Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa: which floating market to choose?

Damnoen Saduak and Amphawa are the two floating markets most often named around Bangkok, and they have almost nothing in common. The first is a morning market, open every day, mostly visited by foreign travellers. The second is a late-afternoon market, open Friday to Sunday, mostly visited by Thai families. This guide compares them point by point to help you choose, and explains how to combine them with the Maeklong train market. Hours and prices change: confirm them before you go.

The difference at a glance

The canal at Amphawa Floating Market and its boats

	Damnoen Saduak	Amphawa
Province	Ratchaburi	Samut Songkhram
Journey from Bangkok	about 2 h	about 1 h 30 to 2 h
Days	Every day	Friday to Sunday
Hours	Morning, busiest from 7 to 9 am	About 3 pm to 9 pm (to be checked)
Mood	Very touristy, spectacular early	Evening market, Thai crowd
Best for	One morning, a weekday	A weekend, a dinner on the water

Journey times depend on traffic.

Damnoen Saduak: the classic scene, visit early

The Damnoen Saduak floating market offers the best-known image: boats loaded with fruit, vegetables and souvenirs on a narrow canal. It opens every day, which makes it the only possible choice on a weekday. It is also the most commercial: many foreign visitors, many souvenirs, boat rides to negotiate.

To enjoy it, arrive before the tour coaches, around 7 am, do not get into any boat before you reach the main canal, and ask the price before the ride. The most frequent scams are described in our guide to scams and safety in Bangkok.

Amphawa: the evening market

The Amphawa floating market is a late-day market: people come to have dinner of grilled food and seafood cooked on boats, sitting along the canal. It is busier on Saturday evening; Friday is calmer. Because the journey is long, many visitors stay overnight, in the guesthouses along the canal, which should be booked in advance on weekends. In the evening, boats take visitors to watch fireflies.

Which market for which traveller

A single morning, on a weekday: Damnoen Saduak, early, possibly with Maeklong.
A weekend, with a night on site: Amphawa on Friday or Saturday evening.
You prefer local atmosphere to scenery: Amphawa.
You want to photograph the canal without the crowd: Damnoen Saduak before 8 am, or Amphawa on a Friday late afternoon.
You are travelling with young children: neither is easy (long journeys, heat); also consider Taling Chan, inside Bangkok, described in our guide to floating markets near Bangkok.

Combining with the Maeklong train market

The Maeklong train market lies between the two, about 30 minutes by road from Damnoen Saduak and about ten kilometres from Amphawa. It comes alive when trains pass: check the page for times before planning your day.

How to get there

Both markets can be reached by minivan from Bangkok (Southern Bus Terminal for Damnoen Saduak, Victory Monument for Samut Songkhram and Amphawa), then by songthaew, motorbike taxi or on foot. The pages detail each journey. Organised tours make the day simpler but impose schedules and sometimes stops at shops: read the programme before booking. For transport in general, see our guide to transport in Bangkok.

Going further

To compare with other day trips, see the excursions from Bangkok and the best season in our guide to the best time to visit Bangkok. Bring small bills, a hat and water: shade is rare on the jetties.