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Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

Rising from the mountains of northern Thailand, the Chao Phraya River is not only Bangkok's main waterway, but also one of the Thai capital's most impressive landmarks. Lazy tourists who take the time to travel along the river and its many channels can see amazing contrasts huge Asian city.

Namely, to see with your own eyes the typical Bangkok neighborhood of gold-covered temples and miserable shacks local residents, built on water in an area indented by small canals, located west of the Chao Phraya River.

Look at the ultra-modern skyscrapers occupying East Coast rivers, and, for contrast, visit floating markets that look like they looked a hundred years ago.

And at the same time, feel the difference between the quiet areas on the western side of the river, with their vast parks, untouched wildlife and a relaxed way of life, and the huge human anthill located in the east.

Organizing a trip along the Chao Phraya River is quite simple. You can hire a wooden longtail boat and see most of the sights in one trip. It is expensive, almost 2000 baht for the whole boat.

You can spend 100 times less, 15 baht per person, and take a ride along the Chao Phraya River on a regular ship. It's not as colorful, but still impressive.

You can cross the river to explore a specific attraction, such as Wat Arun. It costs anecdotally little money, 3 baht (about 5 rubles), and the crossing in itself is good entertainment.

It is also possible to buy an excursion and combine a boat trip on the Chao Phraya River with a tour of the ruins of Ayutthaya, the previous Thai capital, destroyed by Burmese troops in 1767. These ruins, consisting of several dozen abandoned temples, are located 80 km away. from the center of Bangkok, upstream the Chao Phraya River.

And finally, you can buy an evening cruise on a large tourist ship, and during the gala dinner, look at the lights of night Bangkok, sitting at your table and tasting Thai cuisine, washing down your impressions with a glass of Thai beer.

Main attractions along the Chao Phraya River

A map of Bangkok and a list of the main attractions located along the banks of the Chao Phraya River can be found below.

Royal Palace(Grand Palace) and temple Emerald Buddha(Wat Phra Kaew), perhaps the most famous architectural landmarks of Bangkok, are located on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River, far from metro stations. A good idea would be to get to these attractions not by taxi, which is not exotic at all, but by regular boat, which will provide you with a lot of positive impressions.

Wat Arun Temple, one of the most extraordinary temples in Bangkok, is also located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, but not on the east bank of the river, like the palace and temple of the Emerald Buddha, but on the west. Like the royal residence, Wat Arun is one of the main attractions of the Thai capital, attractions from the series must see.

A visit to the royal palace and Wat Arun temple, despite the fact that they are located on different banks of the Chao Phraya River, is easy to combine. Near the southern border royal residence There is a Tha Tien pier, from which boats transport tourists to the opposite bank of the river for a ridiculous 3 baht.

Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), located on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River, is one of the oldest temples Bangkok, and is one of the 6 most revered temples in Thailand, according to the official classification. The presence of such a rating may be surprising, however, Buddhism, de facto, is the state religion of the Kingdom of Siam, has its own ministry (National Office of Buddhism), which, among other things, compiles this rating.

Wat Pho is within walking distance of the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, next to Tha Tien Pier, and a visit to it can be combined with a trip on a regular boat on the Chao Phraya River, or with a tour of the royal residence, which is, it must be said, quite impressive.

Floating Markets. Floating markets are not particularly exotic for Thailand, however, most of them are located far from both Bangkok and places usually visited by tourists. In Bangkok itself there are only two such markets, the Taling Chan market and the Khlong Lat Mayom market.

The second market, Khlong Lat Mayom Market, is also located in the western part of Bangkok, in the Thonburi area, a little further from the river bed. Both Khlong Lat Mayom Market and Taling Chan Market are open only on weekends, so keep this in mind when planning your trip to the Klongs of the Chao Phraya River.

Chinatown, one of the most colorful areas of Bangkok, with its western borders facing the Chao Phraya River.

A visit to Chinatown is definitely recommended, this place is not like the rest of Bangkok, where you can look at classical Chinese architecture, visit Chinese temples, look at kilometer-long markets and go to Chinese shops, some of which, for example, Chinese medicine shops, are the most exotic by high standards.

Bang Kachao area located in a bend of the Chao Phraya River, on the western side of the river. This area is not often visited by tourists, and in vain, since it is the only place in the vicinity of Bangkok where it remains untouched wild nature, quiet, no skyscrapers or massive development, and in addition to this, the Bang Kachao area is ideal for cycling.

Samut Prakan. People usually go to Samut Prakan province to see the impressive monuments of religious architecture.

Namely, on the Buddhist temples located next to, on the buildings of the park itself, of which there are no more or less than 120 pieces, and on the giant statue of a three-headed elephant, installed at the entrance to the province and dominating all the surrounding buildings.

However, Samut Prakan province is remarkable not only for this. The province contains the lower reaches of the Chao Phraya River, and its mouth is also located there. You can cross the river at this point and look at the 200-year-old Phra Samut Chedi temple, located on the western side of the river.

The crossing to the west side of the Chao Phraya River is, as is often the case, surprisingly cheap, in this case 4 baht, and the boat ride itself is quality entertainment that contrasts well with the traditional tourist program, which consists of visiting countless temples, palaces and monuments.

Getting to the province of Samut Prakan is not difficult; the territory of the province begins immediately beyond the southern borders of Bangkok. From the last (as of September 2017) station of the Sukhumvit Line, Bearing station, the provincial borders are less than 1 kilometer away. Taking into account the fact that the Sukhumvit Line continues to be actively built in south direction, in the foreseeable future it will be possible to take the metro directly to all the attractions of the Samut Prakan province.

More information about the province of Samut Prakan is written here: where you can also find other maps and descriptions of each of the attractions.

Ayutthaya. The ruins of the previous capital of Siam are located 60 kilometers north of the borders of Bangkok, upstream of the Chao Phraya River. The city was the capital of the kingdom for 417 years and ceased to exist in 1767, when it was captured and burned to the ground by the Burmese army after a 14-month siege.

What remains of the once prosperous city are now the ruins of several dozen temples, giving an idea of ​​the former wealth and prosperity of the ancient capital of the kingdom. Even in their dilapidated state, these temples are impressive, and Ayutthaya, with good reason, is considered one of the most interesting places in the vicinity of Bangkok.

Summer Royal Residence (Bang Pa-In Royal Palace). The Bang Pa-In palace complex is located near Ayutthaya, 20 km. downstream the Chao Phraya River. In addition to the palace itself, on the territory of the complex there are many colorful buildings in Chinese, Thai and European styles. There is also a nice park with lakes, gazebos and flower beds.

Visiting the Bang Pa-In Palace is quite simple; its inspection is included in the program of almost all excursions in ancient capital Ayutthaya.

Motorboat trips along the Chao Phraya River and its many rivers

Trips on wooden motor boats (longtail boats) along the Chao Phraya River and its many klongs (canals) are one of the best entertainment in Bangkok.

The greatest interest, however, is not the inspection of the banks of the Chao Phraya River itself, but trips along its numerous klongs (canals), located in the Thonburi region, in the west of the Thai capital.

The length of the klongs of the Thonburi region is very significant, in total it amounts to many tens of kilometers, and it is impossible to examine them in one trip. As a result, Bangkok boatmen offer several different routes to choose from, with a typical duration of ~2 hours.

Speaking about the Taling Chan floating market, it should be noted that it is located not so much on the water as next to it, on the banks of the klong (canal). This, however, does not in the least diminish its flavor.

And finally, you can visit the orchid plantation (Niyom Orchid Farm) and see with your own eyes the great variety of colors and shades characteristic of these amazingly beautiful plants.

You can take a boat for trips along the Chao Phraya River in several places, including at the Sathorn Pier, which is located next to the Saphan Taksin skytrain (metro) station. It is worth noting that Sathorn Pier is the only pier located in close proximity to a metro station.

You can also take a boat from the Tha Chang pier, located at the northern wall of the royal residence. This pier can be recommended if you want to combine a visit to the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (both of which are worth seeing) with a trip along the Klongs of the Chao Phraya River.

If you decide to take a boat, keep in mind the fact that boats operate on the river and its canals only during daylight hours. In these parts, twilight begins to fall as early as 5 pm, so 3 pm is close to the deadline for taking a boat.

Important. On the Chao Phraya River there is always a fairly strong wave, surprisingly strong for a river a couple of hundred meters wide. As a result, splashes are constantly flying from boats and boats passing nearby, which, with a high degree of probability, will splash your boat as well. You need to dress appropriately for a trip on the river. Shorts and a T-shirt, costing a total of 100 baht, are perfect for this trip.

Trips on regular boats along the Chao Phraya River. Piers, prices and routes.

Starting the story about regular boats plying the Chao Phraya River, it should be noted that they are used primarily as a means of transportation; as excursion boats, these boats are not particularly impressive.

The views from the cruise boat, in general, are not bad, and in some places are even very educational, but they are much inferior to the colorful picture that can be seen along the lengths of the Chao Phraya River.

As vehicle, these boats are relevant and in demand, because... allow you to quickly and cheaply get to palaces and temples in the central part of the city (,), located at a significant distance from metro stations.

The only carrier serving regular flights along the Chao Phraya River is the Chao Phraya Express Boat company, whose boats operate 5 different routes, making stops at more than 30 piers of the Chao Phraya River. The cruise ships of this company are marked with multi-colored flags, which make it possible to distinguish a boat of one route from another. Four routes of this company, orange flag boat, green flag boat, blue flag boat and no-flag boat, were initially designed for local residents, while the fifth route, tourist boat or blue flag boat, is positioned by the company as a route for tourists.

Trips on regular boats along the Chao Phraya River. Sathorn Pier, Chao Phraya Express Boat schedule.

The cost of a trip on a regular boat starts from 9 baht and depends on the length of the trip. For this money you can buy a ticket on a boat that specializes in transporting local residents. Prices for the tourist equivalent (tourist boat, also known as blue flag boat) are noticeably higher, 40 baht for one trip, regardless of distance, or 150 baht for a one-day pass. In fairness, it should be noted that a tourist boat also has its positive aspects. This type of cruise ship is more comfortable and makes stops at all major tourist attractions, which is not guaranteed in the case of other boats.

Update Apr 2018. As of April 2018, a single trip on a tourist ship cost 50 baht, a pass still cost 150 baht.

If you travel from Sathorn Pier, the main carrier pier and the only pier located near the metro station, you will have the opportunity to check the routes and list of boat stops on site, there are posters at this pier with all the necessary information. On the remaining piers of the Chao Phraya River, things are worse with informing tourists, and it makes sense to decide in advance which boat route you need.
Spoiler: in the vast majority of cases, tourists need the Orange Flag Boat.

Concluding this topic, it is worth noting that regular boats on the Chao Phraya River run frequently, the intervals between trips designed for local residents are about 10 minutes, the first boats on the river depart at 6 o’clock in the morning and continue to run until 8 o’clock in the evening. Tourist boats (blue flag boats) run from 9:30 to 18:00, the interval between boats, according to the schedule, is 30 minutes. It must be added that de facto, the interval between ships depends on the availability of demand. During the high season, ships sail more often than indicated on the schedule.

Note. On the carrier's website, Chao Phraya Express Boat, you can find all the necessary information about routes, fares and schedules (the website has an English version).

Update Apr 2018. As of April 2018, Tha Tien Pier (next to the temple) was closed, ships stopped opposite this place, at the temple.

Excursions along the Chao Phraya River. Trips to Ayutthaya and evening cruises in Bangkok.

Except wooden motor boats and regular boats, large excursion boats sail along the Chao Phraya River, used for trips to the Ayutthaya area and for evening cruises in Bangkok.

A very popular excursion among tourists to Ayutthaya usually includes the following stages: a bus ride to Ayutthaya itself, inspection of the ancient ruins, transfer (again by bus) to the Bang Pa-In palace complex and inspection of the impressive buildings of the royal residence, loading to the ship (in the area palace complex) and return to Bangkok by ship, combined with tasting Thai cuisine and exploring the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

The cost of such an excursion is travel agencies Bangkok tours cost around 1,500 baht; on the Internet, similar tours are sold more expensively; their cost on the Internet is about 2,000 baht. This price ratio is typical not only for excursions along the Chao Phraya River, but also for all other excursions in Thailand.

It is worth noting that there is no practical need to book an excursion to Ayutthaya in advance, this tour You can always buy it the day before your intended trip.

The cost of another popular excursion, an evening cruise on the Chao Phraya River, the main program of which is dinner (almost always a buffet), also revolves around the round sum of 1,500 baht. What cruise ships are and what the exact program of this tour is can be found on the website of one of the main operators of evening cruises on the Chao Phraya River, Tristar Floating Restaurant, which owns six cruise ships with titles Chao Phraya Princess 1, Chao Phraya Princess 2, etc. You can guess the names of the four remaining ships yourself.

A quick comment regarding these cruises. The photos posted above are taken from the website of the organizer of evening cruises on the Chao Phraya River. The last photograph reflects much more accurately everything that is happening there, the audience, the way the food is served, and the general atmosphere. As you might guess, this tour is designed for a very specific audience, namely, people who are able to enjoy their holiday in Turkish all-inclusive hotels.

One of the tourist names - Asian Venice - did not happen by chance, because the Chao Phraya River crosses the capital of Thailand in half along its entire length, a real highway that connects different areas of the city with water transport.

And the Thonburi area, which I will tell you about today, is one of the most authentic areas of Bangkok, where time seems to have stood still and you can definitely feel like you are in Thailand 100-200 years ago. Bangkok's canals or klongs, as they are called here, are a very exotic way to discover this amazing city and see it from a new side.

Cost of excursion to Chao Phraya

Regardless of what your budget for excursions in Bangkok is, you can take a boat ride on the river with any money. Most cheap way- use public transport ferry for 3 baht, for those who have limited time and no desire, the easiest way is to book an excursion along the Chao Phraya River - a good option to see Bangkok from the water and go by boat to places where “water minibuses” do not go " You can buy it either by agreeing with the boatmen at the pier or at agencies selling excursions.

In the first case, the excursion can be individual and the price will depend on your bargaining ability and luck. We managed to charter a boat for 1.5 thousand baht for an hour, but who would have thought that right in the middle of the excursion our “captain” would decide to stop for lunch. It’s unlikely that he was doing it out of malice, these are the kind of people the Thais are, it’s definitely pointless to quarrel with them, but as we understand, this reduced the tour time by 15 minutes.. Well, that’s a minus self-guided tour without a guide - the fact is that no one will tell you anything, and I learned about many of the places we passed after this boat excursion.

So on my next trip I still plan to order organized excursion, but in the evening, firstly, I haven’t traveled like this yet, and secondly, it’s interesting to compare the route. The price of an evening Chao Phraya cruise traditionally includes dinner on the ship. Which somewhat compensates for the difference in price; besides, the excursion includes a transfer from and to the hotel, so you can definitely go once. And then, if you wish and have free time in Bangkok, go explore it on water public transport until you get tired of it.8)

There are a lot of options for how to get around Bangkok. Previously, I wrote about possibilities. But the roads in Bangkok are inevitable traffic jams. So an excellent alternative to buses and taxis is public transport, plying the rivers and canals of Bangkok. This is what we will talk about in this article.

There are two main ways to travel around Bangkok by boat: along the Chao Phraya River and along the Klongs, which are chosen depending on the desired route.

River bus on the Chao Phraya River (Chao Phraya Express Boats)

Boats plying the Chao Phraya River are a typical form of public transport for Thais. For tourists, even traveling on such an unusual form of transport is almost an excursion. The water bus is a convenient way to get to sights historical center city ​​(Rattanakosin district), where the main temples are located, as well as to.

You can transfer from the BTS to the water bus at the BTS Saphan Taksin station, next to which the central pier (Sathon) is located. This is convenient if you are coming from the center.

There are 4 main types of water buses in Bangkok, differing in the color of the flag on the boat, the cost of the trip and the number of stops (some piers may be skipped).

Orange line: the most common. The fare does not depend on the distance of the trip and is 15 baht. Open 6am to 7pm daily.
Green Line: The fare depends on the distance - from 13 to 32 baht. Open Monday-Friday from 6.15 to 18.05
Yellow line: The fare depends on the distance - from 20 to 29 baht. Open Monday-Friday from 6.15 to 20.00.
Without flag: not express boats, they stop at every pier, which means your sail will take longer. Cost from 10 to 14 baht.
There are also tourist boats designated blue flag and plying between Phra Athit (No. 13) and Sathorn (Central Pier) piers. They run daily from 9.30 to 15.00, the fare is 40 baht (one-time) or 150 baht for an unlimited number of trips per day. That is, you can get off at each pier, visit the sights, then again take a boat with a blue flag to the next pier.

Nuances:
There is a website www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com from all over useful information(Thai and English languages), including fares, piers, schedules, etc.

Tickets for the river bus can be bought on the boat itself, or at the ticket office on the pier. In the second case, do not throw it away, because... they can check it on the boat.

You can see whether the river bus of a particular line stops at the pier you need on the diagram located at any pier.

Don't be alarmed by the noise! The conductors on the boat usually shout loudly (not at you) and jingle their coin box, those who moor the boat to the pier blow their whistle, and the engine roars as it should. So you won’t be able to whisper sweetly while looking romantically at the sunset. Public transport is public transport)

If you want privacy, you can rent a separate boat that will take you along the river according to the plan you need, but it will cost several thousand baht and you will have to negotiate. You can rent a boat at the central pier (Sathorn). But in this case, you will be able to enjoy the views of Bangkok, starting from architectural monuments such as the Wat Arun temple, and ending beautiful houses or the poor shacks of city residents located on the water, which, by the way, are often adjacent.

The most popular among me is pier No. 13 (Phra Archit), since it is located next to the main “public overnight” for budget tourists - street, the easiest way to get to it from the center is by using the river bus along the Chao Phraya River.

By the way, finding the entrance to it when leaving the Khao San Road area is not easy: you can simply not notice it)

Ferry across the river

Another type of water transport in Bangkok is ferries that run between the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It is convenient, which is natural, in the only case - quickly and cheaply crossing the river. The most popular ferry is from Pier 8 (Tha Tien Pier), where Wat Pho is located, to Wat Arun. The journey takes a few minutes, the fare is 3 baht.

Along the clogs on boats

In addition to the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok has canals called klongs, which also serve public transport in the form of boats. There are many channels, but many of them have not been used for a long time. Now there are two popular canals through which you can get to your desired point by boat.

For example, after walking a little from to (and the Golden Mountain), you will find Panfa Pier there, where, by taking a boat along the Saen Saep clog (this is the Golden Mount Line), in no more than 15 minutes you can reach the city center, namely the Pratunam area (Pratunam Pier), or visit, for example, the Siam Paragon shopping center.

Moving around Bangkok on beautiful slopes tourist types You don’t have to wait, but there are as many interesting ones as you like: Bangkok’s canals pass among authentic Thai districts, poor barracks, dilapidated houses built on stilts, here you can see the “other side” of the many faces of Bangkok.

The fare is about 10-20 baht (depending on the distance). By the way, you need to buy a ticket on the boat from conductors (ticketeers or whatever they are called), who, like acrobats, walk along the side of the boat, holding on to the rope, and not inside it.

When paying, please indicate which station you are going to.

Pros: unusual, specific, unusual, interesting, inexpensive, without traffic jams.

Minuses: They walk in a fairly limited area.

Nuances:
To get into the boats cruising along the klongs, you need to be in a hurry. She moored to the piers literally for a minute (or even a few seconds). Your grace will not be useful here either, because there is no entrance to the boat as such. As soon as you jump in, it’s good. It is quite surprising to see people in business suits deftly jumping from the pier to the boat and back. While tourists like me stand and wonder which side to get to)

In some places, the channels are very narrow, so much so that oncoming boats swim almost end to end. Splashes are also a logical phenomenon in such situations. To escape from them, a film is placed on the sides of the boat: pull the string and the film rises.

If you are driving along a canal and everyone suddenly starts getting off, don’t panic, follow everyone (even if it’s not your station) and wait for the next boat. This is probably the final one. The fact is that even though there are two lines along which boats go (Golden Mount Line and Nida Line), in essence Pratunam station is terminal station the first line and the initial line - the second. Your ticket purchased the first time is still valid, so make sure you save it for presentation.

Public transport along Klongs runs daily from 5.30 to 20.30 (on weekends until 19.00).

There is a site with useful information for moving around the clones: www.khlongsaensaep.com

Who watched the movie "Bangkok Hilton"? I watched it as a child, I was about twelve years old, I remember how I was very worried about Nicole Kidman, I was especially impressed by the soundtrack at the beginning and I remember how the characters in the film dashingly rode around the city on long-tail boats. Even then, the thought sunk into my head: to see “when I grow up” this unusual city, which is literally riddled with river canals.

If you arrive like we did, then at the first intersection the tuk-tuk drivers will definitely offer you a tour of the canals of Bangkok. But don’t rush to agree and get into a taxi, the price for such a pleasure is not the cheapest (40 baht for the driver + 2000 baht for renting a boat/person), there is a more budget-friendly way to see this excursion in Bangkok on your own, by going to the pier and hiring a boat on the spot.

How to rent a boat yourself for a walk along the canals of the Chao Phraya River

When we arrived in Bangkok, the first thing we did was rush to explore the main attractions located in the area of ​​the street, and while walking in the vicinity of The Grand Palace, we followed a crowd of Chinese tourists and went to the water bus stop - the Tha Chang pier.

Here, many local tour companies offer rides along the canals of Bangkok, and this excursion includes:

• visiting the floating market
• fish farm
• Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun)
• Royal Barge Museum

After wandering around the pier, we bargained a little and rented a boat for 500 baht, which took us on our excursion to the canals of Bangkok. No one will allow you to drive the boat yourself; the boat is rented with a driver. In addition, only a local boatman can understand the operation of these vessels.

Tha Chang Pier near the Royal Palace

Along the canals of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok with a personal boatman. Our reviews

What was our boat that took us along the klongs, as the Thais call river canals. This is a wooden “long-tail boat” with an incomprehensibly attached engine from a truck - to control such a device, the captain of the boat is constantly moving and literally hanging on the lever. On the sides of the vessel there are oilcloth sides that protect passengers from splashes; the roof is made of the same material over the top. In general, the boat itself looks very beautiful: the Thais love their “longtails” and decorate them with bright decorations of flowers and garlands.

This is how the Thais steer their “longtail” - a long-tailed boat
Dressed up longtails near the pier in Bangkok

What you can see on the river canals of Bangkok

As you know, in Bangkok there are only about 150 canals with the main artery of the city - majestic river Chao Phraya, which divides the city into two halves. Our excursion followed a pre-planned route, and besides, there were only two of us in the boat - not counting the captain himself, so our journey was very relaxed: we constantly changed seats, took photographs and loudly greeted boats with tourists passing by.

Digging a little from the topic, I’ll say that our excursion took place on the very day when exactly the same boat exploded, at 6.30 in the morning on one of the river canals of Bangkok. Nobody warned us about the danger, and in general there was no panic on the pier that day - there were the usual crowds of tourists rushing to take seats on the river buses. In the evening, I called my mother and found out about this incident.

I'm sitting in a longtail - a business sausage)
Approaching the floating market

Floating Market

The first seller of the floating market, seeing us, immediately swam up to our longtail in her boat and began offering souvenirs and other trinkets (the price tag for the junk was not at all high, then on Koh Samui we saw the same souvenirs only twice as expensive). In general, you can buy a lot of useful things at such boat markets: local farmers flock here to sell fresh fruit at competitive prices; you can try natural juice and coconut ice cream straight from the boat. But to enjoy the spectacle of the market on the water, you need to come here in the morning.

City on the water

We sail further and here the most interesting thing begins - the city of Bangkok appears before our eyes from a completely different side: we see the underside of this multimillion-dollar Asian metropolis: the poorest quarters of Bangkok, shacks built from cardboard boxes right on the water. I immediately had an association with the film water world with Kevin Costner: there are people here too, living on unimaginably houses built on stilts. They approach their flimsy homes on boats because there is no other way to get there. We saw an old Thai man fishing with a fishing rod in the canal right from the window of his house. There is a feeling that these houses could fall apart at any moment - just from the blowing of the wind, they are so lopsided and dilapidated.

A familiar sight on the canals of Bangkok - laundry hung out to dry

The water in the river along which we are moving is muddy and polluted from longtails and river buses constantly plying along it. But despite this, local children splashed happily and jumped into the river before our eyes. I won’t say whether there are crocodiles in Chao Phraya and whether it’s safe to swim in such a river, but we saw a huge monitor lizard basking in the sun on the shore with our own eyes.

Monitor lizard basking on rocks along the river canals of Bangkok

Temple of the Dawn Wat Arun

By the way, the Temple of the Dawn Wat Arun, in the photo in the background you can see a high pagoda in the Khemer style - in other words, “prang”, was under reconstruction at that moment, so we just sailed past without stopping. The building itself is unusual in that it is decorated to the very top with colored glass, mirrors and porcelain. This mosaic is laid out in the form of patterns and designs by hand by Thai craftsmen. But we did not give up the idea of ​​​​climbing to the top of the Wat Arun Temple of the Dawn and looking at Bangkok from a bird's eye view.

Temple of the Dawn Wat Arun

Walk around Bangkok by water bus

Our excursion ended here, but we continued our acquaintance with the Chao Phraya River on our own. The next day, armed with a map of Bangkok, we came to the nearest pier and boarded a river bus to ride along the widest river channel in Bangkok - along the Chao Phraya River, dotted with barges and boats. Here we did not take an excursion, but simply bought a ticket, like ordinary passengers - local residents. The fare is very symbolic - only 13 baht.

Water bus stop in the building shopping center Bangkok

Here the picture is completely different: instead of slums, a crowded area dotted with skyscrapers stretches out before our eyes. You immediately begin to feel the full power of the Asian metropolis, the urban modern architecture makes it clear how much the city of Bangkok is developing and growing.

View from the water bus window
Reminded me of the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow

You will be whisked past the main attractions of Bangkok - The Grand Palace. So such a walk can be considered an express excursion, and if you want, you can get off - the water bus stops at the pier with access to the Royal Palace (The Grand Palace).

This is how we swam through the river canals of Bangkok. I believe this walk is the first thing you should do upon arrival in Bangkok: it allows you to better understand the place you have arrived in and see the city from different sides. In addition, this is a budget-friendly way to learn how to move around Bangkok, bypassing traffic jams and enjoying the spray of the waves.

How to book a river cruise in Bangkok

In order to go on an exciting walk along Chao Phraya, you don’t have to go on your own to the pier, especially if this is your first time in the city and you don’t want to get lost. All you have to do is book your place on the boat via the Internet, fortunately there are such applications now. Surely you have heard about Sputnik, and if not, then excursions from Sputnik8 are Bangkok through the eyes of local residents, because the guides are people who have lived in the city of angels for a long time, and at the same time speak Russian! Well, where else will you find such a trip, which will include a Russian guide, dinner and transfer from the hotel? Follow the banner and read the program, it is very rich.

The Chao Phraya or Chao Phraya River with its numerous branch canals is the main transport and shipping artery of Bangkok, tightly entangling the city with a network of boat and ferry routes. But in addition to the practical component, Chao Phraya also has a purely entertaining one. Yes, I'm talking about evening cruises on the Chao Phraya River, which are extremely popular among tourists! This is what I want to tell you about in more detail.

In general, I, of course, sailed along Chao Phraya and on ordinary boats, when I examined the main attractions of Bangkok - the Royal Palace and numerous temples in the neighborhood. But on my second visit, thinking about where else I could go in Bangkok, I looked for inspiration on the Internet for tours offered around the city and suddenly came across an evening cruise along Chao Phraya. Why not, I thought, after all night Bangkok I practically couldn’t see it at all, and even more so from the water. A couple of minutes and I already made a reservation. 🙂

So, what types of cruises there are, how much they cost and where you can book such an excursion yourself I will tell you in this article. Well, I’ll spice it all up with a fair amount of photographs. 🙂

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Where to buy the excursion “Evening Cruise on Chao Phraya”

In general, I booked this excursion through the Sputnik service for $55 per person. UPD: It’s no longer relevant, Sputnik stopped selling this excursion, I removed the link to it. 🙁 Sputnik good service, which I use periodically on my travels. But, as it turned out while writing the article, the same tour in different variations can be bought cheaper through the service.

The difference between Sputnik’s offer and cheaper ones is only in what is offered to you private transfer with a Russian-speaking guide who, upon arrival, will take you to the ship, and after the cruise will meet you and put you in the car. In the case of Get Your Guide, transfers are group transfers, without a guide and, importantly, only from central regions Bangkok - carefully read the description of the excursion.

Chao Phraya cruise prices and types

The cost of river cruises, in fact, differs only depending on the type of ship and whether transfer from the hotel to the pier is included or not. Among ships of the same type, prices will be the same plus or minus, but sometimes some company may have discounts, so carefully study the offers.

Types of cruises:

• 2 Hour Dinner Cruise on Chao Phraya Princess is the most popular option on big ship. It costs about $47, but very often there are discounts up to $33, and for $47 you can get it with transfer.
• The 2-hour dinner and show cruise on White Orchid is exactly the ship I sailed on and it's also big. Price per person is $44 without transfer and $52 with it. Often discounts up to $30/$39 respectively. Read more about the cruise on this ship below.
• 2-hour cruise on Shangri-La Horizon - small boat, 5-star service and meals on board. It costs significantly more - $95 at par and $75 on discount days. Transfer is not provided.
• 2-hour cruise on an antique rice barge - a small boat suitable for those who want maximum flair. 🙂 Price - $72, $107 and $123 (with a discount of $59/89/104) depending on the type of package. The two more expensive packages include alcohol. You can choose your departure time from two options. There is no transfer.
• A 2-hour cruise on the luxurious antique rice barge Manohra is the same as the previous option, only more luxurious. Costs $72 per person. There is no transfer.

These are the main and most popular options for evening cruises on Chao Phraya. Please note that the larger the cruise ship, the less intimate and romantic the atmosphere will be and the more of a booth. It’s not a fact that a booth is bad, it’s just that if you want to have a kind of romantic dinner with your other half, then it’s better to choose a small boat, but more expensive. The food will be tastier there too. 🙂 Well, for those who like loud shows, songs and dances, mass swims will be just right.

Evening cruise on Chao Phraya reviewed by Travel or Die

Well, let's finally move on to the debriefing. Let me note once again that we'll talk about the excursion, which was presented on the Sputnik website, but now it is no longer sold, so I also removed the link. I emphasize because it has one pleasant feature, which I only learned about after the excursion had already begun.

Transfer from hotel to pier

So, according to the voucher, they were supposed to pick me up at my condo at 18:00. I went down to the lobby at ten minutes to the minute, and the organizer immediately called me and said that they were delayed by an hour due to traffic jams. Check-in on board starts at 19:30, so I don’t really care, I just thought that it probably took so long for tourists to get to their hotels. Imagine my surprise when at 19:00 a personal driver came for me in a car with a guide and took me alone to the pier! I didn’t expect this at all, because even on Sputnik it says that the excursion is a group tour! Arriving at the pier, being one on one with the guide, we chatted about various things for about 40 minutes, until our departure. non-tourist places Bangkok. In general, the beginning has already captivated me. 🙂 So you understand, excursions from other companies imply a group transfer, which is even more fun in the busy evening Bangkok.

Transfer fee: 10/10

Waiting to start and boarding the ship

1. The starting point of the cruise is the River City Bangkok shopping mall, where a large number of antique exhibits are presented that can be purchased. Before you start, you'll likely have plenty of time to wander around the complex.

2. View from the Chao Phraya River.

3. At approximately 19:40 we went to the pier next to the River City Bangkok shopping center, they gave me a ticket for the ship, took a photo with the Thai lady, which then on the ship you will be asked to buy for 200 baht and somewhere before 20:10 we just waiting for loading. The crowd was decent, mostly Asians (Indians, Chinese), a few Europeans and other pale faces, including a group Russian tourists from Anex Tour.

4. Boarding lasted 5-7 minutes, but in the ship itself the flow of tourists was quickly distributed across the decks, so the main thing was to endure the passage along the walkway to get inside. 🙂

Ship boarding rating: 7.5/10. They arrive early, the boarding itself is delayed, albeit for 10 minutes, there are crowds of tourists, slow loading.

Dinner on the ship

The second surprise, which really added respect to the organization of this entire event in my eyes, happened at the moment when we were distributed to tables. Well, let's start with the fact that everyone's ticket indicates a strictly defined seat, i.e. no one is rushing to take a better table. Where they put them, they put them there. But I went crazy after I, who arrived alone, was given a SEPARATE table! They didn’t sit me down with someone, because I’m alone anyway, but they gave me a personal one. 😀 I didn’t expect this from the Thais at all. I thought it would be as usual - everyone is sitting on everyone else’s heads, but here it is on you. 🙂

5. Red liquid in a glass is a welcome drink; water is refilled free of charge throughout the evening.

6. As soon as everyone boarded the ship and sat down, we handed over the mooring lines and were immediately invited to the table. Buffet.

7. Of course, everyone immediately rushed to eat, so those who hesitated had to wait 5-7 minutes for their turn at the food section. The buffet was right there, on the upper deck.

8. There was quite a large selection of food, like side dishes...

9. ...so hot. Here you will find pork, chicken and beef, shrimp and other seafood. Of the soups, however, only tom yum, it seems.

10. Several types of salads, but they were all kind of strange. 🙂 I tried a little of each, they were spicy and unedible for my taste. 🙂

12. The desserts were also very strange, I tried everything, it seems, but nothing was right. 🙂 But the fruit bar was not bad, everything was ripe and tasty, but the choice was classic.

13. And there were also rolls. Well, I mean, Thai rolls, if you know what I mean. 🙂 A very unique something that I, over time, even learned to enjoy. The main thing is not to skimp on soy sauce. :))

Dinner rating: 8/10. In general, the picture with food on the ship is a little strange. Yes, the choice is good, the quality is the best of all the excursions I have attended. But damn, overall it’s still not the same. 🙂 Maybe I put something wrong, of course, but for some reason, of all the things I tried, the classic pork in sweet and sour and rice with vegetables was the one that suited me the most. 🙂 Even the seafood was soft and fresh, but somehow tasteless. I wouldn’t be picky and generally just get used to the fact that Thai cuisine is not for me, but my Thai friend in Phuket, from whom I ate classic Thai food almost every day for three months, cooked much more deliciously. 🙂 But at the same time, the food was still noticeably better than I expected, and I definitely didn’t go hungry. 🙂

Cruise show program

14. When I bought a ticket for the cruise, I didn’t expect anything from dinner, I thought that there would be some small snacks and that’s it, and I certainly didn’t expect any show program. 🙂 But in reality, the fun began as soon as we set off.

15. Various dancers and singers replaced each other on stage with enviable regularity.

16. The ladies were all vocal, sang well, the repertoire included super-popular world pop hits, usually from the 90s and 2000s. You know exactly, so as not to be mistaken - only the material that even a deaf Chukchi from the far north knows.

17. I was, in general, deeply uninterested in this whole show, but I love watching people have fun listening to all sorts of game, so in the periods between contemplating the next beauties floating overboard and dinner, I was distracted by the program. 🙂

18. And what pleased me about it was that there was no feeling that everything that was happening was cheap. Respectable ladies and gentlemen, beautiful high-quality suits. Yes, of course, it’s garbage on vegetable oil for the mass consumer, but at least everything was done to the level. 🙂

19. After the end of the main part of the show, you could safely take pictures with its participants.

20. There was also a moment when everyone was invited to the stage to perform something karaoke, some Indian woman came out and sang some heartbreaking song a cappella in Hindi. And she did it almost better than the singers from the show. 🙂

21. I still don’t understand whose children these are, but they spent the whole evening on stage and sometimes it seemed that they were also part of the show.

22. A warm lamp atmosphere reigned throughout the evening. 🙂

Show Rating: 8/10. The show is decent, the only negative is that it is too intrusive. Even sitting at the very stern of the ship, the music was blaring quite loudly. That is, this is not at all the option when something purrs in the background, unobtrusive musical accompaniment, here each participant tears the ligaments like the last time. 🙂

What to see on a Chao Phraya cruise

But everything that is said above is all lyrics, I personally took this cruise not for the food and show, but to see Bangkok at night! So most of the time I did just that, because there is so much to see during the walk. 🙂

23. An evening cruise along the Chao Phraya River starts exactly a couple of hundred meters from the new bright and incredibly beautiful ICONSIAM shopping mall.

27. Incredible rivals him in terms of epicness temple complex Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan.

30. Following Wat Arun, the Royal Court will float past you, although it is not so clearly visible.

32. Along the way you will meet all the ships that I listed in the section with types of cruises. This, for example, is that same antique rice barge. 🙂

33. Entire lines of bright, colorful ships will scurry back and forth past you. 🙂

34. And also bridges! There will be countless of them on your way. From the simplest...

35. ... to such that they can pass for a separate attraction - the Rama 8th Bridge.

37. Sometimes 3 bridges at a time will float in front of your face.

38. And trains will whiz past your head!

39. And of course, the skyscrapers of Bangkok are like spaceships plowing through space on the way to the Moon.

40. The final point of the route is a Ferris wheel, upon seeing which the ship will turn around and slide back.

41. Hotels and shopping centers.

42. And during the cruise you will probably be lucky enough to see more than one fireworks display.

43. I’m not sure that they were launched in our honor, but with enviable frequency. 🙂