Cross the Chao Phraya from the old town and Bangkok changes character within a few hundred metres. Thonburi was the capital before Bangkok was, briefly, under King Taksin from 1767 until 1782, and when the court moved across the river the west bank was left to the water. Its khlongs, the canals the city once ran on, are still there and still lived on.
A canal trip usually leaves the main river at Khlong Bangkok Yai or Khlong Bangkok Noi and works a loop through the smaller channels. Along the way: stilt houses with their washing and their dogs, canal-side temples where the ordination halls open straight onto the water, small floating shops selling drinks and snacks from a moored boat, and the occasional shrine with fish so used to being fed that they surface as you approach.
Two landmarks bracket most routes: Wat Arun, which sits on the Thonburi bank right where the canals meet the river, and Wat Paknam, whose green glass stupa and enormous seated Buddha are visible above the rooftops from a long way off.
Three versions of the same waterways, at three depths:
The old town and Thonburi ride from ฿1,850 and the full highlights day from ฿3,695 both cross into these canals as part of a wider route.
You do not need to make your own way to Thonburi. Every canal tour on this site leaves from the east bank, most from River City pier near Chinatown, and crosses the river as part of the trip.
Going independently is possible but fiddly: take the express boat or the MRT to the Thonburi side and hire a longtail at a pier, where you negotiate a price and a route with the boatman. It costs about the same as a shared tour once you have paid for the whole boat, and you lose the commentary.
Morning departures are the ones we recommend. The canals are busiest with everyday traffic early, the light is kinder for photographs, and you avoid the afternoon rain of the green season. Sunset trips trade the daily life for gold light on Wat Arun, which is a fair swap if you have seen the temples already.
Water levels rise in the rainy months from around August to October, which changes nothing about whether the boats run. Tours operate year-round.
The canals run through Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, opposite Bangkok old town. The main channels tour boats use are Khlong Bangkok Yai and Khlong Bangkok Noi, both meeting the river within sight of Wat Arun.
They are the khlongs, the canal network on the west bank of the Chao Phraya that Bangkok was originally built around. Thonburi was Thailand's capital from 1767 to 1782, and its canals are still residential waterways rather than a restored attraction.
From ฿695 for the two-hour shared longtail ride, ฿1,850 for the small-group tour that stops and walks, and ฿2,500 for the five-hour bicycle and boat combination. Prices checked August 2026.
No. The Thonburi khlongs are residential canals a short ride from central Bangkok, and the boats you pass are people going about their day. The big produce markets on the water are at Damnoen Saduak, about ninety minutes southwest of the city.
Two hours for the standard longtail loop, including the crossing from the meeting point. The small-group version is also about two hours but covers less water, since it stops on foot. The bicycle and boat tour runs five hours.
It is the one thing we suggest to every first-time visitor. Bangkok from the water is a different city from Bangkok in traffic, and the canals show you ordinary life rather than monuments, ten minutes from the Grand Palace.
