Amphawa Floating Market

We arrived in Amphawa pretty late after a manic trip from Koh Samet by way of ferry, bus, sky train, minibus, tuk tuk and songthaew. There’s nothing like a long day of travelling with young kids, but all in all they coped brilliantly, probably better than us! The Amphawa floating market was one of the most surprising places we visited but one of the best adventures.

Exploring Amphawa Floating Market

Once in Amphawa the floating market is easy to find and navigate. It is based all around the river, on both sides with several bridges crossing the river. We were there on a Sunday evening and it was busy with tonnes of atmosphere but not too crazily hectic. We had been a little worried it would be too busy, but it was fine to wander around with the kids. The market is mainly riverside stalls with only a handful of boats actually selling food. But the sights, sounds, smells and buzzing atmosphere are great and fascinating for the kids. They loved haggling for treats and sweets and we loved all the tasty foods on offer.

There are many wooden tour boats cruising up and down the river to see the fireflies. We didn’t take one of these so can’t comment on how good the fireflies were. We had been planning to see them but, as we had been travelling for most of the day from Koh Samet, we all felt the need to walk around rather than sit down on a boat again.

At the end of the market we found a lovely little street food café with a very friendly owner. He cooked us up exactly what we asked for right in front of us, which delighted the girls. We sat at a little tin table watching the market buzz around us. The food was just perfect!

Everyone in Amphawa is extremely friendly and helpful. From our lovely hotel owners and street café owner to the random local man who lent the girls his umbrellas to keep them dry. Some of the street stall owners even gave the kids free corn on the cob on our way home. Our stay here was only short but Amphawa left a very nice lasting impression that will stay with us forever. One day we will return to explore it again properly.

Getting to Amphawa

The Amphawa floating market is very easy to get to from Bangkok. There are many minibuses that go from Bangkok’s Southern bus station, Pinklao bus station and Mo Chit Bus Station. The minibuses take around 1-1.5 hours. Some of them go through to Amphawa and some stop at Mae Klong (right near the famous market on the train tracks). There are lots of songthaew and tuk tuks waiting to take people from Mae Klong to the Amphawa floating market for 20 baht per person (tuk tuks are more expensive). The journey between Mae Klong and Amphawa was only 10/15 minutes. We got a large comfortable minibus from Mo Chit to Mae Klong and a songthaew from there to Amphawa. It was all very easy.

Where to stay at Amphawa Floating Market

Amphawa is full of great, authentic, reasonably priced accommodation and homestays. We stayed at the Aple Homestay in Amphawa. It is close to the market, within 15 minutes walk. The rooms are very clean and have lots of space, which is always a bonus with kids in tow. There is a lovely communal area right on the river with fish pond, swing seat and coffee/tea making facilities. There is also a free breakfast. The owners of Aple homestay went out of their way to help us and even gave us free rides to the songthaews. I thoroughly recommend them.

To book Aple Homestay please click here

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Best things about Amphawa Floating Market

• Easy to get to from Bangkok (only 1.5 hours by minibus depending on traffic)
• Buzzing atmosphere
• Cheap tasty food to buy
• The town is tranquil and picturesque outside market times, so worth spending the night

Other things to consider:

• Can be very busy at peak times
• No fence or barrier by river edge, so need to take care with young children, mine have a tendency to veer towards water!
• Less actual floating market boats than we’d expected. It’s mainly riverside market stalls