Tha Kha Floating Market

For those looking for a truly authentic local market without the crowds, this is it! Surrounded by sugar palm-fringed canals and centuries-old teak wood homes, everything moves at a leisurely pace here. You can see elderly Thais in wooden paddle boats laden with fruit, veg, sweets and other produce to sell. Their buyers are other Tha Kha locals also in their paddle boats. The locals chat away to each other giving a real warm community feel. This is a traditional market so you need to be here in the morning as most boats will have gone by noon. There is food on offer with classics such as Pad Thai, but not the massive selection like in the bigger markets. If you wonder around you are likely to get a local offer to take you around in their boat for an hour (around 50B), take them up on their offer! It’s beautifully serene drifting past coconut palms, fruit plantations, spirit houses and temples. Your boat guide will probably stop somewhere to show you sugar being made. Open Sat & Sun mornings only Meaklong Railway Market, Amphawa Floating Market and Tha Kha Floating Market are each 10km apart from one another so you can do two or all three in one day. A possible itinerary would be to see the 9:50am train come in at Maeklong, then head to Tha Kha Market then Amphawa. See below for further transport info. Getting Here You could do this as part of an organised tour which might set you back around US$60. Alternatively, you can make your own way here and back for under US$9 and work to your schedule rather than that of the organised tours. To get here make your way to Victory Monument in Bangkok on the BTS Skytrain and head out of exit 4. Use the footbridge to cross over the main roads and head down to street level. There will be minivans around the roundabout heading to various places once they fill up. The bus to Maeklong leaves from under the expressway (purple on this MAP). You may have to ask around or shout where you want to go (pronounced Meh-glong) to get the attention of somebody to put you on the right bus. This should cost around 70B one-way and takes 90 minutes. The minivan will drop you off just next to Maeklong Railway Market. Amphawa Floating Market is then just a 15 minute songthaews (8B) (local taxi-trucks) ride away, Tha Kha 25 minutes (20B). The trucks are parked up at the main junction, just walk over and ask for Amphawa/Tha Kha Floating Market. It is only 10km between Tha Kha and Amphawa so you can try to get private transport direct to save time, or just head back on a songthaew to Maeklong then to Amphawa.