Bangkok as the capital city of Thailand has plenty of sights and things to do. That does not mean, however, that travellers should stay in the city. There are plenty of half or full day trips that you can make outside the city. Popular trips are to Ayutthaya (former capital with beautiful temples), Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Kanchanaburi (site of Death Railway known from bridge on the river Kwai), Maeklong Railway Market, and Pattaya Beach.
I didn’t have a ton of time in Bangkok and as a solo traveller at the tail end of a long trip, I wasn’t feeling the planning and a full day that the other trips would involve. As luck would have it, the Khlong Lad Mayom Floating Market is very close to Bangkok. It’s only a half hour drive from the city and it doesn’t have to be a full day thing.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Timing: This is a weekend market so do not go on a weekday. It can get pretty busy so if you don’t want to be surrounded by too many people, then go earlier in the morning.
Crowds: Contrary to other floating markets, this one is not very touristy as plenty of locals come here to buy their food. It does get pretty crowded in the walkways between market sections but the large covered sections are pretty spacious and expansive.
Floating: If you’re expecting for the whole market to be on boats and that you float from stall to stall to buy food, that, unfortunately, no longer exists. However, the ground market does run along the west side of the Lat Ta Niao canal where there are boats you can buy food from. Cross the small bridge to the other side and you can buy trinkets, souvenirs etc.
Food: Definitely come here on an empty stomach. There are so many stalls here and the lunch/snacks I bought were some of the best I’d had in Bangkok, and pretty reasonably priced.
TRAVEL
As with most of Bangkok that isn’t the city center, the most convenient and cost efficient mode of transportation is a taxi.
The Khlong Lad Mayom market is a 20m car ride from Khao San Road and ~30m ride from Sukhumvit. From downtown, you can also take the MRT blue line to the Bang Wa station and then take an 11m drive.
If you are driving, you have the usual 3 choices of taxi, tuk tuk and Grab. Grab is the most reliable option as you can call it wherever you are and you have the price up front (about 100-180 baht). For the return journey, there is a free wifi point that you can use (location shown on the map below).
If you decide to take a taxi, there are plenty of taxis dropping people off that you should pretty easily be able to call another one from the market.
A tuktuk is another option but the market might be a little too far away and there might not be any when you want to head home.
THE MARKET - MY VISIT
I got there by Grab from Khao San Road very quickly and painlessly. From the road, there’s the first covered market next to a large open space like a parking lot. I walked straight ahead after being dropped off without realizing there was a whole huge section of the market behind I had missed and only saw once I was on the boat tour. This part was divided into sections split up by meat, fruit, vegetables, etc.
There’s plenty of stalls throughout the market. This first section is more meal-oriented with different snacks like Fried Banana (so good!!) and Thai Beef/Pork Satays (meat skewers).
If you go down towards the canal, there are rows of low to the ground tables and some picnic tables. Different vendors are set up on the edge cooking meals half on the ground and half on lined up boats. I chose a boat just to the right and ordered boat noodles. These noodles have been made in boats since the 12th century and are served in a small bowl to prevent spillage. I sat at one of the low tables next to the boat while they made my food. This is where most people were sitting and I was glad I was getting the authentic experience. In hindsight, however, being 1m75/5”9 tall with long legs and not used to sitting at such low tables, I regretted not choosing the picnic tables.
A few minutes later I got my Beef Boat noodles - egg noodle, beef, bean sprouts, soy sauce, garlic, thai basil. Very simple but very good and the small bowl is surprisingly filling.
BOAT TOUR
Another attraction at the market are the long boat tours through the canals.
These are all over - generally 400 baht for a private boat or 100 baht pp in a group boat, the colorful long boats take you through the local area canals and you stop at a different market and orchid farm. The tours are advertised as 1.5h with 20m spent at each site.
I would recommend you do the tour if you have the time as it’s always fun to be in a boat and it’s a relatively cheap activity for the time - more like 2 hours. The market/orchid farm aren’t particularly exciting - the market especially is pretty touristy and small, especially coming from the huge Khlong Lat Mayom. If you do decide to do it - check out my Bangkok Travel Diary (2 August) to see how I did it.
My main tip is to take note of your boat (number) and who was on your boat. There's a lot of other long boats that are taking the same route so you might get in the wrong one.
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