Songkran by the Chao Phraya, the Khlong San Way — Choose How Wet You Get, Then Sleep on the Quieter Bank
🗓 13–15 April every year · sometimes with extra holidays attached🛕 Mornings are for merit and pouring water · afternoons are for playing⛴️ A ฿5 ferry, ~3 minutes, to the lively side — and back to the quiet one📱 Waterproof the phone; leave the passport in the room
Songkran is the Thai New Year, falling on 13–15 April every year, sometimes with extra public holidays attached. The heart of it is not only the water fights: it is pouring scented water over Buddha images and over the hands of your elders, and starting the year clean. Staying with us on the Thonburi bank lets you choose your own level of wet — step out of the lane into a neighbourhood that plays gently, or cross the river to the loud zones and come home afterwards to a far quieter side.
Why Songkran is better when you sleep on the Thonburi bank
The hard part of Songkran is not getting wet — it is getting home. Main roads close or clog, the trains and ferries are far busier than usual, and anyone staying inside a water-fight zone is soaked from the lobby door until they get back in, with no off switch. Our corner of Khlong San works differently: it is a neighbourhood where people actually live, not a festival street. In the morning you still hear the alms round; in the afternoon children play politely with buckets in the lane. When you want the full-volume version, you walk to the end of the lane, take the ฿5 ferry three minutes across to the busier city side, get thoroughly drenched, then cross back to shower, change, and sleep in a district that goes quiet early. That contrast is what our regulars like most about this week.
One Songkran day from our door — calm morning, wet afternoon, riverside night
7:00 AM — Early: the alms round in the neighbourhood. The morning of 13 April is the calmest and loveliest part of the whole festival — nobody is throwing water yet, and families around Tha Din Daeng come out to offer food to the monks in front of their houses and at the mouth of the lane. To join in, buy a ready-made offering set from a shop nearby that morning, slip off your shoes before you offer, and don't worry about getting it perfect: people here will happily show you. Routes and times shift year to year, so ask us at check-in where it happens this year.
8:30 AM — A neighbourhood temple: bathing the Buddha and sand stupas. The real traditions of Songkran happen inside temples, not on the road. You will see people pour scented, flower-steeped water slowly over Buddha images — song nam phra. Some temples set out a mound of sand to build little stupas and plant coloured flags in, and in many households there is rot nam khor phon, where you trickle scented water over an elder's hands and receive a blessing in return. Anyone may take part; dress modestly and keep your movements gentle. Which temple does what changes each year, so check on the day or ask us.
10:30 AM — Back to the room to kit up. These are the ten most important minutes of the day. Leave your passport and valuables in the room and carry only a copy or a photo on your phone. Put the phone in a waterproof pouch on a neck cord, and small notes and cards inside a zip bag as a second layer. Wear quick-drying clothes in a dark, non-see-through colour, and shoes with a strap and grip rather than loose flip-flops. Goggles genuinely help. Water guns are on sale in shops and street stalls around the neighbourhood all week.
11:30 AM — Gentle play near the hotel (the family zone). In the lanes and side streets of Khlong San people still play the old way: a bowl, a bucket, a smudge of white clay paste (din so phong) on the cheek, and a lot of smiling. No sound stages, no drunken crush. It suits small children, older travellers, and anyone who wants the real thing more than the mayhem. The ICONSIAM riverfront is one Gold Line stop away and has hosted riverside Songkran events in past years, but whether it runs and on which days changes annually — check that year's announcements before you set out.
1:30 PM — Take the ฿5 ferry across to the full-volume version. Walk to the pier at the end of the lane and cross Tha Din Daeng to Ratchawong in about three minutes; you step off at the edge of Chinatown. Yaowarat and the streets around it are far busier than our side. Bangkok's most notorious zones are Silom and Khao San Road, where roads are sometimes closed and the crush is intense. With children, or if you dislike crowds, staying around Chinatown is plenty. Ferry queues run long during the festival and timetables can change — leave yourself extra time.
4:30 PM — Head back before everyone else does. The hardest hour to travel is early evening, when everyone is wet, cold and heading home at once. We suggest crossing back between about 4:30 and 5:30 PM, while the ferry queue is still short. Don't count on a taxi or Grab on these three evenings — many drivers won't take soaked passengers, and some roads are closed. Bring a big plastic bag for wet things.
6:30 PM — Evening on the quieter bank. Shower, put on something dry, and go out again without flinching at every passing bucket. Khlong San settles down early: walk along the Chao Phraya, find dinner in the neighbourhood, or take the ~15-minute walk to the Chao Phraya Sky Park for the lights on both banks (park hours can change over long holidays, so check before you go). If you're back after 6 PM our staff have finished for the day, but you let yourself in as usual.
Three layers of waterproofing: phone in a sealed pouch, cash and cards in a separate zip bag, passport left in the room with only a photo or copy on you. Water finds charging ports far more easily than people expect, and a camera that isn't water-rated should simply stay in the room for these three days.
Water etiquette: never throw water at monks, elderly people, small children, anyone carrying a baby, or motorcycle riders. No ice water, and no high-pressure jets to the face. If someone raises their hands in a wai or shakes their head, they're not playing — let them pass. Songkran works only when both sides are willing.
Dress for it: quick-drying clothes in a dark colour that doesn't turn transparent when wet, and strapped shoes with rubber soles rather than flip-flops that slide on wet ground. The white clay paste (din so phong) dabbed on cheeks is traditional — just keep it out of your eyes. If you plan to eat out afterwards, carry one dry set of clothes in a waterproof bag.
Double your travel time: across 13–15 April the cross-river ferries, express boats and trains are all much busier than normal, some services change their hours, certain roads close for stretches, and plenty of taxis refuse soaked passengers. Always plan to be back before early evening, and check the last ferry when you cross on the way out.
Safety, and shops that close: wet ground is slippery and road accidents rise sharply during this week — don't drink and drive, and think twice about motorcycle taxis on soaked roads. Many shops and restaurants shut for several days because the owners travel home to their provinces, so stocking a little water and food in the room beforehand makes life easier.
Common questions
What dates is Songkran, and how many nights should we stay?
Songkran is the Thai New Year and falls on 13–15 April every year; some years the government adds one or two extra public holidays, and individual venues run events over a longer window. We'd suggest covering all three main days if you want both the merit-making mornings and the water in the afternoons. Rooms fill early for this week, so message us well ahead.
We have young children or older parents — where is it safe to join in?
Stay on our side. The lanes and side streets of Khlong San play gently — bowls and buckets, no sound stages, no crush — and mornings are far calmer than afternoons. What to avoid are the big closed-off party roads and any area so packed you can't move through the crowd. If you do want to see the livelier scene, go early afternoon and cross back by about 4:30 PM.
Can we avoid getting wet altogether?
Mostly, yes, if you pick your hours. Before about 10 AM and after dark hardly anyone is playing, malls and indoor restaurants are usually dry, and Khlong San is much calmer than the opposite bank. If you walk past a group who are playing, a wai or a small shake of the head is understood and respected. Still, accept that between 13 and 15 April a little spray will find you — take it as a New Year blessing.
* Extra public holidays, event locations, road closures, ferry schedules and train operating hours change from year to year. The times on this page are planning estimates — check that year's announcements, or ask us at check-in.
Written by the House of Happiness team · Last updated
