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Weekend evening market

Amphawa Floating Market tours from Bangkok

Amphawa in Samut Songkhram is an afternoon and evening market that runs only from Friday to Sunday. Tours pair it with the Maeklong Railway Market and end on a boat looking for fireflies.

The short answer

Amphawa tours from Bangkok run only from Friday to Sunday, because that is when the market is held, and they are longer than the morning trips to Damnoen Saduak. The day usually starts with the Maeklong Railway Market and ends with a boat ride to see fireflies after dark, so you are back in Bangkok late in the evening.

Tours on this page
Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market (Friday to Sunday)
Operator not named · 7.5 to 10.5 hours Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market (Friday to Sunday)
★ 4.7 (592) from €36
Book now
Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market day trip
TripGuru Thailand · 8.5 hours Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market day trip
★ 4.3 (757) from €39
Book now
Compare all options on this page

Amphawa is the choice if your free day falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday and you would rather spend the evening on the water than get up before dawn. The tour from Siam Paragon Gate 1 lists 7.5 to 10.5 hours, the one with the banyan tree temple Wat Bang Kung 8.5 hours from MBK Center or with hotel pickup.

The Amphawa day trips side by side

Sorted by number of reviews. "Not stated" means the listing does not say.

Photo Tour Markets and stopsBoat ride includedDurationGroup typeStart and pickup Reviews ↕ Price ↕ Book
Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market TripGuru Thailand Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung, Amphawa Firefly boat ride on the Mae Klong, about 1.5 h 8.5 h, Fri–Sun Small group or private MBK Center (ground floor), or hotel pickup by option ★ 4.3 (757) €39 per person Book now
Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market Operator not named Maeklong, Amphawa Firefly boat ride, 1 h 7.5–10.5 h, Fri–Sun Shared with guide, or private with driver only Siam Paragon Gate 1; private: Khao San Road or Siam Square ★ 4.7 (592) €36 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.

The Amphawa tours in detail

Open a card for pickup areas, boat ride, guide languages and cancellation terms as the listing gives them.

Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market (Friday to Sunday)
Operator not named

Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market (Friday to Sunday)

Maeklong, then the weekend market at Amphawa and a one-hour firefly boat ride. Shared from Siam Paragon Gate 1 with a guide, or private with a driver.

  • Duration: 7.5 to 10.5 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the start
from €36 ★ 4.7 (592 reviews)
Book now
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Amphawa Floating Market, open Friday to Sunday
  • One-hour firefly boat ride in Amphawa
  • Maeklong Railway Market

About this tour

A later day than the Damnoen Saduak trips: the railway market at Maeklong, then the Amphawa Floating Market, which only runs from Friday to Sunday, and a one-hour boat ride to see fireflies after dark.

The shared option leaves from Siam Paragon Gate 1 with a guide speaking English and Chinese. The private option picks you up at your hotel, but only on Khao San Road or around Siam Square, and comes with a driver (English or Thai) instead of a guide.

What's included

  • Firefly boat ride in Amphawa (1 hour)
  • Visit to the Maeklong Railway Market
  • Guide in English and Chinese (shared option)

Not included

  • Food
  • Guide on the private option (driver only)

Meeting point and pickup

Shared option: Siam Paragon Gate 1. Private option: hotel pickup on Khao San Road or around Siam Square only.

Know before you go

  • Runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
  • The private option has a driver but no guide.

Taken from the tour listing on the booking platform. Pickup areas and boat times can differ by option, so check the option you book.

Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market day trip
TripGuru Thailand

Maeklong Railway and Amphawa Floating Market day trip

Maeklong, the banyan tree temple Wat Bang Kung, Amphawa and a firefly boat ride of about 1.5 hours. From MBK Center or with hotel pickup, small group or private.

  • Duration: 8.5 hours
  • Language: English, Thai, Spanish
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €39 ★ 4.3 (757 reviews)
Book now
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Maeklong Railway Market
  • Wat Bang Kung, the temple inside a banyan tree
  • Amphawa Floating Market and a firefly boat ride on the Mae Klong

About this tour

A day without Damnoen Saduak. About 1.5 hours by van to the Maeklong Railway Market, then Wat Bang Kung, a temple enclosed by the roots of a banyan tree, and the Amphawa Floating Market. After dark a boat takes you about 1.5 hours along the Mae Klong river to see fireflies, and the van back to Bangkok takes about 80 minutes.

The tour can only be booked from Friday to Sunday. You meet on the ground floor of MBK Center, next to The Beef Master, or choose hotel pickup as an option. Private and small-group options are available.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (pickup option)
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Guide
  • Firefly boat ride
  • Drinking water in a glass bottle
  • Insurance

Not included

  • Meals
  • Drinks
  • Personal expenses

Meeting point and pickup

MBK Center, ground floor, next to The Beef Master. Hotel pickup as an option.

Know before you go

  • Bookable on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
  • Dress code: shoulders and knees covered.
  • The tour does not go to Damnoen Saduak.

Not suitable for

  • People with back problems
  • People with heart problems
  • Wheelchair users

Taken from the tour listing on the booking platform. Pickup areas and boat times can differ by option, so check the option you book.

A market that opens when Damnoen Saduak closes

Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi is a morning market; Amphawa in Samut Songkhram province starts in the afternoon. The sources do not agree on the hours. Some give around midday to 20:00 or 21:00, Wikipedia gives 15:00 to 22:00, and others separate Friday from the weekend. What they agree on is the days: Friday to Sunday, and according to some sources public holidays too. The stalls line the banks along the canal, and visitors expecting traders on boats are often disappointed, as several reviews below show.

The firefly boat

After dark, boats leave Amphawa to look for fireflies in the trees along the river, from about 19:00 according to local guides. The Tourism Authority of Thailand also recommends the ride after sunset. Both tours on this page include it. The tour from Siam Paragon lists one hour on the boat, the Wat Bang Kung tour about 1.5 hours on the Mae Klong river. Two reviews of the Wat Bang Kung tour from August describe a long wait at the market before the boat left. How many fireflies you see depends on the season. Reviews mention more in the rainy season, and one reviewer who went in April saw few.

How the day runs

Because Amphawa opens late, these tours start with the Maeklong Railway Market in the morning or around midday and time the stop to a train. According to the timetable as of January 2026, trains arrive at Mae Klong at 08:30, 11:10, 14:30 and 17:40. The tour from MBK Center adds Wat Bang Kung, a temple enclosed by the roots of a banyan tree, before the market; its van back to Bangkok takes about 80 minutes. Expect to be back in central Bangkok late in the evening, around 21:00. Train times and the railway market are covered in Damnoen Saduak with the Maeklong Railway Market.

One reviewer of the weekend tour found the gap between two trains at Maeklong long and would have liked a nearby temple to fill it. That is the trade-off of a tour built around the train timetable.

What to check before you book

  • The day of the week. The Amphawa market is held from Friday to Sunday only, and both tours can only be booked on those days.
  • Guide or driver. The shared option from Siam Paragon Gate 1 has a guide speaking English and Chinese. The private option collects you on Khao San Road or around Siam Square only and comes with a driver but no guide.
  • Food. Neither tour includes meals, so plan to eat at the market.
  • Clothing. The Wat Bang Kung tour has a dress code: shoulders and knees covered.
  • Cancellation. Free up to 48 hours before on the tour from Siam Paragon, up to 24 hours on the Wat Bang Kung tour.

What guests wrote about the Amphawa tours

From both tours on this page; each card names its tour. The three one-star reviews say the same about Amphawa: the market is on the banks, and they saw no traders selling from boats. The two from the Wat Bang Kung tour in August also describe a long wait before the firefly boat; the one from the Siam Paragon tour, translated from Japanese, praised the boat. A four-star review saw few fireflies in April, and a guest in June saw many in the rainy season.

“Pop was very good - we had a great time throughout the tour. The fireflies were a particular highlight. A slower paced tour than others and overall very chill and quite relaxing.”
Tom · United Kingdom · October 2026 Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung and Amphawa, Friday to Sunday
“Still waiting to see the floating market in the pictures as we were taken to the floating market only to take a 2hr boat ride to see a fire fly in the bushes when it got dark and the floating market is actually a market on the land where you catch boats from and nothing whatsoever like the pictures. I did not see one boat selling food whatsoever”
Angelica · United Arab Emirates · August 2026 Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung and Amphawa, Friday to Sunday
“The floating merchant no longer exists; there were no boats. Along the short stretch along the canal, there were many restaurants and souvenir shops, where we waited two and a half hours for the boat to go see some fireflies. […] We lost a day and the chance to see a floating market. We were told that there had been no vendors for a long time.”
Verified traveller · Italy · August 2026 Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung and Amphawa, Friday to Sunday
“Strongly recommended. You will see a lot of fireflies during the rain season. The guide and the driver are super nice.”
Ted · Germany · June 2026 Maeklong, Wat Bang Kung and Amphawa, Friday to Sunday
“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.”
Yayoi · July 2026 · translated review Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market, Friday to Sunday
“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.”
Hoang · April 2024 Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market, Friday to Sunday
“The tour leader spoke good English. The tour was a good mix of being guided and being able to explore on your own. The guide could always be reached and was able to answer every question.”
Wiebke · October 2025 · translated review Amphawa Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market, Friday to Sunday

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

On which days is the Amphawa Floating Market open?

From Friday to Sunday, and according to some sources also on public holidays. Tours that go there, such as the weekend tour from Siam Paragon Gate 1, run on those days only.

What time does Amphawa open?

The sources differ. Some give around midday to 20:00 or 21:00, Wikipedia gives 15:00 to 22:00. It is an afternoon and evening market in any case, unlike the morning market at Damnoen Saduak.

Will I see fireflies?

It depends on the season. Reviews mention more fireflies in the rainy season, which runs from mid-May to mid-October, and one guest who went in April saw few. The boats go out after dark, from about 19:00.

Is food included on the Amphawa tours?

No. Both listings exclude meals; the Wat Bang Kung tour includes drinking water. The market itself has many food stalls along the canal.

Does the private Amphawa option come with a guide?

No. The private option of the weekend tour has a driver speaking English or Thai and picks up only on Khao San Road or around Siam Square. The shared option has a guide speaking English and Chinese.

Related on this site

With the Maeklong Railway Market

Train times at Mae Klong and the morning trip to Damnoen Saduak.

Floating markets compared

Damnoen Saduak, Amphawa, Taling Chan and Khlong Lat Mayom by day and hour.

Best time to visit

Morning at Damnoen Saduak, evening at Amphawa, and the seasons.

Not free at the weekend

The morning tours to Damnoen Saduak run every day of the week.

See the comparison