Blog - BKK #04: Chao Phraya Express Boat
BKK #04: Chao Phraya Express Boat
Another cheap and useful public transport in Bangkok is the Chao Phraya Express Boat (their Web site as been very slow every time I tried to view it). This boat connects with BTS station Sathorn Taksin and can take you to a bunch of touristic and other locations, such as Wat Pho (Tha Tien pier), the Grand Palace (Chang pier, also easily walkable from Wat Pho) and chinatown (Ratchawongse pier).
There are at least two types of boats, long ones in which you enter at the back and go down a small stairway which leads to a sort of bus-like interior with seats, and also rectangular ones, which are just ferries between two piers.
Click the thumbnails for larger images.
What's very cool about the boat is that it's so cheap. The express line, which stops at all major piers, only costs a fixed price of 10฿ (25¢), and the ferry costs only 2฿ (5¢)! Depending on where you board, payment is done either at a ticket counter before boarding, or on board by an attendant who walks around selling tickets.
Also, taking the boat lets you appreciate the scenery much more than any train or taxi, especially nice since there are several golden palaces or temples along the coasts.
Posted on September 16, 2004 at 22:13 | Tweet
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