Taking the Chao Phraya ferry, which is more fun than it has any right to be

“This is basically Disneyland” was my honest thought while we were on board.

Half past eight, out onto a brown river

On the second morning we went out onto the Chao Phraya. The water is brown and clouded, with the morning light falling on it. Not a clear river, and yet you do not get tired of looking at it.

Wooden houses on stilts line the bank. Ordinary life running right down to the water’s edge.

From N9, Tha Chang

The blue sign reads “N9 ท่าช้าง Thachang”. The piers are numbered, and you use the numbers to work out where to get on and off. Our record shows 8:47.

Worth knowing which number is which: N9 Tha Chang is the pier for the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Wat Pho is one stop south at N8 Tha Tien, and the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun runs from there. Getting those two confused is easy, and it costs you a walk.

It docks, people get on, people get off

The ferry is close to a city bus. It pulls alongside a pier, people board, people leave, and it goes again. Repeat. The seating is plain — a roof and a handrail, and that is it.

That was the fun of it. Simply moving across water turns the same journey into the ride itself. It is close to being on something at a theme park. River wind comes through, so even in August in Bangkok you do not feel the heat.

The boats run under coloured flags — orange, yellow, green-yellow and red for the commuter lines, and a blue flag for the tourist boat, which is hop-on hop-off and costs considerably more than the local services. Check which flag is pulling in before you step aboard.

Ahead of the boat, the prang of Wat Arun was in view.

Off the boat, and start walking

We got off a little after nine, crossed the jetty with its green railings, and from there it was on foot.

Getting around Bangkok tends to become a conversation about traffic, but for a destination on the river the boat is both more reliable and more interesting. Next time I am here, I expect to do exactly the same thing.

Notes from this trip

• Chao Phraya ferry piers are numbered. The one in our photograph is N9 Tha Chang — the pier for the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
• Wat Pho is at N8 Tha Tien, one stop south; the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun goes from there
• Services are distinguished by flag colour. Orange, yellow, green-yellow and red are commuter lines; the blue flag is the tourist boat, hop-on hop-off and priced well above the local ones
• It works like a bus route, docking in turn. Plain seating with a roof and a handrail
• River wind makes the deck comfortable even in the hot season
• The prang of Wat Arun is visible from the water
• We rode from about 8:30 to a little after 9
• Routes, fares and timetables change. Confirm locally

Travelled August 2025. Service and fare information is as it was at the time of the trip.

Where we ended up after the walk: mango and sticky rice near Wat Arun.

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