Bangkok river transport. How to get from Bangkok airport to the hotel, to the center? Marinas in Bangkok

The Chao Phraya River and the canals of Bangkok are an excellent walking route around the capital of Thailand. You can sail on boats as a kind of attraction, or just to get from one area of the city to another.

As you know, the capital is simply suffocating in traffic jams, and a walk along the river or canals is an excellent transport alternative. Local residents use boats very widely, since the cost of travel on them is low.

Chao Phraya River and Bangkok Canals - River Transport

Bangkok is often called the “Venice of the East” for its large number of canals, bridges and the presence of long-tail boats. Various boats, river buses, ferries move throughout this variety of waterways... They can be divided into 3 parts:

boats floating on the river
canal boats
ferries from one side of the river to the other.

Boats on Chao Phraya

River transport in Bangkok is quite developed, you won’t have to wait long, no more than 15 minutes.

Map of speed boat routes on the Chao Phraya River. You can download the original in good quality.

On the map, the squares show the piers on the Chao Phraya River, the blue dotted line shows the boat routes, and the red dotted line shows the ferries.

There are 4 types of boats (routes), you can distinguish them by the color of the flag on the deck:

Boats without a flag, they stop at all piers. Their cost is from 10 to 14 baht. Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 6.45 to 7.30 and from 16.00 to 16.30. The most “popular” and cheapest! As you can see, they only sail during peak hours.
Boats with an orange flag— they stop selectively, see the route map above to know where exactly. Their route runs from Wat Rajsinkorn Pier to Nonthaburi Pier. Cost 15 baht. Opening hours: Every day 6.00 - 19.00. I recommend this type of boat! Best price/quality ratio :-)
Boats with green flag go on the route Pakkred - Sathorn. The fare ranges from 13 to 32 baht. Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 6.10 to 8.10 and from 16.05 to 18.05.
Boats with a yellow flag, route Ratburana - Nonthaburi. The fare is from 20 to 29 baht. Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 6.15 to 8.20 and from 16.00 to 20.00.

On the map in blue shown tourist boats (Chao Phraya Tourist Boat)- they are distributed in the historical center from Sathorn Pier to Phra Arthit. The fare for them is 40 baht. You can also buy a day pass for 150 baht and swim an unlimited number of times.

The main pier is Sathorn (Taksin). Next to it is the Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain Station. Thus, having first sailed to the Sathorn pier, you can change to the skytrain and go to any part of the city. For detailed information about the Bangkok metro - underground, overground, airport line, read.

Ferries on the Chao Phraya River

Ferries connect opposite banks of the river, for example between Tha Tien and Wat Arun piers, and between the royal palace and the temple of the same name. On the map above, the piers from which ferries depart are indicated by red squares. The cost of such a crossing is only 3 baht.

Ferry on the Chao Phraya River

We swim to the other side of the river

Where can you get to using Bangkok river transport?

A typical travel destination in Bangkok is Khao San Road. But, unfortunately, a metro line has not been built there and it is unlikely that they will do so (the historical center), so I will tell you how to get to various areas of the city by river transport.

How to get from Khaosan Road - to Central World, Siam Center, Siam Paragon, Pantip Plaza, Big C shopping centers and Baiyoke Sky Hotel (Pratunam district).

I already wrote a little about this above. First of all, you need to walk from Khaosan Road to Wat Saket (east along the large wide street Ratchadamnoen Klang Road and past the Democracy Monument). It is at the temple that the Saen Saep canal begins. Then take a boat and travel along the canal to the east; the fare to the Pratunam area, where shopping centers are located, is 14 baht. Ask the conductor or passengers where to get off, he will definitely tell you everything :-)

Thus, traveling along the Saen Saep canal from Khao San to the center will take even less time than taking a taxi in traffic jams. Combining business with pleasure!

How to get to Chinatown, Indian Quarter, Flower Market.

To get to the Chinese or Indian quarters, it is not at all necessary to take a taxi; you can easily go to the Chao Phraya River to the nearest pier. For Khao San Road it is Phra Arthit Pier, for the Royal Palace it is Tha Chang or Tha Tien. From there, take a boat and go along the river to the Memorial Bridge pier and go straight to the flower market, and from there it’s not far to the Indian quarter.

How to get to the Royal Palace and Historical Center

The situation is the opposite when you live in the business center, where most shopping centers are located, but you need to get to the historical center, in the Rattanakosin district. The Chao Phraya River and its boats will again help with this.

To avoid traffic jams, I recommend jumping on the skytrain and going to Saphan Taksin station. It is literally a couple of steps from the pier of the same name, where you need to take a boat and sail north to the Tha Chang or Tha Tien piers. See the map above and everything will become clear!

So, you can easily visit, while having an interesting trip on boats along the river or along canals.

We put together an interesting one-day itinerary to take a couple of boat rides along Bangkok's canals with the locals, visit a temple and the royal palace. This kind of walk is always interesting because it is not a tourist attraction, but public transport.

Living in Bangkok for the second month, we already began to miss the water, the sea and even the pool. We decided to go for a walk, arranging ourselves a little “river trip”. With two transfers, first by bus, then by metro, we got to the Bangkok canals with boats.

Where to go canal boating in Bangkok

Half-day itinerary around the center of Bangkok:

Boat tour along Bangkok canals
Golden Mount Temple
Walking tour around the center
Royal Palace
Boat ride on the Chao Phraya River

1. Hua Chang Bridge Pier

We got off at the BTS National Stadium metro station and walked to the pier. You could also get off at Ratchathewi station, and walk a little closer there. The pier of the dirty river is incredibly camouflaged from the eyes of passers-by, but we still found it intuitively with the help of GPS.

After waiting 5 minutes for our boat to arrive, we set sail, paying 10 baht per person. The boats are spacious and designed for both sitting and standing places. We rode standing up to get a closer look at the barracks where people live.

Everything here is very dirty and poor. Such sides of the coin are not reflected in tourist brochures about Bangkok. Instead of high-rise buildings and clean streets, a person finds himself in a different, not very bright reality.

But at each house there are flowers planted and flower beds arranged. Even in poverty, residents diligently improve their modest homes.

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
We ordered a taxi online and paid by card. We were met at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You've already talked about your experience In this article.

2. Golden Mount Temple

After driving for about 10 minutes, we were dropped off at the same inconspicuous pier. Next we walked to the temple, also known as the Golden Mount.

3. Downtown Bangkok

After the temple we went for a walk through the center of Bangkok towards the center and the Royal Palace.

We discovered that all municipal and government institutions were surrounded by barbed wire, and there were guards with machine guns everywhere. We walked along the demonstrations, which, surprisingly, are still ongoing. Nobody knows when the “blockade” will come to an end (the situation in 2014).

Demonstrations in Bangkok in 2014

4. Royal Palace

Then we went to the Royal Palace. In the evening it was already closing, so we didn’t go inside, we just walked around it along the fence and headed to the next pier.

5. Tha Chang Pier near the Royal Palace

It was already getting dark when we arrived at the second pier, where boats, costing 14 baht per person, go down the Chao Phraya River (price 14 baht is current as of October 2016, payment to the conductor on the boat)

A few minutes of waiting and we were off. Bangkok is beautiful at dusk.

We both loved this Chinese house in Chinatown

We enjoyed our evening boat ride along the river. Even though there were a lot of people there, it didn’t stop us from looking at the evening city.

The temple of Wat Arun is visible - the temple of the dawn, a little reminiscent

Business center of Bangkok

6. Sathorn Pier (Taksin)

The final stop on our route. The MRT Saphan Taksin MRT station is located here. The half-day self-guided route around Bangkok was completed successfully!

You can take the opposite route and start from this pier. Be careful - the price for travel on the water bus is 14 baht, and not 40, as the helpers will offer you. Payment of fare to the conductor in line or to the conductor on the boat.

We didn’t see everything, because we had to leave in the morning to have time to ride along the canals of Bangkok and run through the main attractions along the way. But in our opinion, the most thrill comes from the fact that you can see the city from the bottom up, riding on the water, and compare what different lives the capital of Thailand can live. If we take into account that we mainly see only temples along the route, then such a short walk was enough for us. We've already seen enough temples and Buddha statues.

Route map

Bangkok is suffocating in traffic jams, so along with the Skytrain, you can use water trams, because they are very common in Bangkok.

Traveling along the canals and along large rivers in Bangkok is both exotic and the fastest and easiest way to get to the historical center, because in the center of Bangkok there is no metro or taxi, and taxi drivers very often refuse to go by the meter due to heavy traffic jams.

For me, this was very good news that I don’t need to go anywhere for this, but on the contrary, I will often have to use such a pleasant form of transport.

How to choose a route and how much it costs to rent a boat in Bangkok.

Let's first figure out how everything works. Bangkok's river transport is growing as spontaneously as everything else in this city, so its organization is in the category of "Well, something like that." This means that on any pier, any unsure tourist is immediately attacked by a dozen Thais who begin to explain something and drag him somewhere!

Your task is to send help through the forest with a smile on your face, because some of them will try to put you in their personal boat and rip off 1000 baht, some will put you in the wrong direction, some will try to get money for your help. In general, everyone will try to scam you.
You have completed the first stage, next comes the purchase of a ship ticket. Many stations have ticket offices, but the caveat here is that there are several types of boats (more on that below), and if you buy a ticket in advance, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll get on exactly the right boat, because... These tickets are already checked inside. Therefore, buy a ticket already on the boat, because... There are inspectors everywhere and this is completely normal!
I hope that you can handle how to sail a ship and find the right station. Although There is one important tip: Most often, the ship is filled to capacity, so in 95% of cases you will travel standing. The advice is to get good standing places right away, rather than trying to find a seat in the back of the boat first, because... in this case, you will stand in the middle of the boat and you will not be able to admire the views.

Nice route through Bangkok's open-sided canals

Ordinary, where seated people cannot see anything

Map of water routes in Bangkok

On the map, the blue dotted line shows the boat routes, the red line shows the ferries on the other side, and the squares are the berths. The stars show the main attractions near the piers. We have already written about some. Also look out for Taksin Pier (on the Green Line), which is the only connection to the BTS Skytrain, the fastest way to get around Bangkok.

Now about the boats themselves. The fact is that a trip along the canals in Bangkok is initially public transport, and only then a tourist attraction. Therefore, there are a lot of routes and they differ in speed and comfort.

To begin with, let's immediately define it - a trip along small canals, this is only public transport, there are many locals, not enough space, views of the harsh Bangkok. Tourists drive along the wide Chao Praya River. So we decided: a trip along the canals is trashy and exotic, and a trip along the river is all about sights and skyscrapers.

Now about the boats themselves. Each boat has a flag of a certain color attached to the back and it indicates its route (the map shows which colors stop where). Those without a flag go to all stops, cost 15 baht, there is very little space and they are used by locals. Moreover, the sides of the seats are closed and they cannot see anything at all, i.e. it's just a way of moving.

Green and blue routes for tourists cost only 40 baht per person. I especially liked the tourist boat - there is a lot of space, the seats can also admire the views, they tell you in English about all the places where you are sailing. Those. The price difference is a pittance, but the advantages are much greater.

Summarize:

Cost of a trip along the canals of Bangkok: from 15 to 40 baht per person. (if you use the services of a help, the trip may cost 150 - 400 baht).

Bot working hours: from 6.45 to 20.00

Not all routes operate this early and this late. Here is the official website of Bangkok water transport: there you will find the exact schedule and cost (don't forget to switch to English).

When is it useful to travel along the canals?

There is actually one canal route that might interest you. He will tell you how to get directly from the historical center to the financial center, where the main shopping centers are located, and).

This route starts from the popular Wat Saket Ham. Google maps coordinates: 13.755567, 100.506364 and goes through the entire financial district. The cost of the trip is about 20 baht per person, and the boat operating time is from 5.30 to 20.30, and on weekends until 19.00.

Excursions along the canals of Bangkok.

In fact, if you want something really interesting, then I highly recommend that you find a video of the excursion online, called “Real Bangkok” from Anton Dryanichkin! This man gives an amazing, custom tour of Bangkok, which also includes a tour of the Bangkok canals, where he talks about life inside these neighborhoods and slums. Most of the excursions are on video, but getting on them live is incredible! Anton himself is difficult to catch in the city, and besides him, no one will spend it with dignity! You can also book it through the excursion booking website.

Channels and Klongs of Bangkok play important role in the city's water transport network. Thaisthey began to be laid since time immemorial, but the canals acquired important economic importance only during the time of Ayutthaya.

History of Bangkok canals

It was during the Ayutthaya era (1350-1767) that trade became an increasingly important and necessary part of Thai life, and the need arose to transport large quantities of goods to other countries, some of which were in other parts of the world. The rulers came up with an idea: shouldn’t we dig canals in our country and send boats with valuable cargo through them? Thus, about 6 channels appeared in Bangkok. Thus, the problem of trade routes and serious transport problems were solved.

How to get from Wat Saket to Siam Ocean World

In addition to walking along, we decided to definitely take a water excursion along the canals of Bangkok. We learned that the river bus departs from the pier not far from. From the top platform of the temple you can even see the pier; you can watch and mentally practice how you will get on and off the tram at the stop you need.

The map shows where to take the tram to the SiamParagon skyscraper, which houses the Siam Ocean World aquarium. The walk takes 15 minutes.

By the way, when we left the Wat Saket temple and went to the pier, we saw these handsome people on the bridge, cleaning off the old paint from the fences. It smelled like some kind of strong chemical mixture. Scarves wouldn't hurt us either.

After the bridge we went down and found ourselves at the pier. Fortunately, the tram was already standing, and all we had to do was get on it. This is a separate story.

The fact is that this type of water bus does not have a special entrance. Get in how you want and where you want. And at the same time, you have 1 minute for all these tricks. The boat is practically worthless. She pulled up to a stop, people jumped into her, and she quickly cast off and sailed on. Thais have no problems with traffic jams.

Bangkok river bus and its inhabitants

Now a separate ode to the water bus and its workers. At first it may seem that the river tram is an ordinary speed boat. But this is not so. The Thais have created a new type of water transport with their own cunning mechanism.

The main boss on the boat, who is also a god, is the driver. The way he drives is breathtaking. The speeds are considerable. Moreover, considering that the canals are narrow and oncoming boats do not slow down... Sometimes they move apart a millimeter from each other. One word – channel gods!

The next part of the mechanism: God’s deputy is the usher, he is also the conductor, he is also the controller, he is also the sailor, he is also the mooring man, he is also the cleaner. Tickets on boats see everything and keep up everywhere at the same time. They usually work in pairs. One of them scared us when we got on the boat and started to get settled. The boat was almost empty and no one was sitting in the back. Imagine my fright when they suddenly started tapping me on the shoulder! Turning around, I saw the ticket taker standing on the edge of the board. He asks me to pay for the fare, holding out one hand and holding the railing with the other. And he gives change like this: he starts rummaging through the bag with both hands, while clinging to the railing with his feet. Equilibrists - one word. By the way, don’t think that only men are ticket takers. There are plenty of women too. A woman tapped me on the shoulder.

Now about the clever devices for a comfortable walk along the canal on a water bus. This is a transformable roof and a splash guard. Independent travelers need to know this information.

The roof of the Bangkok water buses is made of fabric, and is attached in a very cunning way. When you need to sail under a low bridge, the driver uses pneumatics to lower the roof by 30-50 cm. After the bridge, it raises the roof.

The second contraption is the splash guard. Moreover, control of this outlandish instrument is transferred to the hands of the passengers themselves. This kind of self-service works. When the same boat is rushing towards you, you need to very quickly pull one of the ropes that are located on the sides along the entire boat. If you have time, the awning will rise and you will not be splashed with water. If you are in doubt about whether to pull the string or see what happens, it is better to pull anyway, because the water in the canals is dirty. Passengers understand this and do not count the crows. That's why you don't get good pictures very often. The blue awning always fits in.

Walk along the canals and canals of Bangkok

The Thais call their canals, which are dug not only in Bangkok, klongs. The city is a little reminiscent of Ibo because it was built on a river, and is also unique, but in its own way. Klongs amaze with their diversity and color. In some areas you can see rows of skyscrapers, but mostly residential areas built on stilts stretch along both sides of the canals. There are a large number of dilapidated ruins adjacent to each other. It is unclear how they are still standing. And what’s even more amazing is that there is a street running along these slums, almost over the water, and locals walk along them calmly. Some even ride bicycles.

We spent a short time riding along the river canals and klongs of Bangkok. We needed to get to the Siam Paragon skyscraper, which houses the famous Bangkok Aquarium. In order not to miss the story about this excursion and other attractions, subscribe to blog updates .

The easiest way to get from Wat Saket was by water bus. We don't regret doing it at all!

By the way, the most important trick was to get out of the boat. In 30 seconds, you had to jump over the railing from the rocking ship and jump onto the pier, which was located above the level of the boat. It seems that the Thais on the boat helped us - they gave us a lift, and the Thais on the pier - they grabbed us by the hands. Thanks to them!

On the pier, right on the shop counter, this Thai Paris Hilton was waiting for us.

And finally the video. Extraordinary speed and views of Bangkok from the canal:

Sincerely,

Tourists will find this type of transport no less interesting, since many routes pass through popular tourist attractions. River transport in Bangkok is well developed and boats run every 10-15 minutes.

Bangkok river transport route map

There are several companies involved in river transport in Bangkok:

Chao Phraya River Express

The company's boats operate between Wat Ratchasingkhon (near Krungthep Bridge) and Nonthaburi province.

The company's boats can sail either with different flags, which indicate a specific route, or without a flag, which indicates that the boat will berth at each pier.

This company has 2 types of boats:

Standard express boats operating daily from 06.00 to 18.30 with prices from 4 to 16 baht

Special express boats operate from Monday to Friday from 06.00–09.00 and from 15.00–17.00. Ticket prices range from 10 to 25 baht

Chao Phraya Tourist Boat

This company specializes in the movement of tourists. Unlike ordinary boats, the boats of this company are not in a hurry. The route starts at Sathon Pier pier and ends at Banglamphu Pier pier. Between these two piers, the boat makes 10 stops that allow you to explore some of Bangkok's popular attractions, such as the Royal Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and Chinatown.

There will be a guide on the boat who, along the way, will tell you about Bangkok, its traditions and the sights that you will see.

The boats of this company operate daily from 09:00 to 15:00 every 30 minutes. The ticket costs only 15 baht, but you can buy a special ticket for 150 baht, which gives you the right to use the boats of this company an unlimited number of times during the day.

Cross-River Ferry

These boats specialize in ferrying passengers from one side of the Chao Phraya River to the other. The standard fee for this route is only 3 baht.

Longtail boats (river taxi)

You can see such boats on all major tourist routes. The cost of travel on such a boat depends on the distance, but it is better to agree in advance so that the amount announced at the end of the trip is not a surprise for you. The main advantage of longtails is that they are very fast and can be rented for any route.