Boat guide · our pier is at the end of the lane, ฿5 across
The Chao Phraya boat guide, made simple — which boat, which pier, how to pay
⛴️ The Tha Din Daeng–Ratchawong ferry — ฿5, about 3 minutes🚩 Chao Phraya express boats are told apart by the flag they fly💵 Fares are cash, in the tens of baht by distance*🏠 The pier is at the end of our lane — walk out of the door and you are there
The Chao Phraya is not one boat service but several: ferries that cut straight across the river, express boats that run up and down it which you tell apart by flag colour, a tourist boat built for sightseeing, and free shuttles run by malls and hotels. Once you can tell them apart, the river becomes the fastest and most reliable way to move through Bangkok. We sit on the Thonburi bank with a cross-river ferry pier at the end of our lane, so our guests ride boats as a matter of routine. This is the guide we wish everyone had before their first crossing.
Why guests on our bank use the river every single day
House of Happiness sits at 558/1 Tha Din Daeng 16 in Khlong San, on the west — Thonburi — bank of the Chao Phraya. At the end of our lane is a cross-river ferry pier: ฿5, about 3 minutes, and you step off at Ratchawong on the Chinatown side. That makes the river an ordinary road we actually use, not a tourist novelty. Yaowarat is on the far bank, while Wat Arun is on our side further upriver, Wat Pho is about 3.5 km away, and ICONSIAM is on our own bank about 2 km off, or one Gold Line stop. The one thing that confuses newcomers is that there are several kinds of boat and they do not look alike. Once you can tell which boat goes where, where you hand over the fare, and which pier to aim for, the rest of Bangkok opens up. So this page explains the whole river system, starting from our front door.
The river's boats, in seven points
The cross-river ferry — the boat our guests ride daily. Low, wide boats that shuttle straight across the river and back; they do not travel along it. Ours leaves from Tha Din Daeng at the end of our lane and lands at Ratchawong on the Chinatown side: ฿5, about 3 minutes. They run often enough that you barely need a timetable — wait a moment and the next one comes. This is the boat local people take to work and to market.
The Chao Phraya express boats — read the flag. Long boats that run up and down the river. Each service stops at a different set of piers, and the coloured flag flying on the boat tells you which service it is: some stop nearly everywhere, others skip piers to move faster. The service that stops nearly everywhere is the main all-week line; the ones that skip piers are mostly commuter services that run on weekdays at morning and evening rush hour only — so at weekends and in the middle of the day the choice is much simpler. The easy method is to check the board at the pier for which flag colour serves your pier, then confirm with the pier staff — they point the way every time and are well used to the question.
The tourist boat — built for sightseeing. A separate service from the commuter express boats: aimed at visitors, stopping only at the sightseeing piers, usually with English commentary and more comfortable seating, and sold as an all-day hop-on hop-off ticket. It costs noticeably more than the local boats. Worth it if you genuinely plan to get off at several piers in one day; for a single trip the express boat or the ferry is far cheaper.
Mall and hotel shuttle boats — free to board. Several riverside malls and larger hotels run their own shuttles between their pier and a pier on the opposite bank. No ticket, no fare, just walk on — and mall shuttles are open to anyone; hotel boats are usually for their own guests or diners, so ask at the pier. They are very convenient, but routes and running times change fairly often, so read the sign at the pier or message us before you set out.
Paying — keep small notes handy. On the cross-river ferry you pay at the booth on the pier before stepping down to the boat. On most express boats the fare is collected on board: a conductor asks where you are getting off and tears off a ticket for you. Fares go by distance and sit in the tens of baht*. Tourist-boat tickets are sold at a counter on the pier. The simplest habit is to keep ฿20 and ฿50 notes in your pocket, and not to plan around paying by card.
The piers that matter from our door. First is Tha Din Daeng at the end of our lane — our gateway to the river. Across from it is Ratchawong, a few minutes' walk from the mouth of Yaowarat. For Wat Pho, get off at Tha Tien; Wat Arun has its own pier directly opposite Tha Tien. ICONSIAM is on our bank with a pier of its own. For anything else, read the board at the pier — nearly every pier is signed in both Thai and English.
Boarding and stepping off, the local way. Boats touch the pier for only a few seconds, so be ready before yours arrives. Wait at the edge of the walkway, let people off first, then step on with at least one hand free for the rail. Once aboard, move inside rather than blocking the gangway, and shift towards the gate as your pier approaches. Listen for the crew's whistle and step off on their cue — never until the boat has settled against the pier.
Which flag is which, when it runs, what it costs
⚠️ Some September 2026 dates run differently. The official site announces that on 3, 8, 17 and 23 September 2026 there are Royal Barge Procession rehearsals between Krung Thon (Sang Hi) Bridge and Memorial Bridge, from 12:00 onwards · On those afternoons the river service splits in two and Ratchawong becomes the southern terminus — which is exactly the pier our guests cross to. If you are heading out by boat on one of those days, plan to be back before midday, or just ask us first.
Yellow flag (midday) — the one our guests actually use. It is the only line that runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and it stops at every pier our guests need: Ratchawong, Tha Tien (for Wat Pho), ICONSIAM, Phra Arthit (for Khao San) and Sathorn · Monday to Friday the first boat leaves Nonthaburi at 08:15 and the last at 15:40 · Saturdays and public holidays run to about 17:00, Sundays start at 08:40 · If you are unsure which boat to take — especially at a weekend — this is the answer.
Orange flag — weekdays only, and only at rush hour. Do not assume it runs all day: the official site states Monday to Friday, 06:00–07:45 in the morning and 15:40–18:05 in the evening only. It does not run at weekends. · Nonthaburi (N30) to Wat Rajsingkorn (S3), stopping almost everywhere including Tha Tien and Phra Arthit · ฿18 flat.
Yellow flag (express) — the commuter run, skips a lot. Monday to Friday: down from Nonthaburi to Sathorn 06:00–08:05, back up from Sathorn to Nonthaburi 17:15–19:05 · It does not stop at Tha Tien or Phra Arthit, so do not board it for Wat Pho or Khao San · ฿23 flat.
Green-yellow flag — the one from furthest out. Monday to Friday at rush hour, Pakkret (N33) to Sathorn: down 06:00–07:50, back 16:00–17:45 · Does not stop at Tha Tien or Phra Arthit · Priced in sections: Pakkret–Nonthaburi ฿16, Nonthaburi–Sathorn ฿23, the full Pakkret–Sathorn run ฿35.
Red flag — the sparsest, mornings only. Monday to Friday, Nonthaburi to Sathorn, just four departures: 06:50, 07:10, 07:25, 07:40 · The official site publishes no return timetable for it · Does not stop at Tha Tien or Phra Arthit · ฿32 flat (the site notes a ฿50 standard fare) · Visitors will almost never need it.
The blue-flag tourist boat — a different operator. The hop-on hop-off day-ticket boat you see at the piers is not one of the Chao Phraya Express Boat lines; their official site carries nothing about it at all. It is a separate company, noticeably dearer than the commuter boats, and worth it only on a day when you really will get off at several piers. Ask its price and times at the ticket window on the pier.
Everything above was read from the Chao Phraya Express Boat company's official siteon 14 September 2026; the published timetable takes effect from 24 June 2026 · The official site gives no date for its fare table, and lists no separate fare for the midday yellow flag — ask at the pier ticket window · Express-boat fares are pegged to the diesel price and can move month to month · always check the board at the pier before you travel.
Small cash: carry ฿20 and ฿50 notes. The ฿5 ferry and the express boats are cash-first, and large notes are hard to break, especially in the morning.
Check the last run on the way out: every boat service has a final evening departure*. Read the times on the pier board as you leave and keep a backup — a Grab over Phra Pok Klao Bridge back to Khlong San takes around 10 minutes.
Rain and wet decks: pier walkways and boat floors get slippery, so wear shoes with grip, hold the rail and move inside — the outer seats will catch every bit of spray.
Big luggage: the ferry is easy with a daypack or a small bag, but a full suitcase is awkward on the pier stairs. On arrival and departure days a Grab or taxi to our door is much kinder.
Late back, easy entry: our team is here until 6 PM and after that it is self check-in. Message us on LINE or WhatsApp with your arrival time and we will send the door details ahead.
Common questions
Which boat do I take from the hotel?
Start with the cross-river ferry at Tha Din Daeng, the pier at the end of our lane — ฿5, about 3 minutes, across to Ratchawong on the Chinatown side. That is the boat most of our guests use every day. To travel further along the river, say to Wat Pho or the piers further upstream, change to a Chao Phraya express boat: check the pier board for which flag colour stops where you are going, or simply ask the pier staff.
What do the boats cost, and can I pay by card?
Our cross-river ferry is ฿5 a trip. The Chao Phraya express boats charge by distance, in the tens of baht. The tourist boat is sold as a day ticket and costs noticeably more, while mall and hotel shuttles are free. Rates are adjusted from time to time, which is why we do not print fixed figures here — check the board at the pier before you board, or look up the current rates on the Chao Phraya Express Boat company's site, and bring cash, because not every boat takes a card.
How late do the boats run, and what if I miss the last one?
The boats do not run all night — every service stops in the evening, and the final departure differs by route and gets adjusted from time to time. The reliable move is to read the pier board on your way out, and the official timetable is published on the Chao Phraya Express Boat company's site. If you do miss the last one, getting home is still easy: a Grab or taxi over Phra Pok Klao Bridge to Khlong San takes around 10 minutes, or ride the BTS Silom Line to Krung Thonburi and change to the Gold Line for Khlong San if trains are still running.
* We deliberately do not print fixed fares, timetables, pier numbers or per-route flag colours on this page, because they are adjusted from time to time · always read the board at the pier before boarding, or ask the pier staff · to plan before you arrive, the current timetable and fares are on the Chao Phraya Express Boat company's own site, which is the source that actually gets updated · the ฿5 Tha Din Daeng–Ratchawong ferry fare is what our guests pay today · if you would like us to check anything before you set out, message us on LINE or WhatsApp.
Written by the House of Happiness team · Last updated
