This time, I participated in Klook's Amphawa Floating Market & Maeklong Day Trip: a local food tour and firefly watching experience. The itinerary included taking the train to Maeklong Railway Market, Amphawa Floating Market, and a day trip to watch fireflies at night. The itinerary was very rich, so let's take a look!
Bangkok day trip price
Children aged three and above are charged the same price as adults, which is NT$1,400 per person excluding lunch and dinner. The wealthy man thought it was quite a good deal.
common problem
Which floating market in Bangkok is the most recommended?
Bangkok Floating Markets Comparison
The millionaire summarized several points of comparison. Basically, most day trip itineraries include the Maeklong Railway Market plus either the Amphawa Floating Market or the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. In the end, the millionaire greedily chose the option with fireflies (laughs).
| Bangkok Floating Market Name | business hours | Distance from Bangkok city center | |
| Amphawa Floating Market (English: Amphawa Floating Market, Thai: โครงการอัมพวา ชัยพัฒนานุรักษ์) | Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM | 100 kilometers | Bangkok's only floating market at dusk, where you can also see fireflies. |
| Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (English: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Thai: ตลาดน้ำดำเนินสะดวก) | Daily 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | 100 kilometers | The largest area, with many waterfront vendors, and open every day. |
| Dalinjiang Floating Market (English: Taling Chan Floating Market, Thai: ตลาดน้ำตลิ่งชัน) | Saturdays and Sundays 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM | 15 kilometers | It's closest to downtown Bangkok; you can take the MRT and then transfer to a taxi. |
Does the Amphawa Floating Market have toilets?
The most frequently asked question when visiting Amphawa Floating Market is probably, "Are there toilets?" The answer is yes! There are free public toilets near the police station by the pier, but the conditions are really terrible, so you need to be very careful. After gaining this toilet experience point, the little tycoon leveled up (laughs).
Bangkok Day Trip Itinerary Summary
9:00 AM – Central World Meeting Point
The meeting point for this day trip was behind the Ganesha Temple in CenterWorld. Since the meeting time was quite early, the nearby department stores weren't open yet (they don't open until 10 am), so we had to walk across a skybridge to the McDonald's on the first floor of Big C across the street to find a restroom. Walking around the skybridge like that was quite a hassle! Luckily, Thai people are very friendly to children, and my little one successfully found a restroom. Note! If you're taking the MRT, remember to use the restroom before leaving the station. This time we traveled in a 15-seater minibus; the group, including the guide and driver, consisted of 13 people.
10:20 AM – Porto Go Tha Chin Rest Stop
The driver drove for about an hour and a half to reach the Porto Go Tha Chin (Thai: พอร์โต้ โก ท่าจีน) rest stop. Everyone used the restroom and stretched their bodies there.
The Porto Go Tha Chin rest stop had quite a few things to do, including a 7-Eleven, Starbucks, KFC, ChaTraMue brand milk tea, donuts, and hot food. The wealthy man bought a Thai milk tea at the ChaTraMue flagship store to cool off, and even saw a drive-thru, so he could buy Thai milk tea without getting off the bus – awesome! He stayed for about 20 minutes before continuing on his way.
For a detailed introduction to ChaTraMue, please refer to [link/reference].ChaTraMue Signature Milk Tea Flagship Store UnboxingThis article.
Porto Go Tha Chin Rest Stop Information
10:55 AM – Take the train from LAT YAI
This time we were going to take the train to Maeklong Railway Market, so the itinerary was arranged for everyone to board at Lat Yai Railway Station, the station before Maeklong. Lat Yai Station is just a small waiting shelter, as shown in the picture below. Everyone took pictures on the tracks while waiting.
After about 10 minutes, the train arrived at the station on time.
The train journey wasn't long, as the distance between the two stations was only about 7 kilometers, and we arrived at Maeklong Railway Market in about 10 minutes.
11:10 AM – Maeklong Railway Market
The most distinctive feature of the Maeklong Railway Market (Thai: สถานีรถไฟแม่กลอง) is that the vendors are located right next to both sides of the railway tracks. Tourists eagerly anticipate the unique spectacle of vendors quickly packing up and reopening their stalls as the train pulls into the station. When the train enters the market, tourists waiting there take photos of it, making even the wealthy feel like celebrities.
But to be honest, the view from the train carriage window wasn't great; all you could see were the rooftops of the vendors' stalls, which looked rather ugly (laughs).
Since Mae Klong station is the final stop, the train will make a brief stop after entering the station, giving visitors to the Mae Klong Railway Market a chance to take photos with the train.
The ticket booth at the Maeklong Railway Market was closed today (laughs).
According to the Maeklong Railway Market train timetable, the train the millionaire took arrived on time!
Because of the large number of foreign tourists, many vendors at the Maeklong Railway Market have shifted their focus to selling souvenirs, such as elephant pants, elephant wallets, bamboo fans, magnets, and coconut water. Traditional fruit and seafood vendors are still present, but the hygiene is somewhat poor, with many flies. I spent about an hour at the Maeklong Railway Market, which allowed me to leisurely browse the market and the nearby souvenir shops.
The coffee shop is reasonably priced; Thai milk tea is only 25 baht.
Generally speaking, the most expensive items are sold by vendors near the railway tracks in the railway market. Walking an extra five minutes to the souvenir shops on the outskirts will result in much lower prices. For example, the same tuk-tuk or pullback bike costs 240 baht at the vendors near the railway tracks, but only 150 baht at the nearby souvenir shops, a difference of 90 baht.
A well-stocked souvenir shop offering a wide variety of items, including tuk-tuks, pullback cars, elephant wallets, elephant pants, magnets, scarves, and more, all at reasonable prices.
Maeklong Railway Market Information
12:20 PM – Lunch at Daeng Seafood Restaurant
Although the tour did not include meals, the tour guide will still take everyone to a nearby seafood restaurant for a meal, of course, the cost of the meal will be borne by the participants themselves.
The wealthy family ordered the signature crab fried rice. Although there wasn't an overflowing amount of crab meat, it was fresh and the rice was fried until each grain was distinct. The wealthy man thought it was delicious.
Stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste and shrimp omelet are must-orders in Thailand; both dishes are delicious and recommended by wealthy individuals. Daeng Seafood's prices are also reasonable, with three dishes totaling approximately 700 baht.
Daeng Seafood Restaurant Information
1:50 PM – Temple in the Trees
Wat Bang Kung (Thai: วัดบางกุ้ง, English: Wat Bang Kung) is indeed a temple surrounded by trees. You have to take off your shoes to enter and worship. The wealthy man paid to have some gold leaf applied to the Buddha statue, hoping for a safe journey.
The tour guide said that if you can stick a coin on the large curved knife next to the temple in the tree, it will bring good luck.
The temple in the tree is very efficacious. Around the temple, there are many rooster statues that people put down as a way of fulfilling their vows. The largest rooster statue is even taller than a millionaire.
Information about the temple in the tree
2:50 PM – King Rama II Memorial Park
The former King Rama II of Thailand used to come here to escape the summer heat.
There are some restored buildings in the memorial park.
The building displays some items used by King Rama II in the past. The memorial park is quite large, and you can take a walk in it. You need to take off your shoes to enter. The sun is high in the sky, and it can be a bit hot to walk barefoot on the platforms between the buildings, so be careful.
Information on King Rama II Memorial Park
4:00 PM – Amphawa Floating Market
Today is Friday. The group arrived at the Amphawa Floating Market at around 4 pm. At this time of July, the sun was shining brightly, and the vendors were opening their shops one after another.
On the way to the floating market, you'll pass many unique snack shops and small stores. A Coke topped with crushed ice is perfect for hot Thailand; it tastes even better chilled. But when in Thailand, try drinking more Thai milk tea instead.
Besides food stalls, there are also fun souvenir shops. A very realistic fish-shaped pendant for only 20 baht makes for a very memorable souvenir.
A toy store that sells many Japanese anime merchandise.
The wealthy family strolled along the old street by the river, taking photos and snacks while waiting for the meeting time.
There are many cafes and bars on both sides of the river, but not many places to eat.
cafes.
Finally, because of the hot weather, the wealthy family chose to rest at the nearby PUNTHAI COFFEE, the Thai version of Starbucks, while waiting for their 6:30 pm meeting time.
The wealthy man visited the Amphawa Floating Market about 10 years ago. This time, his impression was a bit different from what he had seen years ago. He didn't see any vendors selling their wares from small boats on the water, and there was less trash in the river.
The wealthy man felt that the Amphawa Floating Market was more atmospheric and less hot in the evening. The sunset reflecting on the river was so romantic! But be sure to pay attention to the return time and don't miss the last bus!
Amphawa Floating Market Information
6:30 PM – Firefly Watching at Night
Waiting for the longtail boat at the pier near the police station.
There's a whole row of food stalls along the pier, offering local delicacies like grilled meat skewers and fried chicken. While waiting for the boat, you can take a look and see if there's anything you like. For those with more money, try Thailand's unique charcoal-grilled spicy hot dogs and fried pork, both priced at 10 baht. They're a good snack to tide you over.
There's also this unique little shop where all the products are made from coconut shells, which is very environmentally friendly.
As the sun slowly set, the boat arrived, and the group boarded the long-tailed boat to head to the firefly viewing spot.
The journey was actually quite long; it took about 30 minutes by boat to get there.
Luckily, I spotted some twinkling lights in the bushes; those were fireflies.
The time on the boat was actually quite long, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. After watching the fireflies, we returned to the pier at 8 pm. Because the toilets at the Amphawa Floating Market were in terrible condition, the tour guide took everyone to a nearby gas station to use the restroom before preparing to return to Bangkok.
9:40 PM – Arrive in Bangkok city center
I got back to the vicinity of Central World in Bangkok around 9:40 PM. The area around Central World was completely jammed; it was practically impossible to move. Walking was faster than getting out of the car. Because of the traffic, Grab was charging almost 400 baht for the Cher Hostel Bangkok, which was only 6 kilometers away, and the ride was cancelled twice, so I had to give up. It took me 10 minutes to get out of the traffic jam. Finally, I tried to flag down a car on the street, but the driver wouldn't use the meter and charged me a flat 300 baht. What a long day! I'm so tired.
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