Maeklong Railway Market

About this place

A local market in the town of Samut Songkhram whose stalls spread across the railway tracks themselves just before the last station at Maeklong, which Thais call the umbrella-folding market. It sells fish, prawns, vegetables, fruit and spices on both sides of the line, under awnings and covers that almost meet across the track. When the train approaches a warning sounds, the vendors fold their umbrellas and pull their goods back by only a few centimetres, and the train creeps between the rows, nearly brushing the baskets on the ground, before the awnings spring back within a minute as if nothing had happened. The line itself dates from the early 1900s, and the market has sat on its tracks for decades. The market is free and open all day, but the train passes only a few times a day; the arrival times quoted in 2026 are about 08:30, 11:10, 14:30 and 17:40, and departures about 06:20, 09:00, 11:30 and 15:30, though they change, so check locally. Take your place a quarter of an hour early somewhere you can step back, and never stand on the tracks. It is about an hour and a half by car from Bangkok, and tours usually pair it with the Damnoen Saduak floating market in the morning or with the Amphawa floating market in the evening at weekends.