Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tours from Bangkok compared
The floating market lies in Ratchaburi province, about 100 km southwest of Bangkok, and is busiest in the morning. Almost everyone comes on a day trip, usually combined with the Maeklong Railway Market. These are the tours you can book, with what each one includes.
Day trips to Damnoen Saduak side by side
The 8 tours below differ mainly in the second stop (Maeklong, Amphawa or the River Kwai), in whether you ride the train and in where you are picked up. Sorted by number of reviews; tap a column header to re-sort. "Not stated" means the listing does not say.
| Photo | Tour | Markets and stops | Train ride | Boat ride included | Group type | Duration | Start and pickup | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Damnoen Saduak Market and Maeklong Railway Market Bigcountry Experience | Maeklong, Damnoen | No, you watch it | Paddle boat | Small group of 12 or private | 7.5 h | River City or hotel | ★ 4.6 (29,496) | €21 per person | Book now |
|
Floating Market and Railway Market TRIPZA sightseeing | Maeklong, Damnoen | Yes, local train | Longtail, 40–45 min | Up to 34, small group option | 8.5 h | Samyan Mitrtown or hotel | ★ 4.9 (12,524) | €13 per person | Book now |
|
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market guided tour Bigcountry Experience | Palm sugar farm, Damnoen | No Maeklong stop | Paddle boat to the market | Private | 6 h | Hotel, central districts | ★ 4.4 (2,026) | €101 per person | Book now |
|
Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market TripGuru Thailand | Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung, Amphawa | Not stated | Firefly boat, about 1.5 h | Small group or private | 8.5 h, Fri–Sun | MBK Center or hotel | ★ 4.3 (756) | €39 per person | Book now |
|
Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Railway Market full day Operator not named | Damnoen, Maeklong | Not stated | Canal ride, about 40 min | Shared or private | 7–8.5 h | Central World or hotel | ★ 4.7 (635) | €25 per person | Book now |
|
Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market Operator not named | Amphawa, Maeklong | Not stated | Firefly boat, 1 h | Shared or private, driver only | 7.5–10.5 h, Fri–Sun | Siam Paragon or hotel area | ★ 4.7 (592) | €36 per person | Book now |
|
Damnoen Floating Market and Train Market private tour Progress Ultimate Tour | Maeklong, Damnoen | No, you watch it | Private boat, 1 h | Private car and guide | Full day | Hotel lobby | ★ 4.5 (75) | €104 per person | Book now |
|
Floating market, River Kwai and railway with lunch Siam Adventures Tour | Damnoen, River Kwai | Yes, Death Railway | Market boat extra | Shared or private | 11 h | Central hotels, ends Khao San | ★ 4.5 (8) | €114 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings come live from GetYourGuide and Headout; a rowing boat inside the floating market is often not part of the tour price and is paid at the pier.
Where to start
-
Both markets in one day, from your hotel or from Central World
The classic pairing of the floating market and the Maeklong Railway Market, 7 to 8.5 hours with a guide in English and Chinese and a boat ride through the canals. You choose a shared tour from Central World, a shared tour with hotel pickup or a private tour with hotel pickup.
-
You want to ride the train into Maeklong
This tour includes a ride on the local train to Mae Klong and a longtail motorboat through the canals to the floating market, 8.5 hours in total. It starts at Samyan Mitrtown or with hotel pickup; on the 10:00 start the floating market comes first. The guide speaks English only, with an audio guide on your phone for other languages.
-
A small group of up to 12, from River City
Both markets in 7.5 hours, as a small group or private, with a guide in English, German or Japanese. You watch the train at Maeklong rather than ride it, and a paddle boat takes you into the floating market. It starts at River City Bangkok and can end at King Power Mahanakhon by BTS Chong Nonsi.
-
Only the floating market, back by early afternoon
No railway market. A stop where palm sugar is made, a paddle boat through the canals to the market and back in Bangkok between 13:30 and 14:00. It is sold as a private group with hotel pickup; a boat ride on the market itself is not included.
-
You are in Bangkok on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday
Amphawa is an afternoon and evening market that only runs from Friday to Sunday. This tour pairs it with Maeklong and ends with an hour on a boat looking for fireflies after dark.
Train times at Maeklong and how the two markets fit into one day: Damnoen Saduak with the Maeklong Railway Market.
- Pickup areas differ. The Headout full-day tour collects from hotels in Sathorn, Silom, Siam, Pratunam, Ratchathewi, Khao San Road, Charoenkrung and parts of Sukhumvit; other tours start at River City, Samyan Mitrtown, MBK Center or Siam Paragon.
- A train ride at Maeklong is not the same as watching the train. Of the tours here, only the one from Samyan Mitrtown lists the ride.
- The rowing boat inside the market is often not in the price. Agree on the price before you get in.
- Amphawa tours run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only and come back late in the evening.
- Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before on most tours here and up to 48 hours before on the Amphawa tour from Siam Paragon. A missed departure is not refunded on the train-ride tour and the private car tour.
How a day trip to Damnoen Saduak runs
Times are from the tour listings; the order of the stops can change with the Maeklong train timetable.
- Early start Pickup or meeting point in central Bangkok, usually between about 06:30 and 07:00. One published half-day itinerary leaves at 06:45.
- The drive About 1.5 to 2 hours southwest into Ratchaburi province.
- Boat ride A boat takes you through the side canals to the market, 30 to 45 minutes on most listings. The same itinerary has the boat at 09:30.
- The market Time on foot along the canal, with food cooked on the boats and stalls on the banks; the itinerary above gives 10:30 to 12:00.
- Second stop On the combination tours, the Maeklong Railway Market timed to a train, Amphawa in the afternoon or Kanchanaburi.
The canal and the market
The canal, Khlong Damnoen Saduak, was dug between 1866 and 1868 on the orders of King Rama IV, according to the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA). It runs for about 32 km and links the Mae Klong and Tha Chin rivers. The market most visitors see today, at Ton Khem, was laid out by private operators after a road reached the area in 1981.
That history explains what you find. Boats with cooks and fruit sellers still work the canal, but the banks are lined with souvenir stalls and the boat traffic builds up once the tour coaches arrive from about 9 o'clock. Vendors approach the boats to sell, and prices on the banks are open to bargaining. The canal is quietest before the coaches arrive, which is the reason for the early starts. More in is Damnoen Saduak worth it.
Plan your visit
Going without a tour
Minivans from the Southern Bus Terminal and the private piers.
The boat ride
Rowing boat or longtail, and what is included.
Best time to visit
Market hours, the coach rush from about 9 o'clock and the seasons.
Is Damnoen Saduak worth it
A market built for visitors, and who it does not suit.
Floating markets compared
Damnoen Saduak, Amphawa, Taling Chan and Khlong Lat Mayom.
Prices
Live prices of every tour and the costs on top.
Pickup, boat and train for every tour
Damnoen Saduak listings look alike: the same photo of a boat full of fruit, the same two market names. The differences are in the details, such as whether the train ride is included, which districts the pickup covers, whether the rowing boat costs extra and on which days the tour runs. The table above lists those details from each listing and marks the gaps. When you book through a link on this site, the booking platform pays a commission; your price stays the same.
What guests wrote after their day trip
From the Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong tours and the Friday-to-Sunday Amphawa tour; each card names the tour it was written for. One three-star review of the River City tour liked the guide and the train market but found the floating market touristy, with souvenir stalls and boats pulled to the stands. Another, written in German, had booked a German-speaking guide on that tour and did not get one. The one-star review, translated from Japanese, found stalls on the river bank and no traders on boats; the four-star one saw few fireflies and found the wait between two trains at Maeklong long.
“Brilliant experience, well worth the trip out of Bangkok. Our guide Kat was amazing and took us to all the best bits. She also recommended a brilliant and cheap Thai place for lunch on the floating markets where we had the best Tom Yam soup and seafood. Everything went very smoothly from pick up to drop off. Will definitely use Headout again.”
“Tim a super guide extremely helpful and we went on time and returned on time. The journey includes travel upto train station then boarded train after that got off and then visited train market and then to floating market for 40'min and then returned!!! Super Tim!!!”
“Tumtum and Tukta are the best guides I have ever had! They were so enthusiastic and very knowledgeable, and it genuinely felt like they cared about making sure that we had an amazing time. It’s a long day so make sure that you bring plenty of water and sunscreen. Both sites were an amazing experience, with ample time to do shopping. Highly recommend.”
“Highly recommend the experience. Our kind and patient guide Tim was great, he really made sure we were comfortable and gave us great tips. The train market was decently priced with lots of options, and the floating market was beautiful to see on water.”
“Guide and driver were fantastic. Friendly and knowledgeable. The tour itself was well organised and enjoyable. The train market was fun although very busy!! The floating markets are not as I imagined(colourful traditional fruit sellers). Very touristy and markets sell the same as all souvenir shops and some even drag your boat to their stalls.”
“We were disappointed, we had booked a trip in German, that wasn't the case - has happened several times already…. The waiting time in the morning was about 40 minutes, then another stop with waiting time. We were not brought back to the pickup point.”
“I had been told it was a floating market, but on the day I went, it was stalls lined up along the river, and not a single trader was selling from a boat, which was a little disappointing. But going out on a boat for nearly an hour from dusk to see the fireflies was wonderful.”
“It was impressive experience, well operated trip. However, boat to see firefly was boring because could not see much firefly. Also, time between seeing 2 trains passing by needs to fulfil by taking us to visit the temple nearby or surrounding area.”
Reviews written by guests after their day trip, as shown on Headout and GetYourGuide, each under the tour it was written for. Shortened reviews are marked […].
FAQ about the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
How far is Damnoen Saduak from Bangkok?
The floating market is in Damnoen Saduak district in Ratchaburi province, about 100 km southwest of Bangkok; sources give between 80 and 110 km depending on where in the city you start. By road it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours each way, which is why almost every visit is a full or half-day trip.
When is the floating market open?
It is a morning market. Most sources give roughly 07:00 to 12:00, a project of the Tourism Authority of Thailand lists 08:00 to 13:00, and many vendors pack up around midday. Tour coaches arrive from about 9 o'clock, so the canals are quietest early. That is why the day trips leave Bangkok between about 06:30 and 07:00.
Can I ride the train at the Maeklong Railway Market?
Only some tours include it. The tour from Samyan Mitrtown lists a ride on the local train to Mae Klong; the other tours, the Bigcountry tour from River City among them, stop at the market while a train passes through. According to the timetable of the Ban Laem to Mae Klong line as of January 2026, trains arrive at Mae Klong at 08:30, 11:10, 14:30 and 17:40 and leave at 06:20, 09:00, 11:30 and 15:30.
Is a boat ride included?
On most tours, yes. The listings give a boat ride through the canals of 30 to 45 minutes, described as a longtail, an electric boat or a paddle boat depending on the tour. A rowing boat inside the market itself is often extra and paid at the pier. The Tourism Authority of Thailand notes that you cannot row yourself, because the canal is too crowded.
What is the difference between Damnoen Saduak and Amphawa?
Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi is a daily morning market. Amphawa in Samut Songkhram province runs only from Friday to Sunday, from around midday or mid-afternoon into the evening, and is known for boat rides to see fireflies after dark. Tours to Amphawa therefore run only at weekends and return late in the evening.
Is Damnoen Saduak very touristy?
Yes, and most reviews say so. The market visitors see today was set up for visitors after a road reached the area in 1981, and many stalls sell souvenirs. Expect to be asked to buy, and to bargain. Guests who enjoyed it mention the food cooked on the boats and the boat ride through the canals. The Tourism Authority of Thailand wrote in 2020 that the market had been seen as overrated because of overtourism and had since recovered.
Can I get there without a tour?
Yes. Minivans and buses leave from the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) in Bangkok, which has no BTS or MRT station, so you take a taxi there; the bus takes about 2 hours. A common problem: taxi drivers drop visitors at a private pier about 1 km before the market, where boat rides cost far more. The market itself can be reached on foot without a boat.
Can I book a private tour?
Yes. The Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong full-day tour has a private option with hotel pickup, and there is a separate private tour of both markets with your own car, a guide and an hour on a private boat. The private option of the Amphawa tour comes with a driver but no guide, and picks up only on Khao San Road or around Siam Square.
Floating market, railway market or both
Every bookable day trip from Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak in one table.
Back to the comparison