Samut Songkhram province is a well-known destination for food-seekers especially in the district of Amphawa. The King Rama II mentions in one of his poems of the abundance of food in the area. This is no surprise since the town of Amphawa is where King Rama II was born. In effect, Amphawa became the center of commerce and water transportation along the river. Due to today’s increasing reliance on and construction of roads, the river is now used less frequently as a mode of transport. The community, however, is still as lively and prosperous as ever. Visit Amphawa Floating Market to taste all the food you can eat, shop till you drop, and admire the century-old wood houses.

Amphawa Floating Market has recently seen a surge of visitors due to word-of-mouth. This influx of visitors has helped pushed business in the area and made it one of the most popular weekend destinations for residents of Bangkok and nearby provinces. The market stretches for 800 meters along both sides of the river. Visitors will agree that the fascinating thing about this market is the abundance of food available for you to eat. You won’t have to worry about getting hungry or thirsty while you walk and shop.

Most of the food sold in the area is seafood. The boat-vendors will prepare you your meal right before your eyes, and serve it hot in your hands. The seafood is very fresh, not to mention the shrimp that are caught from the river on a daily basis. Once you’ve had your main course, finish off your meal with a dessert. Amphawa has some of the best dessert shops around. After lunch, take a stroll and visit the shops in the old wooden houses. Amphawa offers many handmade products and works of art for sale including t-shirts, picture frames, postcards, key chains, old toys, decorative items, and home appliances. The market sells fresh fruits and cold beverages for you to refuel if you get thirsty or hungry (again).

Shopping and eating aside, Amphawa also offers visitors other activities to do while visiting the market. Activities include a cruise to the nearby temple, watching fireflies at night, listening to live music performed by Amphawa’s famous musician (Eua Sunthornsanan) in his home, and visiting Amphawa Chaipattananurak Foundation. The foundation is divided into three sections. First section is an agricultural exhibit, second section is a multipurpose courtyard for events, and the last section is Chanchala restaurant.

If you feel like you can’t get enough of this riverside community, you’ll be glad to know that there are quite a few houses that offer rooms for a few nights or home-stay. The atmosphere of Amphawa Floating Market is vibrant from morning till late in the afternoon. As the sun sets, everything becomes calm and quiet; perfect for a romantic evening watching fireflies glow in the night over the water. As mentioned before, this floating market has a lot of fresh food, fruits, desserts, and beverages for you to enjoy all day. Look around inside the various shops and maybe you’ll find yourself a nice souvenir of Amphawa.

Address : Amphawa Floating Market, Amphawa District, Samut Songkhram

GPS : 13.425967, 99.955083

Website : http://www.amphawa.go.th

Opening Hrs. : Fridays from 16.00 - 22.00; Sat-Sun from 12.00 - 22.00

Best Time : Saturday or Sunday Highlight : Observe the way-of-life of Amphawa district, Shop for souvenirs, Taste all the food available

Activities : Sight-seeing/ Eating/ Shopping/ Photography/ River Cruise/ Firefly watching/ Praying

CAR
Take Highway 35 (Thon Buri – Pak Tho) to the 63rd kilometer marker and drive through the town of Samut Songkhram. Switch to Route 325 (Samut Songkhram – Bang Phae) and continue until you reach Amphawa intersection. Turn left and continue down the road. The entrance to the market is on your left, before the bridge crossing the klong.

MINIVAN
Take the minivan (Bangkok-Maeklong) from Victory Monument. It will cost you 60-70 Baht. Once at Maeklong market, take the shuttle bus to Amphawa Floating Market; 10 Baht.