Spend the week-end at Amphawa Floating Market

When I intervene on the forums, I often recommend it: spending the weekend installed in one of homestays or guesthouses on the canal of Amphawa floating market is the ideal way to discover thai markets whether they are floating or installed on the railway. It is also the opportunity to visit an amazing temple.

Every Friday, Saturday and Sundaym Amphawa Floating Market or Amphawa Talat Naam in Thai is held. It is a market that is beginning to really come alive late in the afternoon but the shops in traditional wooden houses are open all day. At the end of the canal, there are  boats on which locals cook all kinds of dishes, grilled or fried and offer them at affordable prices while shops on the banks will delight shopping fans with their clothes, souvenirs, handicrafts, jewelery …

I advise you to stay directly on the canal of the floating market. There are many homestays. I personally tested and recommend Baan Rak (literally House of Love), which offers air-conditioned rooms with comfortable beds and a basic bathroom with hot water. What’s nice is that you can sit out on the terrace along the canal for a drink or to eat. Between 6am and 7am, you’ll even see the monks on their boats looking for offerings.

Once installed, besides visiting the market, eat and go shopping on the market, there are many visits you can do:

• Visit Damnoen Saduak floating market, the best known and most touristy in Thailand. We advise you to go there around 8am before the crowd from Bangkok arrives. You can make a 30 minutes boat tour for 300-400 THB per boat, but there are also longer tours. Visit the main channel by walking is also nice.
  To get there from Amphawa, the easiest way is to take a tuk-tuk or a taxi (that will probably not accept to start the meter), it will cost around 150 THB. Otherwise, there are songthaews going there.

  
  

• Visit Tha Kha Floating Market more traditional but smaller. Here we are in a much less touristy market that I personally prefer. There is a songtahew which allows to get there from Amphawa but you have to catch it on the main road outside Amphawa. It is easier to take a tuk-tuk (count 150 THB from Amphawa or Damnoen Saduak).

  

• Visit the Mae Klong market installed on the railway. It folds for each train passing through. A unique and amazing thing to see. There are 8 trains per day. The songthaew 333 connects Amphawa Floating Market qnd Mae Klong market (8 THB per person).

  

• Take the fireflies tour boat at night from Amphawa Floating market. It will take you see the famous flies that are sparkling and illuminate the trees at night. (THB 60 per person for a ride of about an hour)
• Do the 5 temples boat tour that leaves from the Amphawa floating market. If the first four temples have a very limited interest, it allows you to navigate on  Mae Klong River and especially to discover the last temple, Wat Bung Kang, trapped in the roots of a banyan tree (the tour costs THB 50 per person and lasts longer than 1.5 hour)

   

There are other boat tours and other temples to see, but if you already do all that, your two days will be well filled ! Enjoy your weekend in Amphawa!