Floating Market, where you should go?
And what can you see?
The Floating Market may be one of the places on your bucket list when you are planning your trip to Bangkok, Thailand. So far, it has become a must-see place.
The floating market allows you to experience and learn about the local life in many aspects. In addition, that will give you value-added for your whole trip to Thailand.
The surrounding areas of some floating markets also offer optional, exciting, joyful, or even adventurous activities, and for some, you can reach them by taking local transport or cycling through the greenery of the local jungle and villages.
Increasingly, floating markets have been seen in many areas after the booming of tourism in Thailand before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are open every day, some are open on weekends, or even some are open on specific days depending on the waxing and waning moon.
Here, I have hand-picked the five floating markets that are located not far from Bangkok or in Bangkok and are worth visiting for you to choose.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
Bang Nam Pueng Floating Market.
Taling Chan Floating Market.
Don Wai Floating Market.
Khlong Lad Mayom Floating Market.
It is located in Bangkok, a little far away from the Taling Chan floating market. The market is also typically located on the canal bank, and it functions similarly to a local food market, selling nearly every type of local food, including street foods.
Longtail boats (for sure with the driver) are available for tourists to rent for canal tours at the market.
You can reach there by car only, and it would be better with a local tour guide.
It is located about 120 km southwest of Bangkok. Damnoen Saduak is one of the districts in Ratchaburi province. The area is full of plantations, especially coconut plantations. Since the late 18th century, the elaborated canal network has been made and used as an irrigation system and waterway transportation.
It is the original floating market where the locals used to meet with their paddle boats full of various kinds of products to sell or exchange with each other.
But at present, the locals put their products, foods, fresh fruits, and vegetables up for sale to the locals and tourists.
Along both sides of the canal, stalls sell almost every type of local food: snacks, fresh local fruits and vegetables, clothing, cafes, coffee shops, small a la carte local restaurants, and so on. It is an amazing mix of things. Seeing is believing.
To experience the market, you can either walk around or buy a ticket for a seat on a paddle boat for 30 minutes to experience the market along the canal.
Last but not least, the Damnoen Saduak area. It is like a one-stop center for tourists, especially foreign tourists, to experience more activities such as riding an elephant, bathing an elephant, feeding, photography, or an adventurous ATV drive through the plantation and long-neck karen village to see around, take a photo, and so on.
It is located just outside of Bangkok. The area has been called Bang-Ka-Chao, the Bangkok Jungle, the Best O-Zone and the Island, because of the way the Chao Phraya river runs like a hose-shoe around it.
The market is located on both sides of a small local canal. Stalls sell nearly every type of local food: snacks, fresh local fruits and vegetables, clothing, cafes, coffee shops, and so on.
All visitors can experience the market by walking through the crown and always crown with local visitors cause of the market open on weekend only.
The best and value-added way for foreign tourists to reach there is to go to Khlong Toey Nok pier (at Wat Khlong Toey Nok), cross the river with a local small longtail boat (might be exciting for you!! Just try it. ” When you reach the other side, you can choose to rent a bike (a map is a free hand-out from the bike shop) and cycle along the way to the market.
Along the way, there are many places to stop for relaxing, chilling out, including the big green public park. Or take a motorcycle taxi directly to the market.
And to get more value with limited time and better relaxation, you’d better go there with a local tour guide from a travel agency.
It is in the Taling Chan neighborhood, close to the heart of Bangkok. The small market on the Canal Bank sells the local foods and products with a seafood restaurant on a floating tank. The market is only open on weekends. To reach there by routine public bus, a taxi, or typically foreign tourists, take a canal tour with the longtail boat, then a 30 minutes stop over at the floating market is value-added.
It is located in the Samphran district of Nakhon Pathom province. The market itself is the local market on the river bank and is open every day. Here, nearly every kind of local product is on sale, including various kinds of local fruits from the plantations in the area.
To reach there by car alone, it takes about 30–45 minutes. One activity here is to take the rice barge boat for about an hour along the river, going forth and back with the greenery scene of plantations, floating vegetable farms, and local houses along the river.
All those are my wrap up of the five interesting floating markets that should be put on your bucket list when you’re ready to plan your trip to Thailand.
