Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

The Damnoen Saduak floating market is the most famous floating market in Bangkok and it should definitely be on your Bangkok bucket-list!! Although the market is located 1 hour from Bangkok by car and it involves a bit of traveling, you will not be disappointed to literally go the extra mile. 

Damnoen is truly 'the Venice of Thailand and its floating market is spread over a maze of canals where you can buy everything from fresh vegetables, to live chickens, freshly-made mini coconut pancakes, noodles and souvenirs. A visit to this market is an unusual and unique shopping experience and you will notice there are surprisingly a lot of female vendors ! 

When it comes to buying something from the vendors, you will need to get vocal! Potential buyers need to shout price negotiations from the side of the canal (or from inside a boat, depending where you find yourself), until a deal is reached. It's a pretty busy and hectic experience but that’s all part of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market fun!

Fun Fact: did you know this market was one of the locations being used in the 1974 James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”?

How to get there:

It’s possible to get to the market under your own steam, but it does involve a bit of planning ahead. 

By taxi it will take you about 1 hour/ 1,5 hours from Bangkok to get there. Make sure the taxi driver turns on the meter!

By (mini)bus: The earliest bus from Bangkok’s leaves at 6am and it will take you around 2.5 hours to get there.

The easiest way is to book a private driver or by booking a guided tour!

What's the best time to visit?

An early morning start is worth it to avoid the heat and catch Damnoen Saduak at its liveliest. You don’t want to be arriving in Damnoen Saduak any later than 10 am, or the boats start clearing up and going home. The market is busiest in the morning from 07:00 to 09:00 and is active until noon, but try to get there as early as possible!

Best spot to take a picture?

Every moment in Damnoen is picture-perfect, so be sure to bring your camera! 

Tips:

Make sure you keep your hands and arms well away from the side of the boats as the canals are narrow and there is lots of bumping going on as the boats draw alongside each other.

There is no ticket or entrance fee to get into the market. There are fees to ride a boat (up to 1000THB if you haven’t already booked a tour), but no ticket to enter the market itself.