Which river boat do I get on?
Short answer
Look at the flag, not the boat. Four flag colours run the Chao Phraya on different sets of stops, each with its own flat fare, and the piers are numbered N1 upriver — so the flag tells you the route and the number tells you where you are.
The flag is the line
The tourism authority describes the river service in exactly these terms: the routes are distinguished by the colour of the flag the boat flies. There is no route number painted on the hull to look for, and the pier will not announce what is coming.
Four colours run it. Orange covers Nonthaburi down to Rajsingkorn. Yellow and red run Nonthaburi to Sathorn on faster, thinner sets of stops. A green-yellow line reaches further upriver, from Pakkret to Sathorn.
Fares are flat, not by distance
Each line charges one price for the ride however far you go. The operator lists 17 baht flat on the orange line, 22 on the yellow and 31 on the red. The green-yellow line is the exception, stepping 15, 22 and 34 baht by how far up the river you travel.
The flat fare per flag is the durable part; the figures drift. The tourism authority's own article still quotes 15 baht for the orange line from an earlier year, which is a useful reminder to treat any printed number here as of its date.
Piers are numbered, and the numbers are the map
Piers carry N-numbers going upriver, and the numbers are how you plan rather than the names. N3 Si Phraya, N5 Rachawong for Chinatown, N6 Memorial Bridge, N8 Tha Tien for Wat Pho, N9 Tha Chang for the Grand Palace, N15 Phra Athit.
Sathorn holds the most services, which makes it both the easiest place to start and the easiest place to board the wrong boat. N1, Oriental Pier, is currently closed for renovation.
Good to know
- Flag colour is the route; there is no route number
- One flat fare per line, paid on board
- N8 for Wat Pho, N9 for the Grand Palace
- N1 Oriental Pier is closed for renovation
