Chao Phraya Express Boat & Tourist Boat

2/29/2016

The Chao Phraya (แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา) River is a huge river that runs through Thailand, including Bangkok. Don't you love it when a city is situated on water?

Naturally, you have options for transportation via the river. In many cases, the River may provide a most convenient spot for you to reach your destination with ease. For your convenience, I will link to the official BTS and Chao Phraya Express Boat web pages to highlight some useful pages for planning your trip.

We took the BTS from Onnut station (สถานีอ่อนนุช) to Siam (สถานีสยาม) where we transferred to Silom Line (สายสีลม) and got off a few stops later at Saphan Taksin. (สถานีสะพานตากสิน) This station is nicely situated at the Pier where you can catch the Chao Phraya Express Boat or Tourist Boat as well as hire other boats, perhaps a longtail to take you to the floating market.

Monks Anticipating the next Express Boat at the Sathorn Pier

Ticketing - Express Boat

There are several different lines you can take that run different routes and at different times.

Local Line (no flag): 8/10/12 baht
Orange Flag Boat: 14 baht
Green Flag Boat: 10/12/19/31 baht
Yellow Flag Boat: 19/29 baht

Of course the prices vary depending on how far you are traveling, which stop you get off at.

Guess How Many People!?!

Ticketing - Tourist Boat

Most likely, this is what you are hear to know read up on.

The tourist boat is a lovely provision!! It leaves from Sathorn Pier every 30 minutes starting at 9:30.
A ticket costs 130 baht ( about $3.65 USD) for unlimited rides all day.

Much like the BTS day pass, there is a lot of comfort in knowing you have unlimited rides when you are new to the area and just learning how to get around. Once you get your travel streamlined then you can save more by purchasing individual fares. But for tourists visiting for a short time, it's a lovely option!

Ticketing - Where To Buy

* Sathorn Pier (Central Pier)
* Phra Arthit Pier
* BTS Siam Station
* BTS Taksin Station

Sights As You Sail

Busy as we all area, multitasking is a must.

And travel, unfortunately, is often too short. We have too many places to go, things to see, foods to try, culture to take in (Side Note: Overplanning is BAD. We'll talk about that later ;) )...

The River Boats are a great way to multitask. While you get to your next adventure for the day, you can enjoy the sights of the Chao Praya rushing through Bangkok. Take the time to look around and appreciate the color, the architecture, and the people around you.

Why Not?!

If you're not in a rush, why not hop off at a stop you have never been to before? Or why not stay on to one of the very last stops. See what you find!

At The End Of Your Adventure

You may be tired, after hopping on and off all day, trying not to miss the boat and land in the river.
(Yes, that almost happened to me) But even as the darkness surrounds you, the twinkling of city lights and boats dancing on the river could hardly be more beautiful.