We were hoping to travel like the locals as we had read on Trip Advisor. We went from The Grand Palace to Tha Chang Pier and was also told we could get a boat like the locals for around 30BHT. We could not see any colour coded options and was sucked into a boat ride to Sathorn which cost is 300BHT each. We also knew some other travellers who actually paid 400BHT each. It was our own fault as we were aware of scams but our kids were so hot and bothered that we just wanted o get going. As for the river itself, it really was a beautiful way to travel down the river.

It's a bit hard to review 'a river' isn't it? After reading a few of the previous reviews I think that cruises and snake farms should really have their own section. Anyway, There’s one thing I have done that I haven't seen mentioned that was quite fun - Crossing the river!

The Chao Phraya River is a big river running through Bangkok and there are lots of interesting sites on the banks of either side. There are many, many tours and cruises to go on but even just watching the river from the land can be fun too. Unless your driving or in a taxi or tuk tuk, you can get across the river by the rafts/boats that go back and fourth all day. It’s only about 4/5 baht each way and is quite a fun experience. We caught one from the pier at Wat Arun to get back to the Grand Palace area. Once the boat had enough people on, we made our way across the river through all the other bouts going up and down, it was quite hectic!

Travelling on the river is more of a sensible practicality as well as a trip in itself. The Chao Phraya river boats are quite an experience and a really good way to get to the Grand Palace complex. There is a stop (Sathorn) about 50m from the exit of Saphan Taksin skytrain terminus. There is lady who will take your fare - around 20 Baht to get to the stop for the Grand Palace (number 9 - Tha Chang)
Basically there are 4 routes which are coded by the colour flage the express boat is flying. You want the orange flag if you want the palaces, the yellow route stops fewer times and the grey stops everywhere and takes ages! The blue really only is a one stop to Nonthaburi and probably won't really be used by tourists much.
As for the boats well it's a hop on service - no health and safety stuff here, squeeze on and watch the river world whizz by.
Once you understand the colour codes for the stops it's easy to work out and away you go!

Phra Sumen Fort on the banks of the Chao Phraya River is a brilliant place to relax and escape the madness of the busy Bangkok streets. The beautiful surroundings make it a excellent place to reflect on all that you have seen and done in Thailand.

Phra Sumen fort it's self was built during the reign of King Rama I. Although I never went inside I am informed that there is a museum inside which displays items found during the recent modernisation.

It's a short walk for the world famous Ko San Road (if you go the right way, unlike me!) and a good place to meet some locals. While I was there I met a young student from a local university who interviewed me for here project on sustainable tourism in Thailand. For people intersent in photography it is also a good place to get some pictures of the relaxed side of Bangkok and the river.