Canal tour
Animal conditions
Many tours through Thonburi's backwaters include a visit to the so-called Thonburi Snake Farm. Besides a snake show performance, it is also a small zoo with a number of animals kept in cages for the purpose of entertaining tourists. Conscious travellers might want to know that the animals in this snake farm live in very bad conditions and in small cages. There are no signs to inform the visitor, as the animals are only meant for the sole purpose of entertainment. If you don't want to visit the farm for these reasons, make sure you book a canal tour that does not include the farm. For an alternative, visit the animal friendly Queen Saovabha Institute Snake Farm in Silom.
Nineteenth-century Bangkok was laced with canals, giving the capital the designation "Venice of the East". As Bangkok turned into a bustling metropolis, Thonburi's surviving canals and the Chao Phraya River provide memorable vignettes of the traditional waterborne way-of-life that once was. No wonder then that most travellers visit the district by boat. Many of the tours and floating markets feel pretty set-up though, but in mornings you might still encounter an authentic floating vendor, paddling from house to house trying to sell some just-prepared food.
The most convenient option is to take a fixed-price trip, which is a package deal that usually includes a visit to Wat Arun, the Royal Barge Museum and a floating market. Such a tour can be booked through a travel agency, but it's easier to go to the pier yourself. There are two tour companies, one operating from Tha Chang pier in Rattanakosin, the other operating from Si Phraya pier in Silom near River City shopping centre.
Trips can also be arranged by chartering a boat along the canals at the east side of the river. The most convenient place to do this is Tha Chang pier or Tha Tien pier at the Rattanakosin side of the river. But it's also possible at Oriental pier in Silom and at the Bangkok Information Centre under Phra Pinklao Bridge near Khao San Road. Major canals in Thonburi which tourists can take a boat trip through are the Bangkok Noi canal, Bangkok Yai canal, Daan canal and Chakphra canal. Be prepared to bargain, but don't pay more than around 1,000-1,500 baht for a two-hour trip without any stops.
Another option is the boat service from Tha Chang pier. It operates every morning from 06:30 till 11:00 and departs every half hour or when it has enough passengers. Boat fare is only 30 baht per person and you'll visit an orchard and a floating market.
Patravadi Theatre
Renowned for its lavish productions, this outdoor theatre has gained popularity through its modern adaptations of classical Asian literature, with each play demonstrating an ingenious blend of various theatrical techniques.
