Cruising Through Amphawa Floating Market, Traditional Thai Shopping Experience

Dating back over 100 years, Amphawa Floating Market stands as a popular tourist attraction within the province of Samut Songkram. A feast for the eyes, ears, and of course, mouth, you’ll find yourself spending countless hours in Amphawa Floating Market exploring delicious food stalls, riding on long tail boat tours, and taking in the atmosphere of a traditional Thai floating market.

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Getting to Amphawa Floating Market from Bangkok

There are few ways to travel to Amphawa Floating Market from Bangkok, I would recommend a minivan or shuttle bus. There are other options such as a private shuttle bus tour but you will be limited in your time if you choose to book a tour.

Minivan From Bangkok to Amphawa Floating Market

This route has quite a few transfers but it is the cheapest option. The cost for the minivan is 70 THB (or 2.00 USD) and the minivan trip will take about 1.5 hours or 90 minutes.

Take the BTS skytrain to Bang Wa station then exit through Exit 1.
Take a taxi or motorbike to Sai Tai Mai (Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal).
Take the Minivan (leaves every hour) to Amphawa Floating Market.

This is the cheapest way to get form Bangkok to Amphawa Floating Market.

Book a Minivan here

Booking a Private Transport from Bangkok to Amphawa Floating Market

If you are travelling in a group of friends or family then the most comfortable way would be to book a private transport, prices will vary depending on the transport company but be warned it is pretty expensive, unless you split the price with your party.

This is the most straight forward option with the journey taking 1.5 hours or 90 minutes. The plus side is that there is no need to transfer to different lines or routes.

Book a private van here

A Popular Weekend Market

atmosphere and vibe of amphawa floating market — *The atmosphere here is on another level.*

Amphawa Floating Market is a favorite attraction among both locals and foreign tourists alike. Located about 60km away from the center of Bangkok, many folks from the city travel here on the weekends to buy clothes, shop for fresh produce, eat generous helpings of seafood and boat noodles, and generally enjoy their weekend.

I mention weekends because the opening hours for the market are on Friday to Sunday from 10am to 9:30pm with the most lively hours being morning to midday.

There are no entrance fees or ticket prices, so beware if someone comes up to you to charge for entrance.

alleys filled with stalls selling snacks food and clothing — *Each alley is packed full of stalls selling tasty snacks and vintage clothing.*

The entire market is divided into 2 areas.

The front area (of the entrance) is more like your usual market with a narrow alley and multiple food vendors and trinkets stalls dotted on each side. Here you can find the usual Thai night market goods like grilled meat skewers and souvenir shops.

Once you get pass the entrance you’ll arrive at the main body of the market which spans a calm canal. In this section you’ll find a bunch of restaurants and cafe’s, some clothing stores, and even a cannabis dispensary if you look hard enough.

Fruits, wooden furniture, handmade bags and purses, you’ll find so many thing here.

traditional thai longtail boats — *Traditional Thai longtail boats can be found throughout the canal.*

Of course, you can’t talk about Amphawa Floating Market without mentioning the actual “floating” part of it. Along the canal are countless boats all serving different purposes.

Some boats will take you on a ride along the canal and out towards a larger river.

And on some boats, you’ll see a smiling aunty ready to serve you delicious grilled seafood and boat noodles.

During peak hours the scene can be quite hectic with dozens of boats all snuggling next to each other competing to grab your attention.

scenic view of the market canal — *Be sure to snap a scenic view on from the middle of the bridge!*

In terms of food you’ll come across a variety of Thai specialties. From your typical Pad Thai, to grilled squid and shrimps served with a spicy and sour Thai seafood sauce.

With the variety of food on offer, you’ll have to come here with an empty stomach in order to try them all. I will recommend that you cautiously eat any grilled seafood. The quality and freshness is questionable, and if your immune system isn’t yet accustomed to South East Asian street food culture then you' might have a pretty bad time later in the day.

That’s not to say to completely avoid them, some vendors serve fresh seafood, some don’t, it’s all a gamble.

Other Floating Markets in Bangkok?

If you are on a floating market rush then there are quite a few other floating markets to choose from in Bangkok, the most popular ones are Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong. The Maeklong Floating Market and the Damnone Saduak Floating Market is also conveninently very close by to Amphawa making for a great day tour to explore these two (or three) floating markets.

Boat Noodles a Plenty

thai boat noodles with vermicelli served in coconut bowl — *This one is served in a little bowl made from coconut.*

One famous dish you cannot miss are Boat Noodles. With your choice of pork or beef, these boat noodle are served from either the various boat vendors (obviously) or the various canal-side restaurants.

The highlight of this particular dish is the soup which is made from pig’s blood that had been cooked and curdled by the comforting hot broth which gives it a more rich texture.

Topped with a variety of stewed meats, meatballs, and herbs, this is one dish you can’t miss whenever you go to any floating market.

You get your choice of noodles, from thick rice noodles to thin vermicelli noodles. I personally will always go for vermicelli noodles, the texture is firm compared to the other varieties which are more chewy and springy.

A Nice Little Cafe

small cafe — *The cafe vibes and aesthetic just really does it for me.*

My partner and I also discovered this little specialty coffee shop baked into the corner by one of the bridges. They only had 2 or 3 stools but man do they serve up a good cup of coffee, you can purchase some coffee beans from them too if you like.

freshly baked cookies — *Don’t lie, I know you can’t resist these delectable morsels of goodness.*

And if you stop by don’t forget to try one of their cookies! There were 3 flavors to choose from, Chocolate, Caramel and Nuts, and Berries. I tried the caramel nut one and it was absolutely delicious.

They’re small cookies, but they are soft, crumbly, and they go well with a nice cappuccino.

Boat Tour Along and Beyond the Market

boat ride along the amphawa floating market — *Don’t worry, the locals here are trained not to crash into each other.*

When in Amphawa Floating Market, you must go on a boat tour.

There are 2 boat tours available. I am not sure what they’re called so I’ll just name them myself:

The Market Boat Tour

This boat tour will take you through the market and costs 50THB (or 1.45 USD) per person. You can also opt to buy out the whole boat for a private tour for 500 THB (or 14.50 USD)

This ride will bring you through the canals of the entire market and you will get about an hour to enjoy the hectic market views.

temple by the river — One of the many temples that you’ll be stopping at

The Temple(s) Boat Tour

This Boat Tour costs 50THB (or 1.45 USD) and will take you to 5 different temples located further away from the market. The whole ride will take about 2-3 hours so ensure that you have enough time.

The 5 temples that you’ll visit all have their charm, my favorite is the last temple which has a little zoo built inside of it. I will say that I did get quite bored after the first 3 temples…

Temples aren’t the only thing that you will be seeing on this tour however, on the way, you’ll traverse through tight canals decorated with lush jungle vegetation, and clear open waters. You can even spot some expensive mansions, which there are quite a few in this area.

Details About Amphawa Floating Market

Amphawa Floating Market is definitely a place worth visiting and should be one of the major highlights when you are visiting Thailand.

Opening Hours: Friday to Sunday | 10am - 9:30pm

Location: CXG3+2X5, Amphawa, Amphawa District, Samut Songkhram 75110

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