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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Ko Kret
เกาะเกร็ด
Go as a half-day or one-night trip from Bangkok, not a base: the island walk is 1.5–2 h and the pottery market runs weekends.
Ko Kret is a car-free Mon pottery island in the Chao Phraya, about 20 km north of Bangkok in Nonthaburi province. There is no bridge, so you arrive by ferry from Pak Kret. A loop path circles the island in 1.5–2 hours on foot. Most visitors come for the weekend market, the Mon temples and the food, and leave the same day.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- เกาะเกร็ด
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿600–1,000 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,000–1,800 excl. bed · High ฿1,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ferry across to the island | ฿4 |
| Sightseeing boat loop | ฿50 |
| Small water taxi between piers | About ฿20 per person in a group of four |
| Simple pottery piece | From ฿5 |
| Candle or incense holder | Around ฿200 |
| Thai noodle or som tam dish | Around ฿30 |
| Craft beer at the riverside bar | From ฿150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BKK · Suvarnabhumi
- About 1.5–2 h by taxi to the Pak Kret ferry pier; longer in traffic.
- DMK · Don Mueang
- About 1–1.5 h by taxi to the Pak Kret ferry pier.
Typical fares
- Ferry Pak Kret → Ko Kret
- ฿4, cash only, paid on the island side
- Sightseeing boat loop
- ฿50 per person, roughly hourly 09:00–17:00฿50 per person, roughly hourly 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Taxi Bangkok → Pak Kret pier
- meter plus tolls; agree the price or insist on the meter
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk the loop path around the island (about 2 km (1.2 mi) a side, 1.5–2 h). Bicycles can be rented near the tourist area. Motorcycle taxis wait near the end of the tourist strip. Small water taxis can be flagged from riverside piers; sightseeing boats loop the island roughly hourly, 09:00–17:00.Walk the loop path around the island (about 2 km (1.2 mi) a side, 1.5–2 h). Bicycles can be rented near the tourist area. Motorcycle taxis wait near the end of the tourist strip. Small water taxis can be flagged from riverside piers; sightseeing boats loop the island roughly hourly, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.Walk the loop path around the island (about 1.2 mi (2 km) a side, 1.5–2 h). Bicycles can be rented near the tourist area. Motorcycle taxis wait near the end of the tourist strip. Small water taxis can be flagged from riverside piers; sightseeing boats loop the island roughly hourly, 09:00–17:00.Walk the loop path around the island (about 1.2 mi (2 km) a side, 1.5–2 h). Bicycles can be rented near the tourist area. Motorcycle taxis wait near the end of the tourist strip. Small water taxis can be flagged from riverside piers; sightseeing boats loop the island roughly hourly, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
See and do
Known for
- Mon pottery (kwan aman)
- Wat Poramai Yikawat
- Weekend walking market
- khao chae and Mon snacks
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Bus 166 or 505, or MRT Pink Line then bus, back to the city | 1–1.5 h |
| Nonthaburi | Chao Phraya Express boat to Nonthaburi pier, then bus or van to Pak Kret | 1.5–2 h |
| Pathum Thani | Taxi or local bus north from Pak Kret | About 1 h |
| Rangsit | Taxi or bus north via Pathum Thani | 1–1.5 h |
Sleep
- Ko Kret island (Moo 5–6)
- A handful of guesthouses and homestays; quiet at night, book ahead.
- Pak Kret mainland
- Near the ferry pier and market; more rooms, still a local town.
- Nonthaburi / central Bangkok
- The usual base: come as a day trip and sleep in the city.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Where is the ferry pier? | ท่าเรืออยู่ที่ไหนtha rua yu thi nai |
| Ko Kret | เกาะเกร็ดko kret |
| Not spicy | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Ferry to the island is cash only, paid on the Ko Kret side.
- Weekend market is the reason to come; weekdays are very quiet.
- Little English is spoken on the island; carry the Thai name เกาะเกร็ด.
- Life vests are not standard on small water taxis.
Very safe by day. The real risks are heat, uneven riverside paths, boats without life vests and the last ferry back to Pak Kret: check the time before you start the loop.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ko Kret yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mon pottery (kwan aman)
- Wat Poramai Yikawat
- Weekend walking market
- khao chae and Mon snacks
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- Chao Phraya Express Boat: www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/?lang=en
- Wikivoyage: Ko Kret, revision 5326975 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326975
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ko Kretเกาะเกร็ด
ไปเกาะเกร็ด
To Ko Kret, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on the island; most are in central Bangkok (check your own country's address).
Ferries and boats are cash only; carry small notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ko-kret). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.