--- title: "Boat Trips & Cruises" description: "Boat experiences in Thailand: Chao Phraya dinner cruises, Bangkok canal longtail tours, island-hopping speedboats and private charters." url: https://bestofthailand.org/boat-trips locale: en --- # Boat Trips & Cruises River cruises, canal boats and island tours: the ways to get on the water in Thailand, and what to know before you book each one. Two of these are transport rather than an outing. The Chao Phraya express boat runs at 22–23 baht a hop and is the fastest way into the Old City, which neither the BTS nor the MRT reaches — fares and flag colours are in [getting around Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/getting-around). Inter-island ferries are priced as legs in [the route planner](https://bestofthailand.org/routes), and [which island](https://bestofthailand.org/islands) says which coast is calm enough for a speedboat in the month you are travelling. Closer to Bangkok, the Amphawa and Maeklong boats sit in [day trips from Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/day-trips). ## Chao Phraya dinner cruises Two-hour evening cruises past the Grand Palace and Wat Arun with buffet dinner and live music. From ฿1,200 per person. ## Longtail canal tours Explore Thonburi's klongs by traditional longtail boat — stilt houses, temples and floating vendors. From ฿1,000 per boat/hour. ## Island-hopping day trips Speedboat tours from Phuket, Krabi and Samui to Phi Phi, James Bond Island and Ang Thong marine park. ## Private yacht charter Half-day and full-day charters with skipper from Ocean Marina and Phuket's harbours — sunset sails a speciality. ## Fishing charters Deep-sea and inshore fishing trips on the Gulf and Andaman coasts, gear included. ## River express & hotel shuttles Getting around by water: Chao Phraya Express routes, tourist boats and free hotel shuttle piers explained. ## Hotels for a river-first trip [See all →](https://bestofthailand.org/directory/hotels-resorts) Dinner cruises, the express boat and the free hotel shuttles all leave from the same stretch of the Chao Phraya, so a pier within walking distance removes the part of a ฿1,200 cruise nobody budgets for — the taxi to the pier. Our listings cover Bangkok as a whole rather than pier by pier: 173 listed in Bangkok under Hotels & Resorts; the 6 shown here average 4.8 across 13,190 Google reviews. **[Mandarin Oriental Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/mandarin-oriental-bangkok)** — ![Mandarin Oriental Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-1.webp)Featured — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Riverside — ฿฿฿฿ — The grande dame of Bangkok hotels since 1876 — legendary riverside luxury and service. **[Feel Good Bangkok Hostel](https://bestofthailand.org/place/feel-good-bangkok-hostel-667ee4)** — ![Feel Good Bangkok Hostel](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-4.webp) — 4.9 — Hotels & Resorts · Thonburi — ฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Arun Amarin's Soi Somdej Pra Pinklao 17 is the location of Feel Good Bangkok Hostel, a budget hostel in Thonburi with free Wi-Fi provided for every room. **[AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel Khaosan](https://bestofthailand.org/place/area81-hideout-hostel-khaosan-8db8b1)** — ![AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel Khaosan](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-1.webp) — 4.9 — Hotels & Resorts · Khao San — ฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Bar space and hostel beds share the building at AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel on Tani Road in Talat Yot, part of the Khao San district, with free Wi-Fi included. **[Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Member of Design Hotels](https://bestofthailand.org/place/public-house-hotel-bangkok-a-member-of-design-hotels-199158)** — ![Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Member of Design Hotels](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-5.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Sukhumvit — ฿฿฿฿LGBTQ+ friendlyFree Wi-Fi — 249 Sukhumvit 31 in Khlong Tan Nuea is the address for Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Design Hotels member with free Wi-Fi in the Sukhumvit district. **[Siam Subway Hostel and Café bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/siam-subway-hostel-and-cafe-bangkok-56ef33)** — ![Siam Subway Hostel and Café bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-7.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Rattanakosin (Old City) — ฿฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Wang Burapha Phirom's Soi Sam Yot is home to Siam Subway Hostel and Café, combining hostel beds with a coffee shop and free Wi-Fi in Rattanakosin. **[Happy Station Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/happy-station-bangkok-6768e2)** — ![Happy Station Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-6.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Siam (Pathum Wan) — ฿฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Rama IV Road in Rong Mueang leads to Happy Station Bangkok, a hotel in the Siam Pathum Wan district with free Wi-Fi included in every room booked. Pulled from our directory when this page was last rebuilt: featured and Verified listings first, then by rating weighted for how many reviews it rests on. ## Dinner on land instead [See all →](https://bestofthailand.org/eat-drink/restaurants) A buffet cruise is a fixed menu at a fixed price; the alternative is eating where you choose and taking the public express boat afterwards for the same skyline. 88 listed in Bangkok under Restaurants; the 6 shown here average 4.9 across 24,047 Google reviews. **[Gaggan](https://bestofthailand.org/place/gaggan-bangkok)** — ![Gaggan](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-1.webp)Featured — 4.7 — Restaurants · Sukhumvit — ฿฿฿฿ — On Sukhumvit Soi 31, this upscale restaurant showcases innovative, progressive cuisine and techniques, drawing devoted fine-dining crowds from across the city. **[Indian Express](https://bestofthailand.org/place/indian-express-ratchathewi)** — ![Indian Express](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-1.webp) — 4.9 — Restaurants · Ratchathewi & Pratunam — Open nowuntil 00:00฿฿KidsVegetarian — Indian Express, mid-range restaurant in Ratchathewi & Pratunam, accumulates 10,475 Google reviews at 4.9 stars—unusually high volume for single establishment. **[CHOLAS AUTHENTIC INDIAN RESTURANT](https://bestofthailand.org/place/cholas-authentic-indian-resturant-ratchathewi)** — ![CHOLAS AUTHENTIC INDIAN RESTURANT](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-6.webp) — 4.9 — Restaurants · Ratchathewi & Pratunam — Open nowuntil 23:30฿฿฿KidsVegetarian — CHOLAS serves authentic Indian restaurant cuisine in Ratchathewi & Pratunam with a remarkable 4.9-star rating achieved from well over 8,400 customer reviews across the district. **[Medici Playhouse Italian Restaurant & Bar Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/medici-playhouse-italian-restaurant-bar-bangkok-siam)** — ![Medici Playhouse Italian Restaurant & Bar Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-2.webp) — 4.9 — Restaurants · Siam (Pathum Wan) — Closed nowopens 17:30Step-freeKids — Medici Playhouse Italian Restaurant & Bar in Siam draws 2,678 Google reviews at 4.9 stars—exceptional volume for district restaurant. **[Snoop's Joint](https://bestofthailand.org/place/snoop-s-joint-sukhumvit)** — ![Snoop's Joint](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-3.webp) — 4.9 — Restaurants · Sukhumvit — Open nowuntil 21:30Busy now฿฿฿KidsVegetarian — Snoop's Joint brings mid-range restaurant dining to the Sukhumvit area with a strong 4.9-star rating earned from 436 customer reviews in the district. **[Shree Gangour Pure Veg Restaurant Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/shree-gangour-pure-veg-restaurant-bangkok-ratchathewi)** — ![Shree Gangour Pure Veg Restaurant Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-restaurants-6.webp) — 4.9 — Restaurants · Ratchathewi & Pratunam — Open nowuntil 02:00฿฿Vegetarian — Mid-range vegetarian restaurant in Ratchathewi & Pratunam with 4.9 stars across 153 reviews—strong standing for its dining category. Pulled from our directory when this page was last rebuilt: featured and Verified listings first, then by rating weighted for how many reviews it rests on. ## Operate boat tours? List your cruises and charters on Best of Thailand and reach travellers planning their trip. [List your business](https://bestofthailand.org/for-businesses) Best of Thailand https://bestofthailand.org/boat-trips Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.