Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market Tour
Highlights
- Maeklong Railway Market, where the stalls fold away for the train
- Amphawa Floating Market in the evening, busiest and best after dark
- Longtail boat ride to look for fireflies along the canal
- A Thai weekend market rather than a tourist one
- Runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Description
This is the only trip in our Bangkok range that runs in the afternoon instead of at dawn. It is built that way because Amphawa is an evening market, so the day starts with a 13:15 departure and ends with a boat ride in the dark. The first stop is Maeklong Railway Market at 14:30, where the stalls trade along a live railway line, and the awnings come back and the baskets get pulled clear every time a train runs through. It happens several times a day, closer than you expect it to be. Then Amphawa from 16:00, a Thai weekend market rather than a tourist one, with wooden shophouses opening onto the canal, boats grilling prawns and squid at the waterline, and the whole place filling up as the light goes. For more background and practical advice, see our Maeklong Railway Market guide.
Pricing
This tour requires a minimum of 2 persons per booking
- Step 1
12:50 to 13:00 Meet at Khaosan Road
Meet your English-speaking guide and the rest of the group at the designated meeting point near Khaosan Road. Please arrive early enough to check in, as the minivan leaves promptly and cannot wait for late arrivals. Hotel pickup is not included with this tour, so you will need to make your own way to the meeting point.
Leave central Bangkok in an air-conditioned minivan and travel southwest toward Samut Songkhram Province. During the journey, your guide will introduce the places you are visiting and explain how Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa developed around the railway, canals and local trading communities. Travel time can vary slightly depending on Bangkok traffic.
Explore one of Thailand's most unusual markets, built directly beside and across an active railway line. Walk between stalls selling fruit, vegetables, seafood, spices and everyday local products while your guide explains how the market operates. When the train approaches, vendors quickly pull back their awnings and move their baskets away from the rails. Watch the train pass through the narrow market at close range before the stalls return to normal within minutes.
Rejoin the group for the short drive from Maeklong Railway Market to Amphawa. The journey takes you farther into Samut Songkhram, a province known for its canals, coconut plantations and riverside communities. Your guide will explain where and when to meet again after your free time at the market.
Enjoy free time to explore Amphawa Floating Market at your own pace. Traditional wooden shophouses line both sides of the canal, while vendors prepare seafood, noodles, desserts, drinks and local snacks from boats and waterside kitchens. Follow the canal walkways, browse small shops and look for a place to eat as the market becomes busier toward evening. Food is not included, so bring Thai baht in cash for anything you would like to try.
Board a shared longtail boat for an evening journey along the Amphawa canals and Mae Klong River. As the market lights fade behind you, the boat travels past riverside homes, vegetation and lamphu trees where fireflies may gather after dark. Firefly sightings are natural, seasonal and weather-dependent, so their number cannot be guaranteed. The peaceful boat ride remains an atmospheric way to experience the waterways at night.
Meet your guide and group after the boat ride and board the air-conditioned minivan for the return journey to Bangkok. Relax after the evening at Amphawa while the vehicle travels back toward the city. The exact driving time depends on traffic conditions.
Return to the Khaosan Road meeting point between approximately 21:00 and 21:30. Drop-off at Sam Yot MRT station may also be available on request. From either location, you can continue to your hotel by taxi, public transport or a ride-hailing service. Arrival times are approximate and may vary with traffic.
Included
- Return trip by air-conditioned minivan
- English-speaking local guide
- Maeklong Railway Market
- Amphawa Floating Market
- Shared longtail boat ride to look for fireflies
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Drinking water
- Travel insurance
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (this tour meets at Khaosan Road only)
- Insect repellent for the evening boat
- A light layer for the boat after dark
- Cash for food at Amphawa, as stalls do not take cards
This tour starts at a fixed meeting point. Please make your own way there.
Khaosan Road, Chana Songkhram Police Station
Meet in front of Chana Songkhram Police Station at the western end of Khaosan Road, opposite Wat Chana Songkhram. Please arrive between 12:50 and 13:00 for the 13:15 departure. There is no hotel pickup on this tour.
There is no hotel pickup on this one at all, which is unusual for us. Everyone meets at Khaosan Road between 12:50 and 13:00, and that is worth planning around if your hotel is out on Sukhumvit. The fireflies are wild animals, and the operator says plainly that they may show in small numbers or not at all. The better odds are in the wet season from roughly June to October, and on the darker nights away from a full moon, so treat the boat ride as the guaranteed part and the fireflies as the luck. Come hungry and carry cash. Amphawa is an eating market, the grilled seafood boats are the point of it, and the stalls do not take cards.
FAQs
No, and it would be wrong to promise it. Fireflies are seasonal and weather-dependent, and the operator states plainly that they may be present only in small numbers or not at all. They are best in the wet season, roughly June to October, and on darker nights away from a full moon. The boat ride runs regardless.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Amphawa is a weekend market and is closed during the week.
No. This is the one tour in the range with no hotel pickup. Everyone meets at the Khaosan Road meeting point between 12:50 and 13:00.
No, and that is deliberate. Amphawa is an eating market, with boats grilling prawns and squid along the canal, and the point is to graze there. Bring cash, as stalls do not take cards.
Yes, this tour needs at least two people to run. Group sizes vary with the season, from about two to nine people on a quiet day up to twenty or more in high season.
You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the tour starts and get a full refund. Inside 24 hours the tour is non-refundable, because the seat and the guide are already committed.
