River Boats on the Chao Phraya

 

Using the river boat system on the Chao Phraya is a must! It is affordable and convenient with access to the many tourist attractions. Most people start from the Central Pier (Saphan Taksin is the stop from the Sky Train). But once at the Central Pier, things can be very confusing.
First, do not buy a ticket from anyone that approaches you. They will try and sell a ticket at an inflated cost and push a private long boat for about 500 baht.

You have two options, there is a tourist boat and all day pass for 150 baht or 40 baht for one way trip. Or, do what the locals do and just pay the local transport boat which is only 15 baht. The tourist boat does have an English speaking tour guide that explains what is at each pier they stop. This is good if you have not done much research. I did the tourist one way route for 40 baht and did learn a good amount of what is at each stop. The remaining days I just paid the 15 baht and explored on my own.

The key here is not to buy a ticket from anyone that approaches you. In the photos you can see people in the light blue polo shirts. They work for the tourist boat. a line forms behind this area for the local boat that cost 15 baht. If you’ve done your research this is the best way to go. All the piers are well marked so you know where you are.

Note: The tourist guide boat has blue flags on the boat while the local boat has orange flags flying.

Address:  If you are staying near a BTS station, take the Skytrain to Saphan Taskin stop.

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