Most of the major cities in the world have a river running through them. This, I suppose, is often why a city was built in a specific geographical location, because it was next to a river. The rivers were often used as a transportation gateway as well as for other things years ago such as sources of food. However, these days many of the rivers are just there in some cities and aren’t really depended on anymore. But a river always seems to add something special to a town as it adds that extra touch of scenery, especially with some of the wonderful bridges that cross them throughout the world.

Paris, New York, London, they all have wonderful rivers that add to the history and feeling of a town. The same can be said for many other places around the world, such as Bangkok, where the Chao Phraya River runs through and is depended on as a transportation system for thousands of people on a daily basis.

Travelling up and down the river allows citizens and tourists to reach many of Bangkok’s great attraction by water. It’s a great way to soak in the atmosphere and get a feel for life in the capital of Thailand at the same time. There are several different types of boats that sail the river. There are the tourist boats as well as the water taxis and ferries. These taxis are a great way to get around without having to fight the traffic as they navigate a route that has close to 40 piers (stops) along the way.

The taxis follow a 12-mile route up and down the river as well as a time table. The boats are assorted in their shapes and sizes and very heavily used by the citizens of Bangkok as it’s estimated that about 40,000 people use them every day. The cost to ride one is pretty minimal and you buy a ticket before boarding, but the tourist boats are more than the taxis. But you can see some of the great sites the city has to offer just from riding the river.

Some of the tourist boats have drinks and snacks on them and most of them start off down at the Sathorn Pier, which is basically known as the Central Pier. It’s easy to get to the pier as the Saphan Takson skytrain station is located just above it.

For those who are more adventurous, the Chao Phraya River runs about 230 miles in total if you’d like to see more of it and head out into the countryside. The translated name of the river means Grand Duke and it’s also known as the River of Kings. It starts up at in Nakhon Sawan province and flows north to south. It splits when it reaches the Tha Chin River, which heads to the Gulf of Thailand. Along the way, the Chao Phraya forms quite a few canals that are depended on to irrigate rice paddies.

If you decide to take a trip along the river some of the other cities you’ll pass include Nakhon Sawan, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan. Many of these places are historically significant in Thailand and are quite heavily populated due to the towns’ access to the river. You’ll also get to sail under some famous local bridges such as the Rama VI railway bridge, the Rama IX, the Phra Pin-Klao, and the Mega Bridge.