Bangkok Amphawa

Bangkok Amphawa Floating Market and Railway Market - one hour away from Bangkok

Amphawa is not that far from Bangkok and many Bangkokians visit there during weekends. They may spend a day there. If you are just looking at floating market, when you see one, you see all.

AMPHAWA - Little known to foreigners visiting Thailand, the riverside town of Amphawa, just an hour outside of Bangkok, has long been a secret among city-dwelling Thais looking to get away from it all. Home to a quaint floating market quite unlike those advertised in glossy tourist brochures, its canals and river showcase a striking collection of wooden shop houses set against a backdrop of lush green vegetation. It holds a UNESCO World Heritage Award for its main canal.

Amphawa is synonymous with Amphawa Floating Market and the shop-houses flanking Khlong Amphawa as well as lining the narrow sois (lanes) surrounding it. Contrary to other floating markets in the area, Amphawa Floating Market convenes in the afternoon, from 15:00 onwards (Fri-Sun only). But it’s a good idea to arrive in the morning to avoid the crowds and to stroll around the shop-houses and other parts of the market.

Nearby, the museum of Thai desserts (Fri-Sun 13:00-19:00) is a good place to get to know all the strange-looking sweets you will see at the floating market. If the idea of a temple tour sounds good, then join a long-tail boat tour (two hrs, depart at the floating market). Be sure to ask for a visit to Wat Bang Kung, where a mysterious-looking chapel covered by giant Bhodi tree trunks and roots, is not to be missed.

Amphawa Shopping -
Flanking the two sides of Khlong Amphawa, wooden shop-houses feature all kinds of souvenirs and collectibles imaginable, whether books, wooden toys, postcards, fisherman’s pants, T-shirts, hats, handmade jewelry, sweets and much more. In a way, it’s like shopping at a retro outdoor market in Bangkok or Pai Walking Street (in Mae Hong Son), where you can still find quality handmade items. Over the concrete bridge, the narrow soi (lane) leads to more shop-houses selling mostly snacks and Thai desserts.

Amphawa Hotel -
Wooden guesthouses and home-stay accommodation have long been a major part of the Amphawa experience, and the new crop of hotels and resorts try their best to maintain this heritage. Most are set along the Mae Klong riverbanks, overlooking unobtrusive views of Amphawa’s rustic scenery.


Getting There:
join a tour or take a public van, which leaves regularly from the Victory Monument in Bangkok, to Mae Klong Market, then ask around for a public bus that heads for Amphawa Floating Market.
Mini vans leave from Victory Monument every half an hour and cost 200 baht ($6.77) for a one-way journey.

Amphawa Floating market is only open on weekends: on Friday from 3 pm to 10 pm, on Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 10.00 pm.


First you have to discover Wongwian Yai Railway Station (วงเวียนใหญ่) in Thonburi
From this station a one-hour-trip on the train leads to Mahachai (มหาชัย), today called Samut Sakhon (สมุทรสาคร). also know as railway market, from here take a ferry to the floatng market

Trains to Samut Sakhon run every 60 minutes or so from 05.30 until 20.10 hrs. Last train back leaves Samut Sakhon at 19.00. Phone number for Wong Wian Yai Station is 02-465-2017. Most trains have fan only, though occasionally you find one or two air-con carriages: I prefer the open-air ones. Return trains to Bangkok tend to be quite crowded, especially in the late afternoon. The trip to Samut Sakhon takes about 55 minutes.


One reason for visiting Samut Sakhon is its proximity to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. This is the most famous floating market in Thailand, but it is quite far from Bangkok and the market starts around 6.00 a.m. (the best time to see it). One way to visit the market is to overnight in Samut Songkhram and then catch a bus or boat (from in front of Wat Phet Samut Worawiharn) to the market early morning. There is also a small hotel, the Noknoi, in Damnoen Saduak itself, not far from Thanarat Bridge.