Bangkok hop on hop off boat

[Riverobsessed]

Has anyone used the Chao Phraya Express Boat for touring Bangkok? Their website describes a hoho type of cruise showing most, if not all of Bangkok's attractions. I would really like to hear from someone who has used it. My CC Asia ports search didn't come up with any. Thanks

[John Bull]

Has anyone used the Chao Phraya Express Boat for touring Bangkok? Their website describes a hoho type of cruise showing most, if not all of Bangkok's attractions. I would really like to hear from someone who has used it. My CC Asia ports search didn't come up with any. Thanks

 

I've never looked on it as a ho-ho.

It's a very useful & fun ferry system up & down the river, an alternative to crowded streets by taxi or tuk-tuk. Yes, you pass sights, but it's not set up for sight-seeing, no commentaries etc.

I don't know if there's a daily ticket, but the fares are pennies.

 

If there's a specific sight-seeing option with the Express Boats, you'd probably do better with a different boat option. A good one starts from City Pier with a long-tail boat through the klongs (canals), then transfers you to a rice barge (with fruit buffet) to return to City Pier in a more leisurely fashion.

 

Or hire your own long-tail boat from City Pier, & presumably elsewhere, at about $20 an hour (2009) to go through the klongs. Get the guy to open the throttle for a full-bore return to the pier. An hour should be plenty, if you want longer the usual advice is to agree at the pier ticket office a price for an hour, then negotiate longer with the driver (no commission on that extra time)

 

Where appropriate, river beats roads every time

 

JB :)

[Riverobsessed]

Thanks John. One of the blogs I read, suggested it could be used as a hoho, but you're idea sounds good. Are all the major tourist sites accessible within walking distance of the river? We're in Bangkok 2.5 days so we were planning on saving a day for train and floating market with jungle-type tour with a guide which I understand is further away and maybe doing Bangkok temples and Palace on our own with the help of the river. Would that work?

[John Bull]

Thanks John. One of the blogs I read, suggested it could be used as a hoho, but you're idea sounds good. Are all the major tourist sites accessible within walking distance of the river? We're in Bangkok 2.5 days so we were planning on saving a day for train and floating market with jungle-type tour with a guide which I understand is further away and maybe doing Bangkok temples and Palace on our own with the help of the river. Would that work?

 

 

Wat Arun is close to the river, the royal barges can be seen from the river & the Winter Palace is one block behind.

But there's sights away from the river too.

 

That saved day..........

The Burma railway gets quite a few poor reviews, don't know about the floating market, but I guess if you can combine the two....

I've seen threads about a tiger sanctuary sounded interesting, but haven't been back since hearing about it. Might be worth googling.

Or consider the Summer Palace at Bang-Pa In & the nearby ancient capital of Ayuttaya, we went there on a tour from Bangkok - out by coach, back by boat, a great day.

http://www.thairivercruise.com/s0104/index.php?pgid=0075

 

JB :)

[Riverobsessed]

Once again, thank you. It seems that every day brings another option. So many places, so little time.