Bangkok Klongs
 

We will be staying at the Majestic Grande in June. I've been hard at work planning out our short time there. I've decided to do a Klong tour as well as the Temple of the Dawn one afternoon. Can you help me with suggestions where to get a boat to take us? Do we need a guide? And, how much time should should we allow?

Thanks so Much!

If you're staying at the Majestic Grande, then the simplest thing is to take the Skytrain to the Taksin Bridge station, then get a long-tailed boat from the desk at the pier below the station. Wat Arun is a standard stop, usually at the end of the tour.

The tour is good mostly for general sight-seeing, and tends to follow a standard route - no matter what you tell the driver - so you don't need a guide.

no guide needed as michael says...the driver will speak little english..

at the end of the line of the skytrain---taskim...walk toward the river...same direction the train was going and descend the stairs on the left and follow walk to the river....there will be a table there from which you can rent the long tail boat...you may need to bargain a bit....i would allow 2 hours, +/-, and it should be about 1000 B or less---for the whole boat, not per person....don't wait too late in the afternoon as they may have left....before 3 for sure...

the driver may offer you stops at the orchid farm---refuse....the aligator farm--refuse, but definately stop for 10 minutes at the royal barges....i would get off at wat arun (temple of dawn) and pay the driver and go inside....i would then take a taxi back to the hotel from there....you need to walk through the complex to the street side and hail a taxi....have a hotel card with you at all times....tells drivers where to go..

Thank you both for your advice and knowledge. It helps so much!!

impacked

I would also agree that you just need to hire a longtail at the boat dock at Saphan Taksin, the river station on the skytrain route.

The driver usually does not speak to you, he just drives his boat. If memory serves me correctly, you arrange your "tour" at the desk and the driver just takes you where ever he is told (in Thai). I find it so easy to just sit back and relax and watch life along the klong unfold in front of me. It is so fascinating! I would allow probably two hours, maybe 1 1/2.

Another stop that you can request along the klong would be the royal barge place. You can walk inside and see maybe 6-8 of the royal barges (I forget how many are in this building) ... beautiful! You just walk through, takes maybe 15 minutes of your time.

I've stayed at the Majestic Grande. I think you will find it to be a nice hotel, although a little bit "dark" in the room I had. Their breakfast buffet is really nice, and the lobby restaurant, SACZ, is a great place for a meal. The location is a short walk to the BTS station at Nana.

If you like Lebanese food, there is a great restaurant in the lower level of the shopping complex on the corner of Sukhumvit and soi 2 (the street your hotel is on).

I'm leaving for Bangkok on the 17th of this month, and will be doing yet another klong tour on this trip, as friends from Germany who have never been to Asia will be seeing some sites with me. I'll have to report back and let you know details of the klong tour.

Carol

Thanks, Carol! Have a wonderful holiday and pleaseeee I would love to hear any other tips when you return.

an alternative place to hire the boat is at the kiosk in back of the river city shopping ctr, next to the sheraton orchid hotel

Yes, that's where I often go, but from where they're staying, they'd have to take one boat to River City just to get another boat. Why bother unless that's where you are?

true...i ust thought i would offer an alternative

impacked, this is off-topic I know, but I wondered whether you went to Sri Lanka in February or not. If you did, I really want to read a report!

Hi Kathie,
I wish I could report on a wonderful trip to Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, after many sleepless nights we decided to cancel our trip because of the reported violence. In hind site (especially after reading Craig's report) we wish we would have gone but at the time we felt it was a wise decision. Thanks, for asking.

What is the going rate for private klong tours in a longtail? I've never been able to negotiate prices that have been reported on fodors down at Taksin. I always thought I was trying to be taken advantage of so I've always declined. This year I definitely want to do it regardless of price.