Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

In my opinion, one of the many things that you must absolutely do when in Bangkok is to take a day trip to one of the many floating markets. There are so many of them and they’re all a drive away from the center of Bangkok. I have been to various floating markets as a child and they’re all quite cool. But for this edition, I would like to recommend one specific floating market in which really has that authentic feel to it.

The floating market that I would like to share with you is called Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, and is roughly 100 kilometres from the capital. That might sound like a long way, but traffic going out of the center of Bangkok isn’t as bad as what you can see in the middle. The highway makes it really easy to drive out from the city and into other destinations. In saying this, the best way to go about visiting the floating market is to book a tour. The best thing about the tour is that the transportation is taken care of. Once you get to the market, you will be given free time to go about your own business, stopping wherever you want, and essentially, eating whatever you want whenever you want! So with this, I would recommend speaking to your hotel concierge about a tour to the market - avoid renting a car and driving out at all cost, you will just get lost, even with a road navigator. 

So, what’s so special about the market? The wow factor for this market - and those with this concept - is that you can experience the other side of markets in Thailand, but the river, with vendors either in their little wooden boats or in houses right by the water. I have traveled a lot and have not managed to find anything quite like this. The closest image I could think of right now to compare our floating market to is probably Venice, with its canal system and the gondolas. Actually now that the word gondola has reentered my brain, the vendors in Thailand use something very similar to this, but obviously more Thai-styled. As I was saying, you will have local vendors - they’re super duper friendly by the way - in their gondolas, selling a lot of things but mainly food. 

Another neat element about the market is that it's free, so that means no entry fees. This seems to be the case with many markets in Thailand as this encourages interaction between the buyers and the sellers, as well as good exchange of cultures to the tourists that visit the country.

You can then imagine, but how can you cook food on gondolas, while on water? Well, these vendors are very special and they’re really good at what they do. Considering the tiny space they work in and the high demand from tourists and locals alike, our aunties make it look effortless in shaping out the perfect bowl of hot noodles for you. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the noodle boat, but I do have one of other vendors! So the photo shows a lady selling another Thai staple, mango and sticky rice. In his little floating shop, she has everything. She has her products and more, as in plates, plastic bags, cash tilt, pots and pans and all those essentials. 

Once you’re at the place, you will be amazed by all the local products available. I personally see the floating market as a great place for local vendors to bring out their homemade products, from paintings to bags, food to craftwork and many more. There are also shops that could visit on foot, so don’t worry about being in a small space. If you do go here, you might as well put your bargain skills to good use and try to get the best rate possible for a gondola ride. I would highly recommend getting on one of these for at least 30 minutes, as it’s the whole point of the trip! Not only is it an amazing experience, but you will also travel to other parts of the floating market that is not reachable on foot. You will see how the locals live, and how the kids enjoy themselves on a hot day by swimming in the river. I could confidently say that your gondola ride is one of the top three most authentic things you could do in the Bangkok area. As a Thai myself, I still feel very touristic about riding along the river and enjoying the peace away from the chaotic city that is Bangkok! 

If you like the content of this post, or just want to check out some pictures that I take on my adventure, feel free to like and/or follow me on instagram at oat93, cheers!