Is Damnoen Saduak worth it?
Reviews of Damnoen Saduak range from delighted to disappointed. What you make of it depends on what you expect to find there.
The short answer
Damnoen Saduak is worth it if you want to see boats with cooks and fruit sellers on a canal and accept that the market is run for visitors, with souvenir stalls and vendors who push to sell. It suits you less if you are looking for a market used mainly by locals, dislike bargaining, or do not want to leave Bangkok around 06:30 for a drive of 1.5 to 2 hours each way.
Damnoen Saduak lies in Ratchaburi province, about 100 km southwest of Bangkok. The canal is old, the market on it today is not, and that explains most of what visitors praise and most of what they complain about.
A market set up for visitors
The canal, Khlong Damnoen Saduak, was dug between 1866 and 1868 on the orders of King Rama IV, according to DASTA, and links the Mae Klong and Tha Chin rivers over about 32 km. The market most visitors see, at Ton Khem, was laid out by private operators after a road reached the area in 1981. It was built for visitors from the start, and it shows: many stalls on the banks sell souvenirs, and few of the people on the water are local shoppers.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand wrote in 2020 that the market had been seen as overrated because of overtourism and had since recovered.
What guests complain about
- Souvenir stalls on the banks and few locals.
- Sales pressure. Vendors approach the boats, and bargaining is expected.
- A rowing boat inside the market that costs extra on many tours.
- The early start, between about 06:30 and 07:00, and 1.5 to 2 hours on the road each way, with traffic on the way back.
- Boat queues in the canal once the tour coaches arrive from about 9 o'clock.
- Too little time at the market on combination tours, or a long wait between two trains at Maeklong.
What guests like
The two things reviews mention most are the food cooked on the boats and the boat ride through the canals. Guests also name their guides and smooth pickup and drop-off. One reviewer of the full-day tour describes a lunch of tom yam soup and seafood on the floating market, recommended by the guide.
Who it does not suit
- You want a market that locals mainly use for their own shopping.
- You find bargaining and being approached by vendors tiring.
- You do not want a pickup around 06:30 and a long day on the road.
- You only have a weekend afternoon. Amphawa runs from Friday to Sunday into the evening, and Taling Chan and Khlong Lat Mayom are weekend markets inside Bangkok.
The alternatives side by side: floating markets compared.
How to get more out of it
Arrive early, before the coaches. Agree on the price of a rowing boat before you get in. Eat on the water rather than shop on the banks. And if the railway market is on your list anyway, a combined tour uses the long drive for two sights instead of one.
FAQ
Is Damnoen Saduak a tourist trap?
It is a market set up for visitors, with many souvenir stalls and vendors who push to sell, and bargaining is expected. The Tourism Authority of Thailand wrote in 2020 that it had been seen as overrated because of overtourism and had since recovered. Guests who enjoy it mention the food from the boats and the boat ride.
How long does a trip to Damnoen Saduak take?
The drive takes 1.5 to 2 hours each way. A half-day tour that only goes to the floating market lists about 6 hours, the tours that add the Maeklong Railway Market 7 to 8.5 hours.
Is there an alternative closer to Bangkok?
Taling Chan and Khlong Lat Mayom are floating markets inside Bangkok, in Taling Chan district, open on Saturdays and Sundays. Amphawa in Samut Songkhram runs from Friday to Sunday into the evening.
Do I have to buy something?
No, but expect vendors to approach you, including from boats. Prices on the banks are open to bargaining.