Sathorn. Services wind down in the evening, usually by around seven, so plan the return leg, and expect spray on the canal routes when the tide is running high.