Damnoen Saduak
The floating market. Vendors in boats, and sailing among the canals.
Day trips to the floating market and the railway market from Bangkok
Damnoen Saduak and the folding train market of Maeklong, from 835 THB, meeting downtown or with hotel pick-up.
Check availability and pricePrices
From 835 THB, when booked in advance.
Important information:
- All tickets arrive at the same floating market and the same train market. What changes: where you depart from, how many additional stops there are in the day, and who travels with you.
- the markets operate In the morning, and therefore all tickets depart early. This isn't an afternoon tour.
- in the meeting-point tickets, at Lamphu or Asoke, you arrive on your own to the point. The exact meeting time is provided with the booking confirmation.
- In the van ticket from Asoke, at least two passengers are required, and you can choose between Robinson at BTS Asoke and Terminal 21, at the same price.
- The ticket for the floating market alone (1,870) is more expensive than the two markets together (1,000). The difference is private transport at a time convenient for you versus shared transport at a fixed time.
- In the private tickets, the price is per vehicle, not per person, 5,700 for a couple, 6,700 for up to five, and 7,100 for up to nine.
- The folding train market operates according to the train schedule, and the sight people come for happens only when the train passes.
How do you choose between the tickets
Three questions, and according to them everything falls into place
First question: where are you departing from. This is the biggest difference on the page. A ticket that requires self-arrival at a meeting point, at Lamphu or Asoke, costs a lot less than a ticket with hotel pick-up. The exact same route: 835 meeting at Lamphu versus 1,580 with hotel pick-up.
Second question: how many stops. The two markets are the basis in all tickets. On top of them, you can add the Dragon Temple (in the 835 ticket), elephant camp (1,350 or 1,780) or Ayutthaya (2,800). Every addition extends the day.
Third question: how many of you. the private tickets are priced per vehicle, not per person. For a couple, they're very expensive; from five passengers and up, they become cheaper than the shared ticket, and for nine passengers, that's about 790 THB per person, the cheapest on the page.
and what seems reversed but isn't: the ticket for the floating market Only costs 1,870, more than the two markets together at 1,000. The explanation is the nature of the transport: there it's private and at a time convenient for you, and here it's shared and at a fixed time.
And what doesn't change between the tickets: the markets themselves. Everyone arrives at the same Damnoen Saduak and the same train market in Maeklong. The difference is how you get there, how many stops, and who travels with you, not the quality of the tour.
the two markets
and why they're almost always on the same day
Damnoen Saduak It's the famous floating market in Thailand, canals where vendors sell fruit, food, and souvenirs from longtail boats, and visitors sail among them.
the train market in Maeklong Built on top of an active train track. Several times a day the train passes, and the stalls and canopies fold up within seconds and reopen right after it. This is the sight people come for.
Both are west of Bangkok and close to each other, so almost all versions combine them, and whoever travels to one passes by the other anyway.
Maeklong
A market on an active track, that folds up at every train pass.
morning hours
The markets operate in the morning, and all versions depart early.
what's added
The Dragon Temple, elephant camp, or Ayutthaya, depending on the version.
traveling with children
Here the difference between the tickets is the largest
the child's price changes dramatically between the tickets, and therefore a family that chooses based on the adult price alone might pay a lot more.
the cheapest for a child is 625 THB, in the two-stop ticket where the adult price is 1,150. A family of two and two pays 3,550 THB there.
For comparison: the same family with the 835 ticket pays 3,340, but arrives on their own to the meeting point at Lamphu. And with the ticket including hotel pick-up at 1,580, it pays 6,320.
In the ticket with the elephant camp without riding, the child's price is the same as the adult's: 1,350 for each. This is the only ticket here where there's no child discount at all.
and in the private tickets, age doesn't matter: The price is per vehicle. For a group of six or more, this is usually the cheapest.
The Maeklong train market: how it works
The stalls sit on the track, and the train passes
Maeklong market operates on an active train track. The vendors spread out the merchandise on the sides and over the tracks themselves, and stretch canopies above.
How many times a day a whistle is heard. within seconds The vendors fold up the canopies, pull the crates back, and the train passes within centimeters of the merchandise. The moment it passes: everything spreads back out.
the local nickname for the market is "Talat Rom Hup", and its free translation is "the market where the umbrella folds up." It has operated this way for decades already, and this is the vendors' work routine, not a show for tourists.
Besides this moment, it's a regular fresh market, vegetables, seafood, meat, and spices, and it's worth a walk even without the train.
Damnoen Saduak: the floating market
and what's the difference between the boat types
Damnoen Saduak is the famous floating market in Thailand, and operates in a network of canals dug in the 19th century. The vendor women paddle wooden boats loaded with fruit, vegetables, and cooked food, and sell directly from the water.
arriving into the market is By boat, and there are two types: a longtail boat motorized, that brings you from the pier through the wide canals, and a paddle boat quiet, that enters the narrow canals where the market itself is.
This difference changes the price. In some tours the paddle boat is included and the longtail boat isn't, and in some it's the opposite. It's worth checking exactly what's included before booking.
the market is active Early in the morning, and fades toward noon. This is the reason the tours depart from Bangkok at a very early hour.
How the day is structured, and what to bring
early departure and return at noon
the two markets are located west of Bangkok, in the Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi area, about an hour to an hour and a half drive. Most of them are combined in one day.
The departure is early, usually between 06:00 and 07:30, because The two markets operate in the morning. Whoever leaves late arrives at a floating market that has already emptied out.
The return to Bangkok is usually in the early afternoon, and this leaves the rest of the day free.
What to bring: Cash, the floating market vendors don't accept cards, a hat, sunglasses, and a small umbrella. There's no shade in the boat.
And entry fees and the train ticket aren't included in some of the tours. This is a detail that changes the final price.
Gallery
Photo gallery
Frequently asked questions
What to know before you book
How does the train market work?
The stalls sit on an active track. Before the train passes, the vendors fold up canopies and pull back crates, and the train passes within centimeters. After it, everything spreads back out.
What's the difference between the boat types at the floating market?
A motorized longtail boat brings you from the pier through the wide canals; a quiet paddle boat enters the narrow canals where the market is. Both aren't always included, it's worth checking.
Why do you leave so early?
The two markets operate in the morning. The floating market fades toward noon, and whoever leaves late arrives at a market that has already emptied out.
How far is it from Bangkok?
West of the city, in the Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi area, about an hour to an hour and a half drive.
What should I bring?
Cash, the floating market vendors don't accept cards, a hat, sunglasses, and a small umbrella. There's no shade in the boat.
How much does a tour to the floating market from Bangkok cost?
From ฿835 for three stops with a meeting point in Lumphini, ฿1,000 for both markets with hotel pick-up, ฿1,350 with an elephant camp without riding, ฿1,870 for the floating market only with private transport and ฿2,800 with Ayutthaya. In the private versions the price is per vehicle: ฿5,700 for up to two and ฿7,100 for up to nine.
What is the difference between the versions?
The number of stops, not the quality. They all arrive at the same floating market, Damnoen Saduak, and the difference is what else fits into that same day.
Why does the cheap version give more stops?
฿835 includes three stops and ฿1,000 only two. The difference stems from the operator and the nature of the transport, not the quality of the visit.
What is the folding train market?
A market in Maeklong built on an active train track. Several times a day the train passes, and the stalls fold up within seconds and reopen right after it.
Why is the floating market alone more expensive than the two markets together?
The ฿1,870 version includes dedicated round-trip transport. The difference is the nature of the transport, not the content.
What's the departure time?
We'll confirm it to you at booking. What is known: the markets operate during morning hours, and therefore all versions depart early.
Can you also see Ayutthaya on the same day?
Yes, in the ฿2,800 version, the two markets and Ayutthaya. This is the longest day among the six, and it saves a separate day for Ayutthaya.
