Thonburi Khlong Boat Tour

Bangkok was a city of canals before it was a city of roads - foreign visitors in the nineteenth century called it the Venice of the East - and most of those on the eastern bank were filled in for streets during the twentieth century. Thonburi, on the west, kept its network: Khlong Bangkok Noi, Bangkok Yai, Mon and Bang Luang still carry water traffic past stilt houses, temples, workshops and gardens, with people living directly on the banks. Longtails are chartered at the main river piers for a negotiated price and run a loop of one to two hours, typically taking in the Royal Barges Museum, an orchid nursery, and a temple or two. Cheaper and more interesting is the public canal boat service, which runs a fixed route for a few baht among people going home. Two things are worth knowing: charter prices at the piers are heavily inflated and negotiable, and the fish-feeding stops are a commercial add-on.

What you actually see

• The stilt houses - people living on the canal banks as the city always did.
• The Royal Barges Museum - the state barges in their shed off Khlong Bangkok Noi.
• The public canal boats - the local service running fixed routes for a few baht.
• The surviving network - Thonburi's canals, kept when the east bank filled its in.

When to go

November to February. Early morning is quietest and coolest on the water. Two to three hours for a loop. Public canal boats run on weekday commuter schedules.

Honest expectations

Charter prices at the piers are inflated and must be negotiated - agree the route and the price in writing before boarding. Longtails are loud and throw spray. Canal water is not clean. Fish-feeding stops are a sales pitch.

Nearby

The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are on the eastern bank; Wat Arun is on the Thonburi side.