Vendor boats
Fruit and food sold from boats.
Ahoerstemeier — CC BY-SA 3.0 · PA — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrew Ly nineteen — CC0 · Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy — CC BY 2.0
Thailand's most famous floating market, on the canals of Ratchaburi province about a hundred kilometres south-west of Bangkok. Small wooden boats laden with tropical fruit, vegetables and hot food, paddled by vendors in traditional straw hats, create a scene that has become a symbol of Thailand in photos and films. Today the market is mostly touristic, with souvenir shops lining the canals, but drifting by boat among the vendors and tasting fruit and noodles cooked on the boats is great fun, especially for children. The quieter side canals are the most charming. Entry to the market is free; the boat tour is paid, varying with its length and the boat type, usually priced per boat, so agree the price before boarding. The market is busiest early in the morning and quietens after midday. Leave Bangkok very early to arrive before nine; the drive is about an hour and a half to two hours. Organised trips usually combine it with the nearby Maeklong railway market, where trains pass right through the stalls.
Fruit and food sold from boats.
Quiet waterways.
Often combined with Maeklong.
Ratchaburi province, about 100 km south-west of Bangkok
It varies with length and boat type, usually priced per boat not per person. Agree the price and duration clearly before boarding, or book an organised trip that includes the boat.