Read numerous posts about both and need clarification. Understand that the Floating Market is best in the morning, outside of BKK and tends to be more food focused. For our first time in Bangkok, do you recommend doing both? Not sure if this is necessary. What do you do/see in a klong tour?

A little background: We have 4.5 days in Bangkok in April (first visit). If we do klong tour, it might be on our first day on our own - no guide.

We will be using one of Tong's guides (possibly Tom) for 1 or 2 days. Still working on itinerary, but definitely want a guide for GP/Emerald Buddha area and the secret place.

My initial thought was klong tour only, but knowing we want to visit the secret place which is also outside of town, is it worth a visit to the FM? (I realize we aren't going to be able to see everything this first time, but want a good representation of places -just trying to prioritize right now.)

Some people love the floating market, others see it as a photo op concocted for tourists. Personally, I would't go to the floating market, but there are some people on the board who love it.

The klong tour (you don't need a guide) takes you through canals in Bangkok where you see people from a diffeernt perspective than walking on the streets. This seems more like a window into their lives. It feels to me like a more "authentic" experience than the floating market. ( I expect I'll get clobbered for that statement.) Ther are klong tours that take you to a number of pre-determined destinations (like the snake farm and Wat Arun). But you can also get klong tours that are more off the tourist track.

To me the klong trip is THE must see of a trip to bangkok. You don't need a guide -- just a boat and driver. And someone who will give them some instructions. I get mine at the Oriental Pier and the boat man at the Oriental deals with the driver. If you're staying at a river hotel I assume they all will get them for you.

If you only have 4.5 days I would not do the floating market.

we enjoyed both and i strongly suggest that you try to do both...klongs in the PM are more active..

On a klong tour, you will more often than not see the floating food and flower markets and will have boat ladies come up and sell you drinks and food, so you can get a good bit of the experience of the floating market, albeit on a smaller scale. In addition, you will also see the whole myriad of life that goes on along the canals, from temples with monks, to kids swimming and going to school, to people washing their dishes and bathing, to just hanging out. On one several years ago, we went down the coffin-making "street" which was very interesting. (I have been looking for that one on subsequent tours as you can imagine.) You are essentially taking a tour of the local neighborhoods, and get to see everything going on in the streets, which are the series of canals you are touring. I agree that klong tours can be more interesting than the more tourist-oriented trip that the floating market tends to be. A klong tour could also include a visit to the royal barges and the Temple of the Dawn, two very good sites to see by boat, and interesting in their own right. I think that for floating markets, a trip is best early in the morning, but at all other times a klong tour can be good to see lots of other activity going on. (I like one in late afternoon toward dusk, including seeing the sun set behind Wat Arun, and a trip up to see the Grand Palace lit up a night at the end, but the Royal Barges, etc may be closed at that point. Sometimes you have to do more than one trip.)

In probably 15 trips to Bangkok as a tourist, I have done the floating market twice, but almost always make time to do a klong tour, that may tell you something. All in all, I would do a klong tour first, and then if you want to and have time toward the end, perhaps consider the floating market. If you do the floating market, I would go very very early, be there at like dawn, you don't necessarily need to do a tour, you can hire your own boat to take you around, and your own driver to take you down there. If you are there very very early you will miss most of the tour groups from what I can tell in my two trips there.

A note about the "Oriental Pier" mentioned above. The Oriental Pier is actually a stop on the water bus route, and is not associated with or physically connected to the Oriental Hotel (which happens to be next door and is how the stop is named; for a map of the water bus route see http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/routemap_fare_e.htm). While you can certainly find long-tail boats for hire at the Oriental Pier, no one from the Oriental Hotel is there to help you. If you want to hire a boat there, you can do it and you can usually find enough English speakers to help. You can also go to the Oriental Hotel which is next door to the Oriental Pier, go down to the water to their private pier, and ask a hotel representative to help you get a long tail boat and arrange for a klong tour. You don't have to be staying at the hotel (but I would not volunteer this information, just let them assume you are).

You may end up paying more for the boat arranged via the Oriental Hotel (as the boatmen assume you have more money), hard to say, they may also help you from being gouged by people at the Oriental Pier; but the cost is generally very reasonable in any event. Try to stick in the 400-600 Baht per hour range or less, although this may take a lot of bargaining, they will probably start in the 1200 per hour range. If you can't get them down from like 800 or 1000 and it's worth it to you, don't worry so much about it. I think about 2 hours is good, including for stops at the barges and the Temple of the Dawn, you may want a bit more.

If you have the time and inclination, to really get a look at local life, take a water bus north to Nonthaburi and then hire a long tail boat at the pier there and tour that area, that is less-developed than the Thonburi area where most people do their klong tours. You will get a chance to see even more local life. (Thonburi is perfectly fine and you can do the Royal Barges and Temple of the Dawn, so if you only feel you have time for the Thonburi area, which is the west side of central Bangkok, you willl enjoy that too, IMO.)

Cicerone-- you're absolutely right. When i said Oriental Pier I really meant the boat dock at the Oriental Hotel which is where I stay and where I get my boat. I, like you, always do a klong trip when in bangkok -- this Feb will be my 19th time-- so I like to have someone tell the driver to take me to some of the smaller, less traveled canals. Also like to be able to go very slowely. Sometimes I want to stop someplace like the flower market or wat arun. I like having someone be able to explain all that. I also think the Oriental basically has a group of boats and drivers that they use who are reliable. What I don't know is if you can use their services if you're not a guest of the hotel.

Have you guys ever done the Pak Kred tour? Pak Kred(or Koh Kred) is a island formed by the meandering Choa Praya river and touring the island with a long tail boat is quite fun. There are some nice Buddhist temples on the island as well as a small Muslim population. There are also interesting villages on the island where you can wander about and buy souvenirs.

We normally drive to the Pak Kred, one exit before the Impact Centre, and hire a long tail boat for 1/2 a day(about 2 - 300 Baht). After that just relax and enjoy the island.

Hanuman-- I've never done that but it sounds very interesting. Thanks for the tip
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You can do both even though some with be similar. You do not have to leave at dawn. It you leave at 7-7:15AM for the FM you can walk around for 15-20 minutes, then take a canoe-type boat for 60-75 minutes through a fair amount of the market and be back in BK at 11:30. I would take a pass on the craft center near there for you will spend almost an hour for very little, in my opinion. You can visit a few wats for 2 hours and lunch in A/C place and even go back to hotel to relax for an hour. Then take a klong at 4-6:30 or so (april it is light out till 7:30+ and go for a leisurely dinner at 7:30. It is best to do this with a driver, be it Tom or Ratt if she is available.
You will be zonked if you do it the first day. It sounds like a third day outing.I know guides have gone up by 15%+ since May '06 so a 7-8 hour day will cost ~$55-$60 with tip, I guess, but really convenient from 7 AM until they return you to your hotel at 2:30.

We did both the klongs and the Floating Market. We liked both for different reasons. The Floating Market was GREAT for food. But the klong tour was much more informative, as far as seeing another part of Bangkok that we wouldn't ordinarily have known about. We didn't go to the "secret place."

Hanuman-
I really want to go up to Ko Kred when I'm there next week. I'd like to take the express boat up there (but not the sunday "tourist" boat).
Any advice?

Do both. Happy Travels!

Thanks everyone! Great info. Gives me a lot to think about. We will definitely do a klong tour!

We will be staying at The Peninsula, so is it best to cross the river and get a long tail boat at the Oriental stop? I thought I had read somewhere that there are other places, but maybe this is the most convenient.

Do the boat drivers speak English?

Do we have to tell them where to go when we negotiate a price and do they tell you about any of the areas you pass?

I didn't realize you can hop on/off during your tour. I was thinking of a 2 hour tour, but if we got on/off is this part of the 2 hours? Or should we just start one area and have it end where we want to get off (and take a taxi back to the hotel)?

Lastly, is the royal barges mentioned above a museum? Haven't hear of the Temple of the Dawn - what is this?

I haven't chimed in yet because everyone else's info is so good that I had nothing to add.

You can arrange your klong tour right from the Penn dock. Just tell the boatman what you want to do and where you want to go. Be specific. The price is not usually negotiable. Your boat driver will most likely not speak English. The idea of the klong tour is just to check out the scenery. The Royal Barge Museum is where the royal barges are stored. I have not done this stop. If you get on/off it is part of the two hours. Temple of the Dawn is a nickname for Wat Arun. Generally the boats return from where they start. You will cover some distance in your 2 hours - generally it is a pretty standard route where you can specify that you don't want to visit the snake farm or do want to visit Wat Arun etc. but not much else.

Thanks Craig. If the boat driver doesn't speak English, then am I correct in understanding that the boatmen are at the dock and tell the driver where to take us and how long?

Do we pay upfront or at the end of the tour? Is it appropriate to tip the boat driver?

As for specifics on where to go, it sounds like that is more if we want to get on/off at stops (like the Royal Barges or Wat Arun). If we just wanted to stay in the boat then we don't need to specify anything. Correct?

Would we cover more if we had the driver start and end in a different spot? For example start at the Penn dock and end at Wat Arun?

At the Penn dock there is always at least one boatman to assist hotel guests with the shuttle boats. They can also flag down a long tail boat for your klong tour and will tell them where you want to go and what you want to do.

You pay at the end and it is nice to tip if you are happy with the boat driver's services.

I would specify especially if there is something you DON'T want to do (e.g. snake farm).

I doubt you'd cover much more if you started at the dock and ended at Wat Arun. The ride on the Chao Phraya between Wat Arun and the dock is fairly short. Your trip would end up being maybe 1-3/4 hours at the same price as for 2 hours.

Keep in mind that khlongs are usually no different than an unflushed toilet. If you can avoid being sprayed with water, then more power to you.

I had a nice time at the floating market. It was worthwhile for sure.

Great questions and answers. We too will be staying at the Penn, and will be doing a Klong tour from the dock.

Kristina,

I haven't taken the express boat to Koh Kred from the Sathon bridge area but I would say that it's over an hour ride on the fastest boat. If the weather is nice and if they stop along the way at the other tourist sites - why not?

What I normally do is that I drive to Pak Kred, 1/2 hour or 45 minutes from the Oriental, and park my car there(you could take a taxi) and hire a long tail boat. The boat would take me around the island as well as to other interesting sites on the mainland(or the other side of the river) as well. At each stop the boat would wait for me while I tour or visit a temple. There's one stop in a side klong where I like to visit a little shop that makes very good "Foi Tong", a sweet desert made from egg which the Thai got from the Portuguese 500 years ago. The majority of the people on this islands are Mons so you'll get to experience a little bit of Myanmar on the island especially some of the temple architecture. Try the Khanom Jean for lunch or snack but becareful since they are often quite spicy.

If you take the express boat to Koh Kred I'm not sure if they would do this or not(take you around the island). I have a feeling that they will just drop you off at the main pier and pick you up later. You could take a car there and take the express boat back or visa versa. Lastly, try and visit on a weekend. If you come next week the weather will be perfect, at least it's very nice at the moment. Dec 5th and 10th are holidays in Thailand so be aware of that.

Thanks Craig. This really helps.

Is 2 hours sufficient time to hop on/off to visit royal barges and Wat Arun? Not sure how long those would take to see or if we should save Wat Arun for a separate trip.

Appreciate the advice to tell the boatman what we DON'T want to do. Funny enough my husband is deathly afraid of snakes, so no snake farm. What else do they usually do besides snake farm, Wat Arun and royal barges?