Pacific Orient

Wheather sightseeing or killing time in Bangkok, taking a cruise along the legendry Chao Phraya River is a perfect way to spend a day or evening. The Chao Phraya River or “The River of King” has been the lifeblood of Thailand. When the capital of Thailand was moved to Bangkok in 1782 (the beginning of the Rattanakosin period), canals where so abundant in Bangkok that it was labeled “Venice of the East” by European travelers. Since then, many of the canal ways have been filled in or are no longer in use, however life around the Chao Phraya still holds the nostalgia of days long passed.

There are few different types of cruise available, cruises held in the day time tend to be geared towards sightseeing and may provide food, whilst cruises during the evening tend to be luxury dinning and entertainment oriented.

Day Trip and Short Cruise

On both sides of the Chao Phraya River, a tourist can see many magnificent temples and architectural buildings including the Grand Palace, Wat Arun(Temple of dawn), Wat Prayunwong, Wat Rakhang Kositaram, the Rama 8 Bridge, the First Presbyterian Church, the Royal Thai Navy Dockyard, the Thai Maritime Navigation Company, the Old Customs and the Royal Boat House.

Other sights you might wish to see if you don’t wish to travel too far, include the Floating Market at Wat Sai along the Klong(canal) Dao Khanong, 35 mins from Wat Sai is the Snake Farm and then also in the same area is Wat Pak Nam which is famous for amulets and is also a popular place to pay respects to Buddha at the weekend.

Dinner Cruise

Perhaps the most popular cruise to take is a luxury dinner cruise. Held in the evening amidst the cool breeze of the evening, there are a host of different cruises to cater you’re needs. Cruise’s range from traditional Thai cuisine to International buffets, sometime with live music or traditional Thai entertainment. You can expect first class service, 5 star foods and a delightful evening on one of many Bangkok River Cruises.

There are many luxury cruises when it comes to dinning, Hotels like JW Marriot and the Oriental offer International Buffets at a very reasonable price, other cruises like the Loy Nava Cruise and Manorah Cruise offer Traditional Thai Cuisine at around the same price. Cruises take place on wide variety of different boats, some are modern cruise boats with air conditioning and indoor or open air dinning, others may be traditional rice barges and may also have indoor or open air dinning areas. One drink is usually included with the price so be prepared to spend a little more for drinks.

Overnight or 2-4 Day Cruise

If you travel further north you can reach the famous ancient Siamese capital city of Ayutthaya. A river cruise to Ayutthaya can be done in one day; there are options to shorten the cruise by traveling one way on the bus, and cruising back to Bangkok. One or two night cruises offer cabins on board with all amenities.

You can even take 3-4 day river cruise across to Kanchanaburi and visit the Death Railway and the “Bridge over the River Kwai”. During this 3-4 day cruise you will be taken to many untouched places in Thailand such as Khao Noi Cave Temple, Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park also known as “Stone Garden”, Krasae Cave, Kaeng Lava Cave. You will also get the opportunity to visit other parts of the Death railway like Hell Fire Pass and the Thailand-Burma Railway Center Museum.

Booking A River Cruise

River Cruises are available from many hotels and tourist information centers. Short day trips can be organized at different piers along the river however you may have to haggle to get a fair price, so it’s good to have an idea of how much your chosen tour should cost.

Dinner Cruises are often one standard price; they can be organized by your hotel or travel rep. The choice of food and your boat preference should be the deciding factors for the best experience.

If you wish to take a longer cruise, prices vary according to accommodations and quality of service. It is best to organize these trips through a reputable provider for the best value for money.