The island dates only to 1722, when a canal was constructed as a shortcut to bypass a bend in the Om Kret branch of the Chao Phraya river. As the canal was widened several times, the section cut off eventually became a separate island. The island continues to serve as a refuge to the Mon tribes who dominated central Thailand between the 6th and 10th centuries and have retained a distinct identity in their flavor of Buddhism and, particularly at Ko Kret, their pottery.
The easiest way to reach Ko Kret is to take the once-weekly Chao Phraya Express '''[http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/touristboat_kohkred_e.htm Ko Kret tour]''', which leaves the Central Pier (BTS Saphan Taksin) every Sunday at 09:00 and visits a number of attractions before returning at 15:30. The cost of the cruise and guided tour is 300 baht (no lunch). Many other companies also offer similar tours, often just as a stop on a longer upriver trip to Ayutthaya.
Independent travel to Ko Kret is a little more challenging. The easiest option is to take public bus 166 from Victory Monument (at the footbridge's end) or bus 505 from Central World to the end of the line in the Pak Kret market. From there, you have to walk about 500 meters (or take a moto/samlor) towards the river to the ferry pier, which is located behind Wat Sanam Neua.
More fun though, is traveling to Nonthaburi pier, the last stop (pier N30) of the normal Chao Phraya Express Boat; the trip from Central Pier takes close to an hour but costs all of 10 baht. From here, the options are:
Getting back is more interesting still, the easy way out again being the river taxi, plenty of which lounge about near the pier. If not, take the ferry back to Wat Sanam Neua, then take a moto or ''samlor'' out of the soi (5 baht) to the main street. From here you can easily grab a taxi back to pier, or try your luck with the many buses, minibuses and songthaews heading back to central Nonthaburi and Bangkok. The pier you want to return to is ''Tha Nam Nonburi'' or simply ''Tha Nam Chao Phya'' in Thai (''Chao Phraya Pier'').
As of August 2008, the green flag express boats going up the river from Saphan Taksin via Nonthaburi directly to Pak Kret are running again, but service is very limited: services ''from'' Pak Kret run only in the morning (7 times between 6-8 AM), while services ''to'' Pak Kret run only in the afternoon (4-6 PM), and there are no boats on Sundays. The trip costs 20 baht and takes just over an hour.
Compared to getting in, getting around is easy: the most popular option is your '''feet'''. The island is roughly square in shape, each side measuring about 2 km, and a path runs around the entire island. The walk at a pleasant pace takes about 1.5- 2 hours. Other options are renting a bicycle from the outfit located in Moo 6; from the 2 baht ferry crossing make your way counterclockwise around the island about 200 meters. At about the same point, which is near the end of the touristed area, motorcycle taxis wait to take people around. If you walk and get tired, you can proceed down one of the paths leading out to piers by the river. From these local piers, you can flag down a small water-taxi. These miniature versions of the famous Thai long tailed boats will zip you around the island and back to the Pak Kret pier on the mainland if you like. Prices are reasonable, maybe 20 baht per person for a group of 4 and the ride warrants a Disneyland "E" ticket, but better know how to swim as life vests are not included. Also do not expect to use English with the boatman.
While the locals speak little English, there are useful multilingual '''maps''' of the island near the ferry pier and at a couple other points around the island. There are occasional distance signposts along the footpath, and most sights around the island have been labeled in English.
Ko Kret is another world compared to Bangkok and much of it retains the air of a rustic village, with wooden shacks propped against palm trees and the occasional dilapidated temple slowly crumbling. Hence the main attraction is just '''walking around''', browsing the merchandise in the many pottery shops.
Ko Kret is renowned above all as a center for ''kwan raman'', a style of '''Mon pottery''', which is fundamentally just baked unglazed red clay carved with intricate patterns. Prices for the simplest and smallest pots start from as low as 5 baht a piece, but can go up to hundreds or even thousands of baht for large ornate pieces. Particularly popular among visitors are candle and incense holders with ornate patterns of holes to let the smoke or light out, averaging around 200 baht.
There are some 20 pottery workshops on the island and you will see many kilns as you walk around, but the primary shopping districts (perhaps too grandiose a word) are the imaginatively named: