Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, in Ratchaburi province south-west of Bangkok, is the best known of Thailand's floating markets: boats loaded with fruit, flowers and noodle soup move along a canal lined with stalls. Open to tourists since 1967, it is now very commercial, but still worth seeing at dawn, when vendors paddle between the stalls. Entry to the market is free; only the boat ride costs money, and that is where the traps are. Allow about two hours by minivan from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), and arrive around 7am: the market empties by late morning. It is easy to combine with the Maeklong Railway Market on the same morning.
Highlights
The market canal at opening time
Around 7am, the vendors' boats crowd the main canal under their parasols, before the tour coaches arrive. Vendors often wear the indigo shirt of Central Thai farmers and the palm-leaf hat. Stand on the footbridges or landings to watch the boats from the bank, without paying for a ride.
Fruit and food on the water
Boats sell fruit from nearby orchards, including the fragrant coconut the district is known for, as well as noodle soups cooked on board. Ask the price before being served: vendors pass their dishes on the end of a pole to visitors' boats.
The Damnoen Saduak canal
The canal was dug on the orders of King Rama IV to link the Tha Chin and Mae Klong rivers, at a time when no road served the area; its name was given by King Rama V. It is still lined with stilt houses and landings, which you see well from a boat or from the town's bridges.
The boat ride
There are two options: the rowing boat, slow and quiet, which follows the market canal, and the motorised long-tail boat, which also covers the side canals between orchards and houses. The price is set per boat, for a given duration: hire it at a pier on the market canal itself, check the posted rate where there is one, and agree on the price, duration and route before boarding.
Traps to know about
Taxis and private drivers drop visitors at private piers away from the market, claiming a boat is compulsory, then demand several thousand baht for the ride. During the trip, some boatmen make repeated stops at souvenir shops, and stalls offer paid photos with snakes or other animals. There is no entrance fee: refuse any ticket or package forced on you and walk to the main canal.
More local alternatives
Amphawa Floating Market, in neighbouring Samut Songkhram province, only opens from Friday to Sunday, from the afternoon into the evening, and draws a mainly Thai crowd. In Bangkok itself, Khlong Lat Mayom market (Taling Chan) opens on Saturdays and Sundays, without a two-hour journey.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Take the earliest minivan you can: arrive after 9am and you will find the canal packed with tourist boats and souvenir shops. Do not get into any boat before you reach the main market canal, and pay for the ride at the end, once the agreed route is done. Photos with animals are charged: say no if someone puts one on your shoulders. In case of a dispute, the tourist police answer on 1155. Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
From Bangkok: route 996 minivans from the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai, Borommaratchachonnani Road, Taling Chan), frequent departures from dawn, about 2 hours. The minivans stop in Damnoen Saduak town: walk the rest of the way (about a quarter of an hour) or take a motorbike taxi to the market canal. By taxi or car with driver, ask explicitly for the floating market itself and not a private pier. Combining with the Maeklong Railway Market: Maeklong market is about 30 minutes away by road; songthaews and minivans link Damnoen Saduak with Maeklong. Visit Damnoen Saduak early, then head to Maeklong for the train's late-morning passage (times on our Maeklong Railway Market page). Address: Damnoen Saduak, Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi province 70130.
Opening hours
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