When you're in Thailand you can't avoid a couple of things- visiting temples, eating good food, hitting the picturesque Thai beaches and experiencing at least one floating market. There are actually many of them for you to choose from and lots of them are within reach from Bangkok. Some of the most famous and biggest in size are about a day-trip away, but instead we settled to visit one just outside of Bangkok: Taling Chan Pier*. It's super conveniently located just in the city outskirts, about 30 minutes drive away and for someone who hasn't seen or been to a floating market before, it's a decent place to start.
We strolled around the little pier and sat down for fresh seafood for lunch... It really works so that you sit on your table and shout your orders straight to the lady on the boat. You'll be served fresh from the grill a few minutes later- simple but yummy!
Aside from eating lunch there, you can buy things like fruits, vegetables, small bites and even souvenirs, but in contrary to some other major floating markets this one's actually not super touristy. Hence, it served as a good noon escapade from the busy (and hot!) city center.
{All pictures © Voyages of Discovery}
TIPS & LINKS
Floating Markets (around Bangkok area)
- You can catch a canal cruise here and its noticeably cheaper than from the main piers in Bangkok downtown. We wanted to go for it but missed the boat by a few minutes and when the next one was going it was full already (since we didn't realise to get the tickets earlier when we were asking for the next departure)- so apparently it's quite popular and better get the tickets right away! Damnoen Saduak
- The most popular and touristy floating market. It's over an hour away from Bangkok and you need to go early in the morning to avoid the most tourists! To get there, you need to hire a taxi (half day rate) or join a bus tour. We read many disappointed reviews about this market, but also heard it's the most "scenic" one.
Amphawa
- Second biggest floating market, 50km away from Bangkok. Apparently a bit more authentic than Damnoen and more locals around...
+ There are plenty other markets, just scroll down the previous links to "Related Pages".
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