Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า) – Bike Tour of Bangkok’s Green Lung

By Mark Wiens 42 Comments
Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)
Arriving to the pier at Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)

I really love living in Bangkok.

The action and energy of the city, the street food available at every corner, the markets, and motorbikes – Bangkok is fascinating.

However, sometimes I really love to escape the fast pace of the city, and try to get away from all the action.

The good new is, there are quite a few interesting places, located near Bangkok, like Samut Prakan or Khlong Lat Mayom, and though only a short distance from central Bangkok, you’ll feel like you’re in an entire different world.

Another short day trip from Bangkok, when you’re looking to escape the crowds and noise, is a visit to Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า).

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า) is located in an area, actually in the province of Samut Prakan adjacent to Bangkok, known as Phra Pradaeng (พระประแดง); When you look at a Bangkok map, it’s the section where the Chao Phraya river snakes around like a horseshoe.

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า) is the name used for the green lung inside the Chao Phraya horseshoe, which is a part of the greater area of Phra Pradaeng (พระประแดง).

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)
Taking a small ferry boat across the Chao Phraya river

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า) was originally a place where a small population of Burmese Mon came when they settled in Thailand.

Today, the area remains, and is required to remain undeveloped commercially, in an effort preserve the nature and culture of the district.

No sky-rise buildings or commercial factories are allowed in Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า).

Things to do in Bangkok
Rent a bicyle

What to do at Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)

Once you take the boat across the river and arrive to Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า), you’ll get dropped off at a little wooden dock and house. From there, you can probably find a motorbike taxi to take you somewhere you want to go, but the better option is to rent a bicycle (or bring your own).

Bicycles are available for 50 THB per hour, or 100 THB for the whole day.

I would recommend you go with 100 THB for the whole day – you never know what you’re going to come across while biking through Phra Phradaeng, and you just might be exploring longer than you think.

The bicycles are not the best of quality, but they aren’t too bad either, especially for $3 for the whole day.

Day trips in Bangkok
Enjoy the fresh air and lack of traffic

As soon as you get on your bicycle and start pedaling, you’ll feel like you’re completely removed from the chaos of central Bangkok.

The small road is lined by a few motorbikes, from people who have parked for the day, and probably crossed over into Khlong Toey.

Lush green trees line both sides of the road, and while you still have to be careful of occasional motorbikes and cars, you can immediately feel the relaxation of nature.

Sri Nakhon Khuan Khan Park
Entrance at Sri Nakhon Khuan Khan Park

Just about 1 kilometer into the bike ride from the pier, where you rent the bicycle, you’ll arrive at Sri Nakhon Khuan Khan Park.

One of the cool things about Sri Nakhon Khuan Khan Park is that over half of the area of the park is un-touched, just natural trees.

Phra Pradaeng
Untouched forest at Sri Nakhon Khuan Khan Park

This makes it a decent bird sanctuary, and if you’re into bird watching, you’ll have a chance to see quite a few different species within the park.

Anyway, since I was cycling, the park makes a lovely little detour from the road, and a place to bike around for a few minutes, enjoy the beautiful gardens, and then head back to the road to keep exploring more of Bang Krachao.

Durian
They should be growing durians!

I noticed these green covered canals throughout the park, and I couldn’t help thinking that they should be growing Nonthaburi durians there, but then again, maybe the minerals are not up to par.

The famous Nonthaburi durians are grown on mounds of mud and dirt, fueled by little mineral rich canals just like this. Unfortunately, no durian trees in sight.

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)
Cycle on the walkways – my favorite thing to do in Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า)

Cycling on the narrow elevated walkways

Easily my personal favorite part of taking a day trip to Bang Krachao, is the opportunity to cycle on top of the network of elevated sidewalks.

Since much of Phra Pradaeng is subject to flooding, and even half of the peninsula is marshland most of the time, in order for people that live there to live, some have their homes built on stilts, and the walkways elevated, about 2 meters off the ground.

You do need a little bit of balance to bike down the elevated walkways in Bang Krachao, but it’s so much fun biking down these peaceful lanes, with forest spilling over on either side.

Bang Nam Pheung floating market (ตลาดน้ำบางน้ำผึ้ง)
Bang Nam Pheung floating market (ตลาดน้ำบางน้ำผึ้ง)

Bang Nam Pheung Floating Market

On Saturdays and Sundays, Phra Pradaeng is home to the Bang Nam Pheung floating market (ตลาดน้ำบางน้ำผึ้ง), which I wrote about previously here.

The market is somewhat of a local Bangkok tourist attraction, and every weekend, big crowds of Bangkokians show up to walk around, go on an outing with their families, and eat lots of delicious things.

You can go to Bang Krachao any day of the week, but if you go on a weekend, you’ll be able to visit the market, which is an extra bonus.

Food in Bangkok
We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant

Food in Bang Krachao

When it comes to eating, no matter how remote you may feel, you’ll just about always find food to eat in Thailand.

When you’re biking around Bang Krachao, you’ll find a few small local restaurants; Stop in at any of them, have a refreshing beverage, and a bite to eat.

I saw many restaurants serving mostly dishes like kuay teow tom yum, among other noodle dishes. Again, if you go on a weekend, you’ll be able to find lots more food at Bang Nam Pheung Market.

Thai food
You’re never far from Thai food in Thailand

On my latest visit to Bang Krachao, we stopped in for lunch at just a random street side restaurant with no name.

The restaurant had a fantastic atmosphere, shaded by big green trees, and sort of a makeshift restaurant – my kind of place.

หมูผัดพริกหยวก
Moo pad prik yuak (หมูผัดพริกหยวก) – Pork stir fried with banana peppers

They mainly served kuay teow tom yum (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำ), but you could also order a few other dishes like pad see ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว), and I’m personally a bigger rice fan, so I decided to go for the moo pad prik yuak (หมูผัดพริกหยวก pork fried with banana peppers) and a kai dao (ไข่ดาว fried egg) on the side.

It wasn’t anything food-spectacular, but it wasn’t bad, and it gave me some much needed energy after a few hours of biking.

Bang Krachao
Peace and nature in Bang Krachao

Staying in Bang Krachao

I haven’t personally stayed anywhere in Bang Krachao, so I don’t have any personal tips or recommendations, but if you’re looking to get out of Bangkok for more than just a day trip, there are a number of home-stays and even eco style hotels located in the area.

It would be a great relaxing time to spend a night or two in Bangkok’s green lung to get some fresh air and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Wat Khlong Toey Nok (วัดคลองเตยนอก)
Wat Khlong Toey Nok (วัดคลองเตยนอก)

Here’s a video about visiting Bang Krachao:

(If you can’t see the video, watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlL_OZUMiHI)

Conclusion

Bangkok is an amazing city with so many things to see and activities to do.

One of the reasons I like Bangkok so much is that you can be in the middle of the chaos of the city one hour, and the next you can be cruising around Bangkok’s green lung on bicycle.

Bang Krachao (บางกระเจ้า) is a fantastic place to escape the rush of Bangkok, breath in some fresh air, get some exercise, and see the beauty of nature, the Chao Phraya river, swamps, canals, and finally enjoy the relaxed daily life in the area.

How to get to Bang Krachao

There are a couple of different ways to get to Bang Krachao from central Bangkok, one of them would be just by taking a taxi directly there. However, I’ll go over the steps for the method I normally take, and I think it’s the most direct, and fun way to get there.

Enjoy!

42 comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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  • High Rated Gabru

    3 years ago

    Good job Mark. Keep writing.

  • JohnB

    7 years ago

    This is advice that I need for my trip in May. We have a Sunday with nothing planned. Since it will be so hot, this sounds like a good idea.

  • Ari Katz

    7 years ago

    Hi Mark,
    Any chance you know if they rent kids-sized bikes (normal ones, not with training wheels) at the bike rental place by the pier? Thanks!

    • Mark Wiens

      7 years ago

      Hi Ari, I honestly don’t remember seeing any, but there very well could be. Otherwise some of the bikes are quite small and the seats can be lowered all the way.

  • Chris

    8 years ago

    I like the information you give. I really like this place and want to go there with my friend. But I can’t ride bike. So, I’d like to know that these bicycles have back seat. If we hire one bike, can ride two people?

    • Wieke Ockvianasari

      7 years ago

      sure you can. there are many type of bike. I’ve been there with my husband and have lot of fun. enjoy

  • Steeve

    8 years ago

    I had a great biking day here last October.
    Next month I will visit Bangkok again. Do you know another place like this near Bangkok?

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you for sharing Steeve, awesome to hear that. Have you been to Koh Kret?

    • Steeve

      8 years ago

      Yes, I have seen Koh Kret before 🙂
      That’s also a nice market.

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Thank you Steeve, yah that’s a great place too.

  • Jessica Hammer

    8 years ago

    Thanks for the detailed location instructions Mark. I was escorting new friends and following your directions, got us all there with no issues. We had a great day cycling and exploring the area!

    • Mark Wiens

      8 years ago

      Hey Jessica, awesome to hear that, glad you had a fun time. And thanks for the extra information about the bike company.

  • Shayan Naveed

    8 years ago

    Loved this place! Went over the weekend and it was surely an experience. Great adventure. There’s also the Bangkok Tree House there, lovely place to have lunch/dinner or stay, that is if you like living with nature.

  • Fred2173

    9 years ago

    I’m very glad to find informations here to Bang Krachao, I like a lot the advise from Mark, and i already bought the Bangkok guide with 101 things to do. But i haven’t seen anything about this place, however i think it’s a very good place to be known.

    • Mark Wiens

      9 years ago

      Hi Fred, thank you very much. In the eBook it’s part of Phra Pradaeng. Were you able to visit here yet?

  • Jean-Paul

    9 years ago

    Thanks for sharing, sounds like an amazing activity. We are planning to visit with our 3 year son. Any idea if you can rent a bicycle with a childrens seat?

    • Mark Wiens

      9 years ago

      Hi Jean-Paul, good to hear from you. Hmm, I don’t remember seeing any children’s seats, but there may be. Do you have a children’s seat you could bring with you?

    • Jessica Hammer

      8 years ago

      The name of the bike company that rent bikes on the Kam Nan Khao pier is M-bike. They handed us promotion leaflets at Khlong Toey and the listed number is 089-2211588 (Mook)
      I’m pretty sure I saw child seats but not sure if they were rented.

  • elaine

    9 years ago

    I live on the other side of Chaophraya, Thonburi side. Any advice on how to get there by taxi as I have a 2 year old child with me? Thanks

    • Mark Wiens

      9 years ago

      Hi Elaine, depending on where you are, the best way to get there may be to take a taxi – you can access from Ratburana. Hope you enjoy it!

  • Ray

    9 years ago

    Hi Mark!

    Great read. Just a small update for you. Since biking has become so popular among Thai people right now I would strongly recommend not going there during the weekends. It may sound unbelievable but I got stuck on those small paths quite often over the past few months as hundred and hundred Thai cyclists flock there on weekends. Its like a huge traffic jam at times and can sometimes be a bit annoying. So best to go weekdays! Than you got it all to yourself.

    • Mark Wiens

      9 years ago

      Hey Ray, thank you for stopping by and for the update. Good tip, I have noticed that biking seems to have really picked up in the last couple years.

  • Pattaranida L

    9 years ago

    My friends and I are going there tomorrow. Thanks for sharing !

    • Nick

      9 years ago

      We were planning on going but my girlfriend called in advance and was advised that they are doing a lot of construction at the moment so you cannot get around very much of the place. They construction will be complete by the end of February 2015

    • Mark Wiens

      9 years ago

      Hi Pattaranida, hope you had a nice time.

  • Sacha @ The Beautiful Travel Hangover

    10 years ago

    Simply gorgeous! I like quaint and lush places like this. I didn’t know about Bang Krachao, but I will definitely remember for a future trip to Thailand.

    • Mark Wiens

      10 years ago

      Hi Sacha, thank you very much, hope you can visit on your next trip.

  • norman mizuno

    10 years ago

    this looks amazing……love all your articles…..

  • Chua Ken

    10 years ago

    awesome, thank you for sharing!

    • Mark Wiens

      10 years ago

      You’re welcome Chua, thank you for reading.

  • Daniel

    10 years ago

    Awesome stuff mark. Just recently moved to Bangkok and will definitely be checking this place out.

  • Szymon Kosecki

    10 years ago

    Bang Nam Pheung was one of our best market experiences in Bangkok. We travelled across the river and then walked from the pier to the market through the riverside gardens. Beautiful area and friendly people. Will definitely go there again! If only for Gac fruit juice!

  • Clay

    10 years ago

    Gear article Mark! It looks beautiful and the Moo pad prik yuak looks sweet too.

  • Lindsay

    10 years ago

    Wow, Mark, we are on the same brain wavelength. I’m about to post about my bike trip to Bang Krachao too! But of course, you know what I was doing there 🙂 And yes, I found the durian trees!

    • Mark Wiens

      10 years ago

      Hey Lindsay, ahaha, very cool. Looking forward to your overview of Bang Krachao.