Bangkok Things to Do Tips by emmanue113

This is the only 'real' floating market around Bangkok, where vendors actually sell their goods on boats along a canal. The others are all markets on wooden platforms, where you walk around to buy food/things from vendors who may or may not be on a boat that are stationed along the platform.

Things available for sale: Food, clothes, souvenirs, etc.

Opening hours: 6.30 am - 10.00 am

Location: Ratchaburi province

Getting there:

1) Bus: Southern bus terminal [Fare: 50B, every 20 min from 6am-7pm, takes about 2 hours].
2) Tours: Floating market + Rose Garden (1000B); Floating market + Rose Garden + Elephant Show (1200B) [pick-up is around 7am, arrival at the Floating market is around 9.30am]

Tips:

1) To beat the crowd, arrive before 8.30am. After which, the canal will be jammed with boats.
2) Hire a boat for 400B an hour or share with other tourists (the boat trip takes around 1 hour, but after 8.30am, if will take longer).
3) Dont forget to walk across the main road to the other side of the market.

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There are more than 50 shops on a 270-metre-long covered wooden platform.

Things available for sale: Food, glorious food!

Opening hours: 8 am - 4 pm (weekends and public holidays only)

Location: Amphoe Bang Lane, Nakhon Pathom (in front of Lamphaya temple, on the Tha Chin River)

Getting there:

From the Southern Bus Terminal, take the Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom bus. Get off at Nakhon Pathom Market and then take a Song Thaeo (public pick-up truck) on the Nakhon Pathom-Lamphaya route, and get off at Wat Lampaya.

Tips:

Make sure your stomach is empty before arrival so that you can have a feast there.

Warning:

This market is hidden from the main road, and is very difficult to find. Unless you are with a Thai friend, I would suggest you not to venture there.

I went there with a Thai friend and it took us around 30mins to find the market from the main road. But once you get there, you will think that the hassle is well worth it!

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The market is about 100km from Bangkok and about 20km from the Damnoen Saduak.

Things available for sale: food, souvenirs

Opening hours: 4pm - 8pm (Fri to Sun)

Location: Amphawa district, Samut Songkhram

Boat tours:

1) Take a trip along the canal with stops at King Rama II Park Wat Bang Ku and Wat Bangkae Noi. [Fare: 50B per person for boat sharing and 400B for the whole boat, before 6pm, 1 - 1 ½ hour ride]

2) Amphawa is famous for its fireflies along the riverside. You can take a boat ride to see the beautiful glimmer on Banglamphu trees. [Fare: 50B per person for boat sharing and 600B for the whole boat, 6pm onwards, 1 - 1 ½ hour ride]

Warnings:

I would advise you not to visit this market unless you run out of places to go. It totally lacks variety, with only a few vendors selling food from boats. Other food stalls on land are pretty unappealing. It is certainly not worth the 1 ½ hour car ride from Bangkok.

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Opening hours: 9.00am -17.00pm (weekends)

Location: Thonburi (in front of the Taling Chan District Office).

Things available for sale: food

Getting there: Take air-con bus No. 79 from Rajadamnern Road.

Warnings:

Do not expect too much from this market. The platform is very short (with only a few vendors selling food from boats) and the variety of food is limited.

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I read about the Wat Sai floating market from various travel guides, so I decided to visit the market after Taling Chan. To my utter disappointment, I found nothing except a big ‘Wat Sai Floating Market’sign. The people there told me that the market was closed more than 5 years ago. So, please don’t waste your time going there.

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I went to Koh Kret on Friday. The island was almost deserted. Many shops are closed. I heard that the island comes to life only in the weekends.

There is nothing much to do there. If you like pottery, you may find the two pottery villages interesting where you can watch the pottery making process. (The word 'village' is rather misleading because it is actually two villages, each with its own pottery factory).

Getting there:

1) Take the express boat (local line) to Nonthaburi [Fare: 10B, 1 hour trip]. From Nonthaburi, take bus 32 to Pak Kret [30 min trip], then catch the ferry [2B] at the Wat Sanam Nua pier across to the Island [6.00 am - 9.00pm daily].
2) Take air-con bus 505 or 6 from Samsan Road to Pak Kret. Get off at Pak Kret market next to the river,then catch the ferry [2B] at the Wat Sanam Nua pier.
3) Take the Chao Phraya tourist express boat, which leaves Central Sathorn pier at 10.00 am and return from Koh Kret at 3.30pm [Fare: 300B, weekends only].

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Ancient City is one of the 'must-do' side trips in Bangkok. It is the largest outdoor museum in world with 116 scaled-down replicas of Thailand's most historically significant structures built on 320 acres of land.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.ancientcity.com/muangboran/index.htm

Location: Samut Prakan province (around 1 hour from Bangkok)

Opening hours: 8am - 5pm

Getting there:

1. Take air-con bus no.511 or 11 from Banglamphu/Rama I Road/Sukhumvit Road to Samut Prakan, then change onto songthaew (pick-up) no.36 for Muang Boran.
2. A faster alternative is to take the BTS to Ekamai station and take bus no.511/11 from there.

Tips:

1. Get there early. It's best visited by car. Even by car, it took me 5 hours to cover the whole area. If you do not have a car, dont worry. You can always rent a bicycle (which will be extremely tiring) or take the tram (which may not cover the whole site).

2. Do not miss the 'floating market'. It will give you a feel of the real thing. Food and drinks are pretty cheap (non-tourist price).

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Attractions include the 415km Death Railway built by Allied Prisoners of War (PoW) in World War II under horrific and inhumane conditions; River Kwai Bridge; JEATH war museum; Allied War Cemetery and Hellfire Pass.

For more information on Kanchanaburi, please visit: http://www.kanchanaburi-info.com/en/index.html

I went there by train and returned by bus. I stopped at the ‘Thamkrasae’ train station (a few stops after River Kwai Bridge station) to have lunch and take photos. After that, I took the train back to River Kwai Bridge, and then a taxi to JEATH war museum.

Getting there:

1. Take a boat from Sathorn pier to Thonburi pier, then take a taxi to Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) Railway Station (fare = 35B). Then, take the train to Namtok (fare = 100B).
2. Take a bus from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (4.00am - 9.30pm, every 15 min).

Returning to Bangkok:

1. Take a bus from Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal (4.00am - 8.00pm, every 15 min).

Tips:

1. The best way to get to Kanchanburi is by train, using the Death Railway itself.

2. Buy the train ticket all the way to Namtok (the fare, 100B, is the same whether you stop at Kanchanaburi, River Kwai Bridge or Namtok). For the train timetable, please visit: http://www.railway.co.th/English/index.asp.

3. If you are travelling by train, do not get down at the River Kwai Bridge station. Otherwise, you would miss the best part of the train ride i.e. crossing the River Kwai Bridge (the start of the infamous Death Railway to Myanmar).

4. You may want to have dinner in Kanchanaburi before heading back to Bangkok. There is a Food Market near the bus station (from 6:00pm daily) serving a variety of delicious local Thai food.

5. There is a Night Market in Kanchanaburi. On Mon, Thurs, Sat and Sun, it is located near the train station. On Tues, Wed and Fri, it is located near the bus station.

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