Last week I took you on a journey with my photo flashbacks to Sydney Harbour. One of the discussion arising from that post was with Rhonda from Albom Adventures, we talked about how taking the local ferry to sightsee can be just as good as a commercial boat and at a fraction of the cost.
So this week I thought I would share with you how we explored the Chao Phraya river by local ferry when we visited Bangkok – the capital of Thailand.
The Chao Phraya Express boat costs 150Baht ($5.80AUD) for an all day pass, this allows you to get on and off the ferry at all the landmark stops.
We buy tickets and board the Bangkok express ferry at the Central Pier (Sathorn Pier) having disembarked from the BTS Skytrain that we caught from near our hotel at Siam Square.
As soon as we set sail the commentary starts. The luxurious Shangri-La and Oriental Hotels are pointed out before we make our way into the busier section of the Chao Phraya River.
There are a couple of smaller stops with mainly locals hoping on and off before we reach the first major tourist stop – the Grand Palace. Many of our fellow tourists disembark, however we are staying on board for the full journey.
With fewer people on board we can now spread out and relax for the remainder of the trip.
As we sail along our commentator points out the working boats on the river and explains that the river is used as a source for transporting goods.
Our next major tourist stop is the Wat Arun Buddhist temple.
Then we make our way back down the river.
Taking the local ferry has been a great way to see some of Bangkok in a short amount of time.
Have you taken a local ferry to explore a city?
Linking Up With:
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Ferries are an awesome way to travel. That river is amazing. Always so busy and always changing.
So true Bronnie.
That looks like so much fun! We have a ferry that will take you across the Mississippi River and one in Mobile that takes you across to Dauphin Island. We’ve been on the River ferry but it’s really not a sightseeing thing.
Thank you for joining us for Photo Friday!
Even if it’s not sightseeing ferry Jen, it still offers the opportunity to view your town from a different perspective and that’s fun 🙂
Love taking the local ferry in Bangkok, it is a great way to see so many different things. We also took the ferry in London, which was a great way to explore the city from the Thames.
Thanks for the tip about the local ferry in London Paula.
Yes! Jim and I are avid ferry people! We take them all the time. It is cheap, comfortable, and gets you places that are very hard to get to. Just recently we took two city ferries. One in Singapore (the bum boat) and one in London! I highly recommend them to one and all!
Thanks for linking up with us at #wkendtravelinspiration!
Thanks for the tip about the Singapore and London ferries Corinne. I find the ferry just offers more relaxed feel to exploring a city.
I love riding the ferries in Bangkok. We were there during red shirt protests in April 2010 and it was impossible to travel by roads in the area we were in so the ferries were a lifesaver for us. I love boats of any kind, well of the smaller variety and the Bangkok ones were fantastic.
Good point Jan the ferry is not affected by the traffic peaks and flows.
This is helpful information, thanks! We are hoping to go to Bangkok for the New Year.
Have a lovely time in Bangkok Karen there is lots to see.
When I stayed in Bangkok (YEARS ago), we were right by the river so took boats to get everywhere – so much nicer than battling traffic. I love taking them still, either instead of proper boat trips or as a good alternative way to see a city. #mondayescapes
I agree Cathy the boats are so much more relaxing.
Boats are a great idea for sight-seeing with kids, you get to see the sights, they get to have fun because they are on a boat! Love Bangkok, have been there several times – although never with children (apart from passing through the airport on our way to Phuket).
Kids just love travelling by public transport if it’s a novelty. It’s a great way to get to you destination with out the whining isn’t it Clara.
Sounds relaxing and simple! We are big fans of tours that don’t involve a lot of dragging people around and trying to force them to enjoy things. This seems to fit well. 😉
We have been caught too many times as well Crysta, and even when we were in Bangkok going on organised tours that spend more time dragging you to their friends shops than the actual attraction. Local transport is the way to go.
That’s nice and very cheap!
Whenever I have the chance to be on a boat I take it 😀
I will certainly do that when I visit Bangkok!!
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes
Do they have a river boat in Munich Allane?
I use this ferry a lot when I’m in Bangkok. You were lucky that it wasn’t crowded. Anytime I’ve use it the thing has been packed to the rafters! However, the views are always gorgeous. Thanks for linking up. #TPThursday
It was quite crowded when we first got on Nancie but most vacated at the first major tourist attraction, giving us lots more room to move about.