Floating Market, Bangkok

4 more images

This will be my Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Shopping Tips on the market itself that lies just beside the canal, where you can buy the same goods that are on sale on the boats but without riding the boats and paying extra cash! I will have a separate things to do and eating tips for it.

there are no floating markets at present that is inside bangkok, the nearest floating market is located at at Ratchaburi Province, a good 110 kilometers west of bangkok and the most touristy of this thai floating markets is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Actually there are many floating markets in Ratchaburi Province and several in Damnoen Saduak district but again the most touristy is located in the tambon (town) of Damnoen Saduak itself. The Floating Market is located at the Damnoen Saduak Canal dug by the Siamese Army during the Reign of Rama IV to connect the Taachin River in Samutsakorn Province and Maklong River in Samutsongkram Province together.

What to buy: from about 8 a.m. to about 11 a.m. the damnoen saduak Floating Market is routinely crowded with thousands of gawking tourists like us (hehehe), hundreds of vendors and whole sale purchasers floating in their small rowing boats selling and buying or exchanging their goods. What they purchase are particularly food, fruit and vegetable which mostly brought from their own orchards. You can buy all the touristy and regulat stuff that you can buy in bangkok like assorted silk products, local handicrafts, assorted national thai and regional thai foods and street foods, local textiles and shirts and garments, assorted tropical fruits like lansium fruit, rambutan, mango, pineapple, dragon fruit, mango and a lot more.

you don't need to ride a boat to buy at the floating market as there are also huge stalls beside the canal where you can buy the same stuff they are selling in the boats. but riding the small wooden boats is a novelty too hehehe.

What to pay: haggling is a must and is expected in damoen saduak floating market, many of the sellers can speak a little english. prices tend to be the same as in bangkok for the merchandise, why? since this is a touristy area!

4 more images

This will be my Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Shopping Tips on the busy canal where the boats selling their wares are located, I will have a separate things to do and eating tips for it.

there are no floating markets at present that is inside bangkok, the nearest floating market is located at at Ratchaburi Province, a good 110 kilometers west of bangkok and the most touristy of this thai floating markets is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Actually there are many floating markets in Ratchaburi Province and several in Damnoen Saduak district but again the most touristy is located in the tambon (town) of Damnoen Saduak itself. The Floating Market is located at the Damnoen Saduak Canal dug by the Siamese Army during the Reign of Rama IV to connect the Taachin River in Samutsakorn Province and Maklong River in Samutsongkram Province together.

What to buy: from about 8 a.m. to about 11 a.m. the damnoen saduak Floating Market is routinely crowded with thousands of gawking tourists like us (hehehe), hundreds of vendors and whole sale purchasers floating in their small rowing boats selling and buying or exchanging their goods. What they purchase are particularly food, fruit and vegetable which mostly brought from their own orchards. You can buy all the touristy and regulat stuff that you can buy in bangkok like assorted silk products, local handicrafts, assorted national thai and regional thai foods and street foods, local textiles and shirts and garments, assorted tropical fruits like lansium fruit, rambutan, mango, pineapple, dragon fruit, mango and a lot more.

you don't need to ride a boat to buy at the floating market as there are also huge stalls beside the canal where you can buy the same stuff they are selling in the boats. but riding the small wooden boats is a novelty too hehehe.

What to pay: haggling is a must and is expected in damoen saduak floating market, many of the sellers can speak a little english. prices tend to be the same as in bangkok for the merchandise, why? since this is a touristy area!

An hours drive out of Bangkok, these markets are certainly a must see. Its a great experience to hire a long tail boat and fly around these very narrow canals at high speed before slowing down for the shopping part of the trip.

While we found it to be an incredibly diverse experience, the prices on the crafts can be cheaper in Bangkok!
We found the same things available in the city for less, but the experience of seeing it is worthwhile. There are some things there that you cannot buy in the cities though.

What to buy: Momentos from the area.

What to pay: Not very negotiable we found.

2 more images

The floating market lies quite a ways outside Bangkok, but I'd say it's worth a visit if you've got the means. You can rent a canoe and a driver, and he (or she) will paddle you around the market for a couple of hours. It's fun! The market is as big as maybe two city blocks, and riddled with narrow canals. On either side of the canals are stalls that sell mostly touristy gifts. This was kind of disappointing in itself, because I got the feeling that once this was a real market for real Thai people. Now, just like a lot of Bangkok and Thailand, it's a place for tourist to take pictures and Thai people to shave off their share of the foreign fare. Still, a cool and new place to see. Plus, the food is amazing and there are plenty of things to see. People watching, friendly locals, new smells.
By the way, make sure to keep your hands in the boat. And don't hold on to the sides of the canoe either because boats frequently bump into each other and can grind little fingers right off if they're caught in between.

What to buy: Well, it's mostly cheap junk. Wooden chirping frogs, sarangs, quaint carvings, and other clutter that clogs places frequented by great numbers of tourists. However, there are a few really nice things. I got a good deal on a fake-Thai silk bathrobe. Like I said above, it's worth checking out.

What to pay: Spend whatever you like...

You can get almost anything here, from the dried chilli powder to fresh fruits, bags, pants, blouses etc.

Rule of the thumb : BARGAIN! ( I think I've repeated this way too many times! ehehe!)

You can get good bargains for pants for just around B$20.00.

You can either choose to shop in the boat, where you can see more souvenirs, such as home decoration, photo albums, books, postcards, etc.

Thai wares of every shape, color, sizes and prices are in this shop stop.
But i can say that all you can see here in Floating Market can also be bought in Chatuchak.
But the experience of shopping on a paddle boat is one of a kind...
Wear comfortable pants. I advise you not to wear skirts as you will be squatting on the very low seat of the boat.

What to buy: We bought a beautful peacock fan... a peeing Buddha, Macopa-like fruits, meditation balls, jades, PInocchio and Thai dancer puppet... to name a few...
Never hesitate to haggle for a better deal... and buy stuff on your way back as you would have seen and compared the prices already on the way up...

What to pay: Expect to pay ThB 800.00 for the boat ride...
Then expect to pay a little more than the prices of the wares...
I think vendors and stall owners in Floating Market dont get to have too many locals shopping as only the tourists give them income so they will tend to hike up their prices...
I dont think the Floating Market is really a place for shopping but more for a must-see cultural experience...

This floating market has been established for over 100 years! It's about 100 KM from Bangkok so either get up real early or stay overnight here. I left Bangkok at 5 Am and it worked out just about right! Because the tour buses show up later and got a pretty nice feeling about the place as me and my son were the only foreigners that I saw in our 2 hours!

What to buy: Fruits and some touristy junk