Chao Phraya River Pier Guide

Reasons to come:

• Low-key temple complexes serving local communities

Lines: local, orange

Reasons to come:

• Saphan Taksin Skytrain (BTS) Station
• Silom Road
• Sathorn Road
• Hotels including Shangri-La Bangkok and lebua at State Tower
• Shuttle boats to hotels like The Peninsula Bangkok, Millenium Hilton Bangkok, Menam Riverside Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok and Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa.
• Shuttle boat to Asiatique the Riverfront

Lines: tourist, local, orange, yellow, green-yellow, blue

Reasons to come:

• The colonial atmospheres and period architecture of the old Western quarter
• The venerable Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok, an excellent place for literary nostalgia and afternoon tea on the Author's Lounge
• OP Place, an upmarket antiques arcade housed in a period building
• The French Embassy

Lines: tourist, local, orange

Reasons to come:

• River City, a modern shopping complex selling pricey antiques
• Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
• Bustling Charoen Krung Road
• Bangkok Folk Museum

Lines: tourist, local, orange, yellow, green-yellow

Reasons to come:

• Chinatown, one of the city's most evocative and historic enclaves (walk up Ratchawong Road)
• Offbeat shopping: used amulets, Guan Yin statues, gold, and Chinese medical herbs
• Sampeng Lane, a charismatic alley lined with cheap clothes, food and household items
• Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, a Chinese temple with Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian shrines

Lines: tourist, local, orange, yellow, green-yellow

Reasons to come:

• Saphan Phut Night Market
• King Rama I Monument
• Sampeng Lane, a narrow old alley lined with cheap clothes, food and household items
• Pahurat Road/Little India, the Indian enclave famed for its Hindu iconography and fabrics

Lines: tourist, local, orange

Reasons to come:

• Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
• Cross-river ferry to Wat Arun
• Dried seafood market found along a parade of King Rama V-era shophouses
• Restaurants and bars overlooking Wat Arun

Lines: tourist, local, orange

Reasons to come:

• A leafy old enclave brimming with atmosphere and King Rama V-era shophouses
• Maharaj Road's sidewalk market selling everything from used Buddhist amulets and phallic charms to old religious texts and false teeth
• The city's most venerable temples (Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Mahathat)
• The Grand Palace
• The National Museum
• Sanam Luang, the old, oval-shaped Royal park
• Authentic local food at the pedestrianized market in front of the pier

Lines: local, orange

Reasons to come:

• The iconic Grand Palace
• City's most venerable temples, including Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Mahathat
• National Museum
• Sanam Luang, the oval-shaped royal park

Lines: tourist

Reasons to come:

• Patravadi Theatre, a riverside playhouse staging traditional/modern performing arts
• Wat Rakhang Khositaram, an ancient Ayutthaya temple with 5 bells inside
• Siriraj Hospital

Lines: tourist, local, orange, yellow, green-yellow, blue

Reasons to come:

• Southern Bus Terminal
• The Royal Barges Museum

Lines: local, orange, yellow, green-yellow

Reasons to come:

• Phra Athit Road's tree-shaded atmosphere, hip shophouse boutiques and cafes
• The nearby backpacker area of Khao San Road (10-minute walk)
• Banglamphu clothing market
• Wat Chana Songkram
• National Art Gallery
• Santiphap Park
• Phra Sumen Fort

Lines: tourist, local, orange

Reasons to come:

• Bank of Thailand Museum
• King Rama VIII bridge
• Samsen Road – home to guesthouses and a few decent live music bars
• Kin Lom Chom Saphan, a relaxed open-air restaurant overlooking the river (Samsen Soi 3)

Lines: local line

Reasons to come:

• To make merit by releasing fish into the river
• To witness the feeding frenzy as people feed catfish beneath the pier
• To visit the lively wet market beside the canal (walk 100 meters, turn left over the footbridge)
• To get to the nearby Royal district of Dusit (Wat Benchamabophit, Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall).

Lines: local, orange, yellow, green-yellow

Reasons to come:

• Nonthaburi, a charming provincial town
• Koh Kret, the nearby Mon tribe island

Lines: local, orange, yellow, green-yellow, blue

Reasons to come:

• Krung Thon Bridge
• Riverside Bangkok hotels

Lines: local, orange