Riding the Chao Phraya Express from end to end

The cheapest sightseeing tour in Bangkok: a commuter boat past temples, palaces, old warehouses and luxury hotels.

Area

Riverside & canals

Start from

Sathorn pier (BTS Saphan Taksin)

Distance

along the river

Time needed

half a day

Best season

All year

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Chao Phraya Express boats (orange flag line), tourist boat

Tickets & rules

Fares paid on board or at the pier

Why go

The Chao Phraya is Bangkok's original highway, and the express boats are still used by thousands of commuters every day. Sitting on the open deck with the river breeze in your face, you pass the Oriental hotel, old Portuguese and Chinese trading quarters, the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and the long bridges of the old town.

Hop off where something catches your eye: a market at Tha Tien, a temple at Tha Chang, Banglamphu at Phra Arthit. It's the best way to understand how the city faces the river.

The boat is also simply a pleasure: a cooling breeze, the smell of the river, the shouts of the crew whistling signals to the driver, and an ever-changing parade of rice barges, dinner cruisers and long-tails. On a hot afternoon, I've ridden it end to end just to sit still for an hour.

The story

Before roads, Bangkok was called the Venice of the East, with life organised around waterways. Foreign embassies, trading houses and churches lined the riverbanks, and you can still see their old buildings near Charoen Krung.

Royal barge processions on the river, with long carved boats and rowers in traditional dress, are held only on very special occasions. The Royal Barges National Museum in Thonburi shows the boats when they're not in use.

The river itself shapes the city's calendar. During Loy Krathong in November, thousands of small floating offerings made of banana leaves and flowers drift on the water with candles, and the riverbanks fill with families letting go of bad luck for the year.

In the rainy season the river runs high and brown and fast; in the dry season it slows and the water lowers along the piers. Long-time residents read the river like a weather report.

Getting there

Start at Sathorn pier, directly below BTS Saphan Taksin station. The orange-flag boats are the cheapest and run frequently during the day; the blue-flag tourist boat has commentary and stops at the main sights.

Check the flag colour before boarding; some boats skip piers.

A suggested plan

1. MorningBoard at Sathorn heading north. Sit at the back for the best views.
2. StopsGet off at Tha Chang for the palace, Tha Tien for Wat Pho, or Phra Arthit for Banglamphu.
3. LunchEat at one of the riverside restaurants near Tha Maharaj.
4. ReturnRide back south in the late afternoon as the light turns golden.
5. OptionalStay on past the old town to Nonthaburi, the last stop, for a local riverside market and a very different, suburban Bangkok.

Where to stay

Riverside hotels on both banks; Charoen Krung and Silom are convenient for Sathorn pier.

Good to know

• Rush hours are crowded with commuters; mid-morning is calmer.
• Keep phones and cameras secure on the open deck.
• Some piers close for maintenance; check signs.