Chao Phraya Express Boat Guide: Routes, Prices & Pier Map (Update 2026)

Chaophraya Express Boat is the biggest boat operator in Bangkok which offers transportation along the Chao Phraya River. The service of this operator provides access to a variety of cultural tourist attractions as well as connections to other mass transit systems.

Routing and Nearby Area

Chao Phraya Express Boat operates from the pier in Nonthaburi Province, a suburban area in the north of Bangkok, to its final destination at Wat Ratchasingkhon Pier, which is next to Saphan Taksin Pier, a major pier in the heart of Bangkok’s business district.

“If you are new to Bangkok or are a casual traveler, you should focus on the piers near the inner city which start from Phra Athit Pier to Saphan Taksin Pier. However, if you have been living in Bangkok or Nonthaburi for a long time and want to understand the entire routes for your daily life, feel free to read through the entire routing section.”

Along the river from Nonthaburi to the inner city mentioned above, there are several routes being offered by this operator. Each route stops on the different pier, operates on the different time of the day which can also vary during the weekend and of course different pricing. The color of the flag at the front of each boat will determine the routing. If you are a tourist, you will most likely travel on the orange and yellow flags as they stop at almost every pier and operate throughout the day.

The orange flags are in service between 6:00-7:40 and 16:00-18:05, and the yellow flags for the whole day between 8:10-17:45. Operating hours may vary on weekends. We will explain in the Schedule section below.

During rush hour, you may see boats with other colors, such as red or green flags, which only operate during rush hour and stop only at major piers, and can be more expensive (due to different routing). If you need to travel during rush hour, you can study more details at this link. https://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/chaophrayaexpressboat?lang=en

Apart from the Chaophraya Express boat, you can also find Thai Smile Boat which is an EV boat at piers around the inner city area. These EV boats are operated by Thai Smile Group, which is a different operator from Chao Phraya Express Boat. They offer environmentally friendly service using electric engines, with high capacity air-conditioned cabins. They operate only short routes at major piers around the inner city area.

Schedule

The boat schedule will only show the departure time from the origin and its final destination pier. You will not be able to know the exact time the boat will arrive at each pier in advance unless you go to that pier and see the digital schedule sign. Alternatively, you can try using the Via Bus application to see the real time GPS of each boat. However, the application itself is quite difficult to use.
Hers is the departure time schedule from the origin and its final destination pier:

(Schedule as of 30 March 2026)

Price and Form of Payment

The fare for both orange and yellow flags are flat rate per ride (not hop on-hop off) as shown in the table below. No matter how many stations you travel, you will pay only one price.

You can pay the fare in cash only. Some large piers usually have their staff on duty and collect the fare before boarding the boat. Some smaller piers or piers with few passengers usually do not have any staff stand by. In this case, you will pay the fare to the collector staff on the boat.

Connection to Subway/Skytrain and Commuter Train (MRT/BTS/SRT Red Line)

Chao Phraya Express Boat has many connecting points to the Subway (MRT) and Bangkok Skytrain (BTS) network.

• MRT
  There are 2 piers that connect to the MRT, which are:

• • Bang Po Pier connects to MRT Bang Po.
    Accessing the MRT at this station is the best way to travel to Chatuchak. It takes only less than 15 minutes from the MRT Bang Po to reach there.From this station, you will also pass Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station at MRT Bang Sue station where you can take a long distance train as well as to connect to BTS Mochit at MRT Chatuchak Park Station.

• • Rajinee Pier connects to MRT Sanam Chai.
    Accessing the MRT at this station is the best way to travel to many commercial areas in the old city such as Pahurat or Yaowarat as well as the new commercial areas such as Rama 4 area, Samyan Mitrtown, Silom area and One Bangkok within 20 minutes.From this station, you will also pass Hua Lamphong at MRT Hua Lamphong station where you can take a long distance train.

• BTS
  There are 2 piers that connect to the BTS, which are:

• • Saphan Taksin (Sathorn) pier connects to BTS Saphan Taksin.
    Accessing the BTS system at this station is recommended for those who want to travel to the inner city quickly and conveniently, such as Sathorn, Silom or Siam area.

• • Icon Siam pier connects to BTS Icon Siam.
    Although the pier connects to BTS Icon Siam by walking through the shopping mall, the BTS Gold Line is not close to any tourist attractions besides Icon Siam.
• SRT Red Line
  Chao Phraya Express Boat does not directly connect to the SRT red line. However, if you want to travel on the SRT red line, you can travel by MRT to Krungthep Aphiwat Station to use the SRT red line. The closest pier is Bang Po Pier, which connects to MRT Bang Po (read MRT section)

Connection to Long Distance Trains

Chao Phraya Express does not have a direct connection to any long distance train station, but to travel from a pier to the long distance train station can be done by accessing to the MRT station near the long distance train station as follows:

• Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station
  If you want to travel by Chao Phraya Express Boat to Krungthep Aphiwat Station, you will need to transfer to the MRT first. The recommended pier is Bang Po Pier, which connects to MRT Bang Po. From this MRT station, you can travel to Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station in just 2 stops.
  For tourists staying in the inner city or in the Khao San Road area, this route may take longer because you have to take a boat from the inner city to the suburbs. If the train you want to travel starts from Hua Lamphong Station, it is recommended to travel to Hua Lamphong Station, which is more convenient.

• Hua Lamphong (Bangkok Train Station)
  If you want to travel by Chao Phraya Express Boat to Hua Lamphong Station, you will need to transfer to MRT as well. The recommended pier is Rajinee Pier, which connects to MRT Sanam Chai. Hua Lamphong is only 4 stops from this station, making it a convenient route.

Connection to Airports

Traveling by Chao Phraya Express Boat is not the best option to get to the airport as there are no piers close to the airport. However, if you have to travel by Chao Phraya Express Boat to the airport, you should travel to a pier that connects to the MRT or BTS station to continue your journey to the airport. Recommended piers include:

• Bang Po Pier connects to MRT Bang Po.
  This MRT station is only 2 stops from Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station and the Red Line commuter train to Don Mueang Airport.You can also take the MRT to Phetchaburi Station to use the Airport Link to travel to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
• If you are in the inner city area, Saphan Taksin Pier (Sathorn) is a pier that connects to BTS Saphan Taksin, which can travel to BTS Phaya Thai and use the Airport Link to travel to Suvarnabhumi Airport.You can also travel by BTS to Mo Chit Station to connect to bus line A1 to travel to Don Mueang Airport.

Connection to Long Distance Buses

Chao Phraya Express Boat does not connect to any long distance bus station. Even if you use Chao Phraya Express Boat to connect to BTS and MRT to get to the long distance bus station, only Ekkamai Bus Terminal connects to BTS Ekkamai Station. Other than these bus terminals, BTS and MRT do not directly connect to other bus stations. You may have to take a taxi from BTS and MRT stations, which may not be worth the price and time.
If you are near the Chao Phraya Express Boat Pier and want to travel by long distance bus, especially Sai Tai Mai and Mo Chit 2, we recommend that you call a taxi to go directly to these two long distance bus stations.