As we cross the Chao Phraya River on our way to Thonburi, you’ll catch a beautiful glimpse of Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn. This iconic riverside temple is one of Bangkok’s most famous landmarks, with its central Khmer-style prang (tower) rising elegantly above the water, adorned with intricate porcelain mosaics that shimmer in the sunlight. ***** Please note that we will NOT get off at Wat Arun. You will only see it from the river while on our way to Thonburi. *****
Tucked away along the peaceful banks of Khlong Bang Luang (Bang Luang Canal) on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River lies one of Bangkok’s hidden gems: a charming riverside community where time seems to slow down. This historic neighborhood is made up of traditional wooden houses, small local shops, and family-run galleries connected by a wooden walkway that follows the edge of the canal. It offers a rare glimpse into what everyday life in Bangkok used to be like, long before the city’s skyline was dominated by concrete and glass. At the heart of the community is Baan Silapin, or The Artist’s House, a beautifully restored wooden home over 200 years old. Dedicated to preserving and celebrating Thai culture, this house functions as a small art center where visitors can enjoy rotating art exhibitions and handmade crafts. Wandering through the area, you’ll find small shops, cozy riverside cafés, and friendly locals who’ve lived here for generations. Duration of stop 30-40 minutes.
As we cruise through the canals of Thonburi, we pass by Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, a historic temple founded during the mid-Ayutthaya period. Located in the Phasi Charoen district, this temple has long been a center of Buddhist learning and meditation. Today, however, it is best known for its enormous seated Buddha statue, which rises dramatically above the surrounding rooftops and is visible from far across the city. The boat will pause here briefly, allowing you to admire and photograph this awe-inspiring statue from the water. At nearly 70 meters tall, equivalent to a 20-story building, and 40 meters wide at its base, it is the tallest Buddha statue in Bangkok. Cast in shimmering gold tones, the statue sits in a calm meditative posture and makes a striking contrast against the skyline. While we don’t disembark at the temple, viewing this colossal image from the quiet of the canal offers a truly unique and memorable perspective.
We had heavy rainfall during the experience, but our tour guide Neo was amazing and made sure we were okay. He was so informative and funny. We stopped at some local shops along the canal side which was interesting to see. Definitely recommend this experience, however I would’ve liked more time at the local shops
Everything was beautiful ! Our tour guide was great!
Neo was fantastic! He communicated well, spoke good english! Great information on the tour. Highly recommend this tour!! The boat was a great way to experience Thailand, the more local side, outside of big city Bangkok!
Great time, Neo was a great guide.
Great informative tour by Neo
Great tour. The market was interesting and fun. We enjoyed seeeing the local lifestyle. Our guide was enthusiastic and friendly, he knew everyone. Can't forget the largest Buddha in Thailand.
Bella our guide was very helpful throughout the day and knowledgeable about the history of Bangkok. Would recommend to anyone in the area
Bella was a great tour guide very knowledgeable and friendly. She made the whole experience amazing!
The canal tour is a ~2h roundtrip through the west side of Bangkok (Thon Buri) with a stop in the arisrts house. Ken is a great guide, extremely friendly and informative.
Enjoyed the ride and information shared People were very friendly and helpful. I will recommend this to everyone I know
Great longtail boat tour I loved it. And our guide Pam was very nice.
My husband and I were looking for one final activity to wrap up our Bangkok trip when I came across this tour on Viator, and I’m so glad I did! Our tour guide's name was Joe, and he was incredible. He was friendly, had a hilarious sense of humor, and made learning so enjoyable. We can honestly say we learned so much during our short time with him. The sights were also breathtaking. There is something about seeing these incredible landmarks from the water that feels extra special. However, our absolute favorite part was experiencing authentic Thai culture. Part of the tour takes you to a tiny village along the canal where floating markets were originally held before moving to land, and the area still retains all of its original charm. Thanks to this tour, we picked up some wonderful trinkets and tasted the absolute best Mango Sticky Rice of our entire 1.5-week trip! If you’re looking for genuine, wholesome fun, this is the tour for you.
We had a great time, our tour guide along the river and saw many great sights. He knowledgeable and great at communicating with the group. We also got an opportunity to try new and interesting delicious food! Would recommend!
Excellent morning. Really informative. Loved the whole thing. Would highly recommend.
Great experience, joe the tour guide was very helpful and informative
Despite some initial communication issues, we managed to find our guide and embark on our private tour of the canals and artist house. Guide Olivia was great, spoke fluent English, was very patient with my children and even helped my daughter paint a picture 🤣 Thank you! We will cherish this experience
We had an incredible experience on our Bangkok longtail boat canal tour with Neo! He was so friendly, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable about Wat Arun, the Big Buddha, and all the rich history of the areas we visited. Beyond being a great guide, Neo went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and even helped us book a Grab ride safely at the end of the tour. Neo is truly an excellent tour guide. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Highly recommended!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This canal boat tour is an excellent way to experience the water side of Bsngkok in the Thonburi canals and their locks up from the Chao Phraya.
We really enjoyed this long boat trip. It’s a very nice way to explore. We had a long drive out of the city to get to our boarding place, but once we were there the ride was fun and a great experience
Appreciate that the tour operator waited for us - flight from Singapore was delayed, and rush hour traffic. We met the group at the pier for the boat ride. My husband has limited mobility so it was a bit difficult to get on the boat but the crew and guest helped him get on. At the first stop at the Big Buddha temple. My husband and I decided to stay on the boat, the guide Pat(?) Said the ship will be 15 MINUTES. While they were out in the temple, it rained very hard, with thunder and lightning. It was almost an hour and the group has not come back. It was pouring, yes, but we were soaked and cold in the boat. I contacted the operator by what's app detailing our situation. No action. The group came back before an hour with drinks and souvenirs - while we were sitting on the boat soaking wet. The guide never came to see how we were. Granted it's raining but she should have at least checked on us. That was the only stop we experienced except waiting for the waterway lock to open. Definitely NOT HAPPY, NOT SATISFIED.
Fantastic—excellent, experienced guide, took wonderful care of us throughout. A perfect way to get to know the city, even if you ‘know’ the city. Well worth it.
We booked this tour shortly after arriving in Bangkok, and are SO happy we did! This tour is a perfect introduction to this vibrant canal-centric city! WanderSiam is clearly a well-established tour company—the booking process was very simple, and the company quickly arranged for our direct transportation from the hotel to the Golden Place waterfront departure point. (Make sure to ask your initial driver where to meet the tour—ours did not specify, and we did not locate our group until the last minute). Our guide was *fantastic*—a multigenerational Bangkok native with deep knowledge of the city. He took extremely good care of all of us, including hand delivering us to our return transport driver. Even if you are familiar with Bangkok, this trip is worth every penny—we can’t recommend it highly enough!
It’s the best 2 hours to spend on the water in Bangkok! Very educational and fun and exciting. The tour guide was fabulous
All good but was hoping to get more of the city. The guide ken is the main draw of the tour.
Ken did an amazing job with the tour, happy that he was our guide
Fantastic tour! Bella was an excellent guide; she explained the canals, the artistic communities, and their history with fluent English and trained expertise. Admission fee was worth the money at 35 USD per person. In fact, there were only a few other people on the whole long tail boat, so it felt like a very personalized experience and had a chill atmosphere. 2 hours is perfect for a pre or post lunch outing.
Very good guide and fun experience
It was a pleasure to have Paul as our Tourguide! He is such a fun and happy person. We enjoyed the Tour so much and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
Guide was lovely and it was a great way to see this area of Bangkok. They did notify me of a change to the departure spot after booking - which was further away from my hotel which was annoying
A really great 2 hour trip on the river and canals and a fantastic view of big buddah from the water. Also amazing bird life. The massive monitor lizards and seeing life on the river.
Great tour, Paul was an enthusiastic and passionate guide. Especially recommend with (cool) car pick up :-)
Fantastic way to spend two hours. Paul had a gregarious laugh!
Such a fun experience. It was amazing time seeing homes from the real side of Bangkok where locals live. Got some great pictures of the Golden Buddha. Saw water dragons swimming next to the boat. Our boat driver went up to a home selling sodas so we could buy some drinks. Only thing as the motet was a bit loud, so that both me some. But I would totally recommend a long the boat tour!!
Nice to try it. Thanks to Mini.
Good balance to see the older parts of The city. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The pick up location was very easy to find and central.
Paula was amazing!! So much fun!
Fantastic way to see the 'original' Bangkok before the high rise buildings and learn about the culture and origin of the city. Our guide, Johanes, was informative, knowledgeable - and funny! He really made the trip with his little quips and his enthusiasm for his heritage is clear to see. The Big Buddha (plural, there's actually two!) was so impressive but actually our favourite part was the visit to the riverside community and the opportunity to engage with the local craft people at the Artist's House. There was only our party of 7 on our longboat so the trip was wonderfully relaxed. Everything was so well organised and the time flew by! Worth every penny, you will not regret it!
Great fun - would recommend to anyone
Very good experience with Ken and this journey. Very good halt stops to visit especially the artist house on the floated village. You have to experience it!
Ken was amazing!!!! Very accommodating when I missed the first tour and gave really clear directions for where to meet. Good info throughout the tour and can answer all your questions
Very nice Tour with the Guide Paula. Very good and informative about the area, sights and Buddhism. Thank you!!
I loved this tour and would recommend to others who want to do a river canal tour
Ken is the best guide, he told us very interesting stories, the whole trip was cool and easy going
Ken was amazing! :-) I enjoyed the tour very much!
Joe was a great guide. Explained everything in detail and was attentive.
Paula was absolutely fantastic, we thoroughly enjoyed the boat trip and would recommend to anyone wanting to see the old canals and life. The skipper was fantastic 👌
We had an excellent guide, was a very interesting trip with a stop at a great market area, beautiful smoothies on a very hot day, was lovely to have a good day after all the rain we'd had.
Worth trying but may not provide good value for money for some
Pam was very kind and knowledgeable. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the Pier by Bolt. Take baht for the market to shop. Due to flooding, the tour started on the other side of the river. We were delayed due to traffic but the company was so kind to book us on the next tour. Thank you for working with us! Go early to explore the temple near the pier.
Joe was a very entertaining and knowledgeable guide with a great sense of humour. Only part that could be improved on is the amount of time spent at the artist house, really needed longer to visit all that was on offer.
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