The boat ride at Damnoen Saduak
There are two kinds of boat at Damnoen Saduak: motorboats that run through the side canals to the market, and slow rowing boats that move between the traders inside it. Tours usually include the first, often not the second.
The short answer
At Damnoen Saduak, most day trips include a boat ride through the canals to the market, listed at 30 to 45 minutes, while a rowing boat inside the market itself is often extra and paid at the pier. You cannot row yourself, and if you take a rowing boat, agree on the price before you get in.
The boat is the reason most people come. The listings describe it differently from tour to tour, so the table shows what each one says.
Which boat each tour includes
Sorted by number of reviews. "Not stated" means the listing does not mention a boat.
| Photo | Tour | Boat ride included | Markets and stops | Duration | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Damnoen Saduak Market and Maeklong Railway Market Bigcountry Experience | Paddle boat into the market | Maeklong, Damnoen Saduak | 7.5 h | ★ 4.6 (29,496) | €21 per person | Book now |
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Floating Market and Railway Market TRIPZA sightseeing | Longtail motorboat through the canals, 40–45 min | Maeklong with train ride, Damnoen Saduak | 8.5 h | ★ 4.9 (12,524) | €13 per person | Book now |
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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market guided tour Bigcountry Experience | Paddle boat through the canals to the market, about 15 min; boat on the market not included | Damnoen Saduak only | 6 h | ★ 4.4 (2,026) | €101 per person | Book now |
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Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Railway Market full day Operator not named | Boat ride through the canals, about 40 min | Damnoen Saduak, Maeklong | 7–8.5 h | ★ 4.7 (635) | €25 per person | Book now |
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Damnoen Floating Market and Train Market private tour Progress Ultimate Tour | Private motor or electric boat through the canals, 1 h | Maeklong, Damnoen Saduak | 1 day, no hours given | ★ 4.5 (75) | €104 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.
Motorboat through the canals
On most tours a boat picks you up away from the market and takes you through the side canals to it. The listings give 30 to 45 minutes. They do not agree on the boat: the same day tour is described once as a longtail motorboat of about 40 minutes and once as an electric boat of 30 to 45 minutes, so expect either. The tour with the train ride names a longtail motorboat, 45 minutes when Maeklong comes first and 40 minutes when the floating market comes first. On the private car tour you have a private motor or electric boat for an hour.
Rowing boat inside the market
The slower ride between the traders' boats is by rowing boat with a boatman. You cannot row yourself; the Tourism Authority of Thailand notes that the canal is too crowded. Bigcountry includes a paddle boat on both of its tours here: on the day tour from River City it takes you into the market, on the half-day tour about 15 minutes through the canals to it. The half-day listing adds that a boat ride on the market itself is not included and that traders sell one on site for 25 to 30 minutes. On the River Kwai combination the paddle boat is not part of the price, and one half-day itinerary lists the paddleboat inside the market as an exclusion. Read the inclusions of the option you book.
Paying at the pier
Travel blogs report prices for boats at the market that differ widely, and none of them is from 2026, so this page does not quote them. Two tour listings name an amount for the paddle boat on site; it is in the cost table on the prices page. In 2014 Khaosod English reported fixed boat rates for the market; we found no source that confirms they still apply. What reviews agree on is bargaining: boatmen accept large discounts, and the price and length of the ride should be fixed before you step in.
Travellers who come by taxi are sometimes dropped at a private pier about 1 km before the market, where boat rides cost far more. The market can be reached on foot without a boat. More in going without a tour.
When the canal is quietest
Tour coaches arrive from about 9 o'clock, and from then on the boats queue in the canal. Most sources give the market roughly 07:00 to 12:00. See best time to visit for the hours and the seasons.
FAQ
Is the boat ride included in Damnoen Saduak tours?
A boat ride through the canals to the market is included on most tours, listed at 30 to 45 minutes. A rowing boat inside the market is often extra; check the inclusions of the option you book.
What kind of boat is it?
The ride to the market is by motorboat, described as a longtail or an electric boat depending on the listing. Inside the market, rowing boats with a boatman move between the traders.
Can I row a boat myself?
No. The Tourism Authority of Thailand notes that the canal is too crowded for visitors to row.
How much does a rowing boat cost?
The figures in travel blogs differ widely and none is current. Two tour listings name an amount for the paddle boat on site, which is in the cost table on the prices page. Agree on the price and the length of the ride with the boatman before you get in; reviews report that bargaining works.
Tours with the boat ride included
Every bookable day trip to Damnoen Saduak in one table.
See the comparison