Floating Markets Near Bangkok: Which One to Choose?

The 7 floating markets at a glance

The first thing to decide is neither distance nor price: it is the day you go.

Damnoen Saduak: when to go and what it costs

Thailand’s postcard image: boats piled with fruit on a 19th-century canal. Spectacular, and very touristy.

Come between 7 and 10 am. Tour buses arrive mid-morning and the market winds down around 1 pm: boats stay moored in the afternoon, but the action is over. Three sections share the canals, Ton Khem being the largest.

Air-conditioned buses leave Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) from 5.50 am and take about 2 hours. By taxi or car it is 80 km and 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic. To combine it with Maeklong on the same day, you need a vehicle.

Maeklong: what time does the train pass through the market?

Talat Rom Hup, “the umbrella-closing market”: a real fresh market laid out on the railway line, packed away in seconds each time the train comes through.

The train crawls through the market eight times a day, and each pass lasts a minute or two. The times are in the planner above: aim for 8.30 am for the light and a full market, or 11.10 am and 2.30 pm if you would rather not start at dawn. Arrive 20 minutes early and stand back, with your back to the stalls.

The best way there is the train itself: Wongwian Yai to Maha Chai (about an hour, departures all day), the ferry to Ban Laem, then the train to Mae Klong, arriving at 8.30 am, 11.10 am, 2.30 pm and 5.40 pm. Allow 2.5 hours in total and around ten baht per train.

Amphawa: the evening market, Friday to Sunday

Amphawa works the other way round: it wakes up in the afternoon and comes alive after dark, when lamps light up along the canal.

The market opens Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 8.30 pm, but the time to be there is from 4 pm to closing. Seafood is grilled right on the boats and eaten on the canal steps. Firefly boats run from 6.30 to 9 pm for 60 to 150 THB per person: check the posted price before you board.

From Bangkok, take a van to Mae Klong (about 100 THB), then a songthaew to Amphawa (8 to 10 THB). The last vans back leave early in the evening: ask for the time when you arrive, or stay overnight in one of the canal-side guesthouses and have the morning market to yourself.

Weekend markets inside Bangkok

Three markets less than an hour from the centre, open Saturday and Sunday, visited mostly by Thais.

Khlong Lat Mayom and Taling Chan are in the same district: a morning at one, lunch at the other, and you are back at your hotel by early afternoon. For the rest of your stay, our Bangkok guide covers the neighbourhoods and sights.

Don Wai: where Thais go

On the Tha Chin River, Don Wai is a food market first and an attraction second, open every day.

Bangkok families come for braised duck (ped palo), dried shrimp and candied fruit. The market opens daily from 8 am to 5 pm; river boat rides only run at weekends, at posted prices: 80 THB for an hour, 100 THB for an hour and a half. It is 30 km away, 45 minutes to an hour by taxi. Our Thai food guide will help you choose what to eat.

Go on your own or take a tour?

None of these markets requires a tour. Public transport costs a few dozen baht; what a tour buys you is time.

For Damnoen Saduak plus Maeklong on the same day, or Amphawa in the evening, a tour is often the right call: there is no direct bus between these markets and the late return is the only real headache. To fit these days into your trip, see our guide to getting around Thailand.

Can you visit two markets in one day?

Yes, three combinations work. The others leave you stuck on the road.

Skip Damnoen Saduak followed by Amphawa on public transport (two hours on the road for a market that only comes alive late), and any Monday-to-Thursday plan that relies on a weekend market.

Prices, scams and ethics

The same tricks come back every year. Knowing them is enough to avoid them.

• Agree the price before you step into a boat, and ask for the official board at Damnoen Saduak.
• Turn down drivers offering a cheap “floating market” trip: they drop you at a fake market where the boat costs 2,000 to 4,000 THB.
• Ignore “the market is closed today, come here instead”: the real opening days are in this guide.
• Say no to photos with slow lorises, monkeys or iguanas: these animals are taken illegally from the wild.
• Carry 20, 50 and 100 THB notes: everything is paid in cash.

Which day, what time, which season?

The day of the week matters more than the weather.

On Saturdays and Sundays all seven markets are open; Monday to Thursday, only Damnoen Saduak, Maeklong and Don Wai. Go early: morning is the best time everywhere except Amphawa, which is an evening market.

The best season is November to February, drier and less hot. From June to October showers mostly fall in the late afternoon and the markets stay open, though a storm can cancel a boat trip. See when to go to Thailand and the Bangkok weather.