Vendor and visitor boats on a canal at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Photo above: Indiana Monde via Google
Damnoen Saduak is the classic morning canal market, Amphawa is a Friday-to-Sunday afternoon and evening market with boat trips after dark, and Maeklong is a fresh market where a train rolls through the stalls. None of the three is in Bangkok. Damnoen Saduak is in Ratchaburi province, and Amphawa and Maeklong are in Samut Songkhram, so each is a day trip of well over an hour each way.
This comparison uses the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) pages for each market, read on October 3, 2026. For one market in depth, see our Damnoen Saduak guide and our Maeklong Railway Market guide.
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How do Damnoen Saduak, Amphawa and Maeklong compare?
| Market | Province | When it trades | What you do | Honest distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damnoen Saduak Floating Market | Ratchaburi | Most active in the early morning | Rowing boat through the market or a long-tail boat to the orchards | About 108 km by TAT's Highway 4 directions (83 km to the Bang Phae junction, then about 25 km) |
| Amphawa Floating Market | Samut Songkhram | Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Canal-side food boats, then an evening boat trip for fireflies | Same province as Maeklong; TAT gives no separate road directions |
| Maeklong Railway Market | Samut Songkhram | 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with eight train movements a day | Watch vendors fold their awnings as a train passes through the stalls | TAT's directions run 63 km along the Thon Buri to Pak Tho route before the turn into town |
Which floating market is best for a morning?
Damnoen Saduak. TAT's December 2025 feature describes it as the morning market, best seen with the first light, and TAT's attraction page calls it one of the most popular floating markets in Thailand, with trading on the water that has gone on for over a hundred years. The canal itself, Khlong Damnoen Saduak, is 32 km long with more than 200 branches. Rental boats are available at the market: TAT lists Bt 300 to 400 for a rowing boat and Bt 600 for a long-tail boat that carries six to eight passengers on a ride of about an hour to orchards and a palm sugar maker. That page is undated, so agree the price per boat before you board.
Which floating market is best in the evening?
Amphawa. TAT calls it an afternoon floating market beside the canal near Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram, with parking, and lists Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Vendors pack boats with food and drink such as fried sea mussels, noodles, coffee and sweets. At night, TAT says, you can arrange a boat trip to watch fireflies in the cork trees. TAT also says the market is packed with visitors on Fridays to Sundays because it is not far from Bangkok. Because TAT lists only those three days, check that the market is trading before you plan a weekday visit around it.
What time does the train come through Maeklong Railway Market?
TAT lists the market as open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and says the awning-closing moment happens eight times a day. According to TAT, trains arrive at Mae Klong Station at 8:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., and leave at 6:20 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. TAT's page is undated and railway timetables change, so confirm with the TAT Call Centre on 1672 or the State Railway of Thailand before you set your day around a train. If you book a tour, ask which train it is timed to meet.
How do you reach each market without a tour?
For Damnoen Saduak, TAT lists an air-conditioned bus from the Southern Bus Terminal on Borommaratchachonnani Road, first departure at 5:50 a.m., then about every 40 minutes, taking about two hours. The alternative is a Bangkok to Ratchaburi bus to the Bang Phae intersection and a songthaew from there, which TAT says leaves every 10 minutes. For Maeklong, TAT describes the train route: from Wongwian Yai station to Mahachai, a ferry across to the Tha Chalom side, then the train from Ban Laem to Mae Klong, the last station. By car, TAT's directions use the Thon Buri to Pak Tho route. TAT gives no transport directions for Amphawa, so confirm that locally. A car with driver removes the connections if you want to see two markets in a day.
Which floating market tour should you book?
Most tours pair Damnoen Saduak with Maeklong, because both lie southwest of Bangkok. The table lists tours we link, grouped by provider. Compare the details on each page before you book: pickup point and time, whether the train ride and the boat ride are included, how long you get at each market, and when you are back in Bangkok. We link one provider per tour and have not compared prices.
| Tour | Markets | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong day tour | Both markets | Day tour | See it on Klook |
| Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong day tour | Both markets | Day tour | See it on Klook |
| Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong with a coconut dessert | Both markets | Day tour | See it on Klook |
| Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong guided day tour | Both markets, plus a boat ride on the Amphawa firefly river in its itinerary | Guided day tour | See it on Klook |
| Half-day floating and railway market tour | Maeklong by train, then Damnoen Saduak | Small group | See it on Viator |
| Floating market and train market experience | Both markets | Guided day tour | See it on Viator |
| Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong railway tour | Both markets | Guided day tour | See it on Viator |
| Amphawa and Maeklong railway market tour | Amphawa, with a firefly boat tour in its listing, and Maeklong | Guided day tour | See it on Viator |
| Private excursion to the railway and floating markets | Both markets | Private | See it on Viator |
Which should you choose?
- One day, first time: a Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong tour. It is the combination most operators sell.
- An evening on the water: Amphawa on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, with a firefly boat trip after dark.
- Only interested in the train: Maeklong alone, timed to one of TAT's listed arrivals.
- Short on time: stay in Bangkok. Our Damnoen Saduak guide covers canal markets inside the city, and the Bangkok attractions page has more ideas.
For canal rides inside the city, see our Bangkok canal and longtail boat tours, and for another long day out, our guide to Ayutthaya day trips compared.
Sources: TAT, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, TAT, touring the canal at Damnoen Saduak, TAT, Amphawa Floating Market, TAT, Mae Klong Railway Market, TAT, Two Rhythms of Life at Damnoen Saduak and Amphawa (December 9, 2025). Checked October 3, 2026.
No. It is in Damnoen Saduak district, Ratchaburi province. TAT's Highway 4 directions run 83 km to the Bang Phae intersection and then about 25 km on Highway 325, so about 108 km by road, before the last stretch to the piers.
No. TAT lists both in Samut Songkhram province, southwest of the city. TAT's Maeklong directions use the Thon Buri to Pak Tho route and run 63 km before the turn into town.
TAT lists Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Check that it is trading before you plan a weekday visit, and expect it to be busy on those three days.
TAT lists arrivals at Mae Klong Station at 8:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., and departures at 6:20 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The page is undated, so confirm with the TAT Call Centre on 1672 or the State Railway of Thailand.
TAT lists Bt 300 to 400 for a rowing boat and Bt 600 for a long-tail boat, which carries six to eight passengers on a ride of about one hour. The page is undated and prices at the pier can differ, so agree the price per boat, the length of the ride and the route before you board.
TAT's December 2025 feature describes seeing Damnoen Saduak at dawn and Amphawa at dusk as a one-day pairing. It is a long day with a lot of driving, and Amphawa trades only Friday to Sunday, so check the day and ask a private operator or driver before you book.
They are different. Damnoen Saduak is the canal market with boats of produce and food, and Maeklong is the market where vendors clear a railway line for each train. Most day tours combine the two, so you do not have to choose.
Yes, bring small notes. TAT lists cash as the payment method at Maeklong, and boat hire and food stalls at the canals are paid on the spot.
