Table of Contents
Introduction
The Chao Phraya river boats are Bangkok’s best-kept secret. While the streets groan with tuk-tuks, taxis, and motorbikes weaving through some of Asia’s most notorious traffic, the Chao Phraya River, the city’s original highway, flows quietly and efficiently.
Long before the BTS Skytrain or the MRT carved their way through the city, the river was Bangkok’s main artery. Consequently, temples, palaces, trading houses, and communities all grew up along its banks, and these are just the places you want to visit. Today, the Chao Phraya river boats remain one of the most practical, affordable, and scenic ways to move around the city, especially for independent travellers.
This guide covers the main water transport options you’ll find on the river. The Chao Phraya Express Boat services, the hop-on hop-off Chao Phraya Tourist Boat, and the newer electric Thai Smile Boat. Whether you’re heading to the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, or simply want to see Bangkok from the water, away from the fumes and the gridlock, the river will get you there cheaply, quickly, and with far better views.
Chao Phraya Express Boat
The Chao Phraya Express Boat is the most authentic and budget-friendly way to travel the river. This is how locals commute, and sharing that experience is half the fun. Fares are low (18 or 23 baht at the time of writing), but do check the official website before you travel as schedules and prices have changed several times in recent months.
The boats themselves are an experience worth savouring. As each vessel pulls into a pier, a deckhand at the stern blasts a whistle in sharp, rapid signals to the pilot at the bow, directing him to slow, hold position, or pull away. It’s a wonderfully human system in an age of digital everything. A single mooring rope is thrown around a post to hold the boat briefly in place, and the whole operation lasts only moments. Passengers are expected to board and disembark quickly, so have your wits about you. Hesitate and you may find yourself heading to the next pier.
Schedule table
The schedule table looks complicated at first glance, but much of it won’t apply to most tourists. The different coloured flags primarily indicate variations in fare and the specific piers where boats stop. The core experience is the same whichever flag you board.
To use the table, simply find the day you’re travelling, the direction you want to go (north or south along the river), and your approximate departure time. The times shown are departure times from the two terminus piers only. I will cover intermediate pier timings separately.
One thing worth noting: during certain periods of the morning and afternoon, the service switches between the orange flag and yellow flag. The table shows you exactly when this changeover happens, so keep an eye on that when planning your journey.
Finally, a word of caution. This schedule has changed considerably over the past year and my annotated version reflects the timetable effective from 23 June 2026. Always verify the latest timings on the official Chao Phraya Express Boat website before you travel.
Piers
As you can see from the schedule table above, boats run roughly every 30 minutes. Having timed the journey personally on multiple occasions, the travel time between piers is approximately three minutes.
A useful point of reference: the Wat Rajsingkorn terminus pier sits just south of Sathorn Pier (also known as Central Pier), which is located next to Saphan Taksin BTS station. For practical purposes, you can treat the Wat Rajsingkorn departure times in the table as a close approximation for Sathorn Pier too.
If you’re joining the boat at an intermediate pier and want to estimate arrival times, simply apply the three-minute rule. Count the number of piers between the terminus and your boarding point, multiply by three, and add that to the scheduled departure time.
Google Maps can also help with pier timings. Tap the pier icon and it will show a schedule of boats in both directions. Bear in mind though that these times are not always accurate, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a guaranteed timetable. The three-minute rule above is often just as reliable.
Piers and Attractions
to numbered piers
Good to Know
- Most boats have a loudspeaker system that announces pier names in English, and boat staff will often call them out too, so don’t worry about missing your stop.
- At major piers you’ll find a ticket counter where you purchase your ticket before boarding. At smaller, unstaffed piers simply board the boat and pay the ticket collector on board.
- Not sure which way is north or south at an unfamiliar pier? Stand facing the river then boats arriving from your left are heading north, and boats arriving from your right are heading south.
- The last boat departs from the terminus piers at about 6 PM.
Chao Phraya Tourist Boat
If you’re visiting Bangkok for the first time, or simply want a stress-free way to explore the major riverside attractions, the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat is probably your best starting point. Running between Phra Arthit Pier in the Khao San Road area and Sathorn Pier (Central Pier) next to Saphan Taksin BTS station, the intermediate piers cover most of the city’s unmissable sights, including the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.
One of the boat’s biggest draws is the open top deck, which offers wonderful, unobstructed views of the river and its famous landmarks. A word of warning though — the Bangkok sun is fierce, so bring sunscreen and a hat. At peak times the top deck fills up quickly, but there is a shaded lower deck if you need to escape the heat.
Unlike the express boats, the tourist boat is unhurried, with English-language announcements at every stop so you never have to wonder where you are. A one-day pass gives you unlimited hop-on hop-off travel, or if you’re only making one or two stops, single journey flat-rate tickets are available too. You will find current fares, boat schedule and map of the piers, on the official website.
Points to note
- The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat is also known as the Blue Flag or Blue Line.
- The Tourist Boat services runs for about an hour later than the Express Boat in the evening.
- The Tourist Boat runs the same schedule every day.
Thai Smile Boat
Previously known as MINE Smart Ferry, the Thai Smile Boat is the newest addition to the Chao Phraya’s water transport options — and the most comfortable. Unlike the open-sided express boats, it is fully enclosed and air-conditioned, making it a welcome relief on a sweltering Bangkok day.
The trade-off is views, or rather the lack of them. If sightseeing is your priority, stick to the express boats or the tourist boat. But if you simply want to get from A to B quickly and comfortably, the Thai Smile Boat does the job very well.
City Line
The Thai Smile Boat operates three lines on the Chao Phraya, though in practice only one is really relevant to most visitors. The Urban Line appears to be primarily a commuter service, running in the early morning and early evening only. The Metro Line stops at very few piers and is of limited use to tourists. That leaves the City Line, which offers the most practical and frequent service for anyone exploring the river.
A word of warning about the official Thai Smile Boat website. The schedule is presented as descriptive text rather than a clear timetable, and it is genuinely difficult to decipher. The route map is more useful, showing clearly which piers the City Line serves. For anything beyond that, good luck.
Google Maps can give you a rough idea of Thai Smile Boat departures when you’re at a pier. Tap the pier icon and it will show timings in both directions. However, in my experience these times are not always reliable, so treat them as an approximate guide and allow some flexibility.
Boats on the City Line run every 30 minutes between 08:00 and 18:00 on weekdays, and until 19:00 on weekends and public holidays. Tickets (currently 30 baht single trip) can be bought at Thai Smile counters at major piers, or paid directly on board if you’re boarding at a smaller pier.
Quick Facts
- You will still see the previous ‘MINE Smart Ferry’ logo on some boats.
- All the boats are electric.
- You can get unlimited boat and electric bus passes. Details on the Thai Smile Boat website.
Cross-River Ferries
Cross-river ferries operate at several points along the Chao Phraya, doing exactly what the name suggests; shuttling passengers from one bank to the other.
While there are many crossing points along the river, the two most useful for tourists are probably Sathorn Pier to Iconsiam and Tha Tien to Wat Arun.
Two of my walks on this site make use of cross-river ferries:
- The Amulets, Temples, and Ice Cream: Your Guide to Hidden Bangkok’s Itsaraphap walk, crosses from Wang Lang Pier to Tha Phra Chan Pier.
- Exploring the Silent Ruins: A Walk to Bangkok’s Abandoned Temples includes a crossing from Thewet (Thewes) Pier to Wat Bowon Mongkhon Pier.
The fare is about 5 baht for these ferries, one of Bangkok’s great bargains. Payment is sometimes collected on boarding and sometimes when you disembark. There is no timetable to worry about. Ferries leave when full or when the boatman decides the time is right. In practice there is never long to wait.
Longtail Boats
Longtail boats are a quintessential Bangkok sight. Long, low, and deafeningly loud as they carve through the water at impressive speed. Rather than running a fixed route, they are hired as a whole boat, making them suitable for groups of two to around eight people.
They can be found at several major piers, including Sathorn Pier. Before setting off, always agree the price with the driver. Negotiating after the trip is not recommended. Expect to pay around 3000 baht.
As well as travelling up and down the Chao Phraya, longtail boat trips typically include a tour of the canals on the Thonburi side of the river, weaving through a network of narrow waterways that feel a world away from the bustle of central Bangkok. It is an excellent way to see a part of the city that most visitors miss entirely.
From the River to Hidden Bangkok
The Chao Phraya river boats open up far more than just the obvious tourist trail. Several of my walks on this site either start or finish at a riverside pier, taking you deep into some of Bangkok’s most rewarding and little-visited neighbourhoods; the kind of places most visitors never find. Use the river to get there, or let it bring you home after a day of exploring the side of Bangkok that lies well off the beaten track.
The river boats and ferries on the Chao Phraya connect directly to several of my walks on this site, each leading you into a very different corner of hidden Bangkok. The superscript links indicate the relevant pier on the Piers and Attractions map above and on the map legend below.
- The atmospheric Exploring the Silent Ruins: A Walk to Bangkok’s Abandoned Temples, begins at Thewet (Thewes) Pier, with a river ferry crossing to start the walk proper.1
- To Explore Historic Baan Yuan in the Dusit District of Bangkok use the Thewet Pier1
- At Memorial Bridge Pier, join the Vibrant Bangkok Flower Market to peaceful Portuguese Community walk.2
- After following The Ultimate Walking Guide to Khlong San, Bangkok’s Riverside Gem, relax on the way home on a boat from the Memorial Bridge Pier.2
- The Amulets, Temples, and Ice Cream: Your Guide to Hidden Bangkok’s Itsaraphap walk, which includes a cross-river ferry, winds up at the historic Tha Chang Pier. This is just a short stroll from some of Bangkok’s most iconic landmarks.3
- From Phra Arthit Pier you can access the Rama VIII Bridge Photo Walk.4
- The Phra Arthit Pier also lets you access the Khao San Road Walk: Beyond the Neon and Into Old Bangkok.
Between them, these walks reveal a Bangkok that most visitors never see, and the river is your gateway to all of them.
Map
Chao Phraya River Boats FAQ
No. It stops at Tha Tien on the opposite side of the river. From here you can take a cross-river ferry to Wat Arun.
The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat and the Thai Smile City Line both stop at Wat Arun.
This shows the pier is north of Sathorn (Central) Pier.
The closest BTS Skytrain station is Saphan Taksin, which sits directly next to Sathorn (Central) Pier and is the most convenient rail connection to the river. It is also worth noting that Sanam Chai MRT station is approximately 400 metres from both Memorial Bridge Pier and Tha Tien, making it a useful alternative depending on where you want to join the river.
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