{"id":25855,"date":"2018-03-28T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=25855&preview=true&preview_id=25855"},"modified":"2024-09-18T16:18:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T06:18:46","slug":"bangkok-floating-market-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating your way around Bangkok’s floating markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

During my first trip to Bangkok’s Amphawa Floating Market, as I watched the cook toss Pad Thai noodles in her sizzling wok, I tossed the following questions around in my head.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How did the wok stay so stable despite being on board a small boat that was bobbing around in the water? How did she manage to cook with an open flame and not set her wooden boat on fire? And how was she going to get this delicious noodle dish to me when I was standing four metres away on dry land?<\/p>\n

After adding a splash of fish sauce, sprinkle of sugar and squeeze of fresh lime juice, she flipped the contents of the wok into a takeaway container, throwing in a handful of crushed peanuts. The steaming parcel was then placed inside a basket, carefully eased along a rope thanks to a pulley system, and delivered to me \u2013 the hungry customer \u2013 standing on the steps by the waterway. I placed my baht in her basket and the deal was done.<\/p>\n

\"Fresh

Photo by Igor Ostapchuk, Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s true that some of Bangkok\u2019s<\/a> floating markets are now more for tourists than Thais, but if you love food and experiencing the colours and smells of a new country, you won\u2019t be disappointed. Head to any of the country\u2019s canal markets, and you\u2019ll find a wealth of exotic fruit, sweet and savoury Thai snacks, and hot dishes made to order.<\/p>\n

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you check out the day trip itineraries of any Bangkok travel agency, you\u2019re likely to find a stop at Damnoen Saduak \u2013 it\u2019s the city’s \u2018official\u2019 floating market. If you arrive early enough, you can enjoy the perfect light of the sunrise as it illuminates waterways full of narrow wooden boats packed with fresh fruit and snacks. But if you leave it too late, you\u2019ll be joined by hordes of tourists, all vying for the best angle for their happy snaps and jostling for the price of produce. If you\u2019ve never experienced a floating market before, there\u2019s still a lot to be in awe of, but be prepared to share the experience.<\/p>\n

RELATED: FOODIE? HERE\u2019S WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL TO THAILAND<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Amphawa Floating Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to charm, you can\u2019t really go past Amphawa floating market, located in a canal surrounded by beautiful traditional teak wooden houses where Thais go about their daily lives. Although many tourists frequent the market, its reputation for fresh and delicious seafood makes it very popular for Bangkokians who want to enjoy the quaint atmosphere while they feast on barbecued mackerel and shrimp. There is also a range of Thai arts and crafts for sale – and the buying and selling around the water continues after dark. It\u2019s a bit of an effort to reach this market from Bangkok (it\u2019s about 50 kilometres from the city), but it\u2019s worth it in terms of an authentic floating market experience.<\/p>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID\u2019S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Fruit

Photo by Cyril PAPOT, Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Taling Chan Floating Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This small market is located close to the city and it has managed to retain tradition. Rather than a chaotic network of waterways teeming with boats, this is more of a riverside market where vendors park along the edge of the canal to sell their produce. There are boat trips on offer from the pier if you want to get down to the same level as the vendors \u2013 otherwise, pull up a shady seat by the water and feast on some local Thai delicacies as you watch market life pass you by.<\/p>\n

Bang Nam Pheung Floating Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the best things about this floating market is its location: inside Bangkok\u2019s \u2018green lung\u2019. This pocket of nature is found on the other side of the Chao Phraya River and you can take a long tail boat there from Wat Klong Toey Nok, then hire a bike to go exploring. Bang Nam Pheung floating market is not very big, but\u00a0the market is a good excuse to venture to a more peaceful area of Bangkok away from the skyscrapers and concrete jungle. And it’s a good excuse to tuck into a serving of spicy mango salad with steaming sticky rice.<\/p>\n

RELATED: WHAT TO DO, EAT AND DRINK IN BANGKOK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Worth trying<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While you’re there, make sure you sample a few of these delicious treats:<\/p>\n

\"People

Photo by Romas_Photo, Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Octopus tentacles in sweet chilli sauce <\/strong>
\nThais love their seafood and a popular dish at the Amphawa Floating Market is barbecued octopus, that’s been cut up and smothered in sweet chilli sauce. Be careful not to stab your hand with the wooden skewer that you’ll be given to eat these tasty tentacles!<\/p>\n

Sticky rice parcels <\/strong>
\nYou might wonder what’s inside the shiny little banana leaf parcels that are piled up at the markets. They\u2019re full of sticky rice \u2013 sweetened by sugar and coconut milk with a piece of sundried banana in the middle \u2013 and they are very yummy. Make sure you have a wet wipe handy to clean away the stickiness.<\/p>\n

Pork skewers <\/strong>
\nWhen it comes to cooking meat, the Thais do pork \u2018right\u2019, and the best place to eat it is at the markets. Buy some marinated pork skewers, which have been coated in a sweet sauce and then cooked over hot coals until the sugar has caramelised. Yum! I always recommend buying meat that\u2019s fresh off the grill, rather than anything that’s been sitting out in the open air on display.<\/p>\n

Fruit!<\/strong>
\nBe ready to have your mind blown by the array of exotic fruit on offer at the floating markets \u2013 from the deep pink flesh of the dragon fruit, to the garlic-shaped sweet centre of the mangosteen. Even the everyday tropical fruits (like pineapple and watermelon) will impress your taste buds when it comes to sweet juiciness. For something different, try some green mango, usually sliced and served in a plastic bag with a sachet of sugar mixed with chilli powder, or a piece of durian (you may want to hold your nostrils so the smell won\u2019t put you off!).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not feeling adventurous when it comes to your taste buds or if you have a sensitive stomach, the good news is that all of the floating markets around Bangkok offer up dishes that will satisfy tourists \u2013 from a steaming wok of Pad Thai noodles to a bunch of safely-wrapped-by-nature bananas.<\/p>\n

Explore Bangkok (and beyond)<\/a> on a small group adventure in Thailand now!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature\u00a0photo by Sirikunkrittaphuk, Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bangkok’s famous floating markets are a little more touristy than traditional now, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth visiting. Here are four of our favourites. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15880,"featured_media":26223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455,1313],"tags":[342,260,385,35],"class_list":["post-25855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-guides","tag-bangkok","tag-food-adventures","tag-south-east-asia","tag-thailand","ipf_theme-food","ipf_region-thailand"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBangkok's Floating Markets: 4 Markets Worth Visiting | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some of Bangkok\u2019s floating markets are now more for tourists than Thais, but if you love food and experiencing the colours and smells of a new country, you won\u2019t be disappointed. Head to these floating markets, and you\u2019ll find a wealth of exotic fruit, sweet and savoury Thai snacks, and hot dishes made to order.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Navigating your way around Bangkok's floating markets\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During my first trip to Bangkok's Amphawa Floating Market, as I watched the cook toss Pad Thai noodles in her sizzling wok, I tossed the following questions around in my head.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-27T21:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-18T06:18:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/shutterstock_299315150-e1522112042442.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ange Takats\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ange Takats\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/\",\"name\":\"Bangkok's Floating Markets: 4 Markets Worth Visiting | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bangkok-floating-market-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/shutterstock_299315150-e1522112042442.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-27T21:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-18T06:18:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/4b02bd103e9117b2d102af088c6843cc\"},\"description\":\"Some of Bangkok\u2019s floating markets are now more for tourists than Thais, but if you love food and experiencing the colours and smells of a new country, you won\u2019t be disappointed. 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