If Bangkok is the heart of Thailand, the Chao Phraya is its main artery. A vast network of canals and river tributaries surrounding the city still carry a motley fleet of watercraft from paddled canoes to rice barges. Many homes, trading houses and temples remain oriented towards life on the river, including the famous floating markets on the city’s outer canal systems. Those markets are best visited in the early morning, before tour groups arrive.
Travellers will quickly find that the Chao Phraya also serves as one of the most pleasant and exciting ways to see the city, as the breeze off the water makes it a cooler, less expensive alternative to a cab or tuk-tuk. Water taxis ply the river at every hour of the day, but the view is especially spectacular at night, when the wats and palaces of the city rise out of the darkness in a wash of golden light.
