We visit the famous Mae Klong train market (Talat Rom Hup). Imagine a train going straight through a public market!
The Mae Klong Railway Market has been around since 1905. Fishing was (and still is) one of the main livelihoods of the people who lived here, and the market was another way in which to sell their goods. Officials decided to build a railway in order to better deliver these goods to other provinces. The market remained, however, despite the new tracks that cut through it.
We also visit Wat Bang Kung, famous for its small chapel that is completely enclosed within the roots of a banyan tree called Bot Prok Po. It is almost like the tree itself is the pillars of the temple and that without the roots the chapel would fall down. You can also go inside to pay respect to the Buddha image.
Then we continue to Amphawa, one of the most popular floating (or actually ‘riverside’) markets near Bangkok (only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). It’s not as large as Damnoen Saduak but it’s more authentic and popular among Thai people.Â
This once small village has been around since the mid-17th century and back in the day, the agricultural community of Amphawa used the river as their daily trading hub. Many wooden houses were built along this river to make it easier for the people to trade and transport by boat.Â
Along the canal are countless wooden restaurants, some vendors cook and sell food from their boats. If you’re a foodie, this is the place to be! There is a wide choice of snacks, street food, seafood, sweets and desserts as well as fresh fruit.
Of course your visit to Amphawa is not complete without a boat trip, so of course we board one of the boats for a trip on the canals and hopefully we spot some of the large population of fireflies that live in the trees on the canal banks!
Meeting point:
For our small group tours we only pick up from a few selected areas in Bangkok.
If your hotel is outside our regular pick up area, you have to come to our office in Chao Khamrop Road, Chinatown.
Meeting point location on Google Maps:Â https://goo.gl/maps/9SnsNdNh2ZyVXv6C6
Attractions
- Maeklong Railway Market (Talad Rom Hub)
- Wat Bang Kung
- Amphawa Floating Market
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25 Comments
5
Wonderful Trip
I can highly recommend the trip to everyone. Impressive sights and Toni is an experienced and friendly guide with lot of Knowledge. Be sure to book!
5
Worth a day trip
Siri was a great guide. Enjoyed all of her knowledge of Thai culture and history and her excitement for the area pointing out places of interest.
5
Excellent Well Organized Tour
We did the Amphawa and Railway Market tour with Siri. The whole process was very easy and Siri made it a fun experience. We had time to explore the market, she explained some history behind the temple and took wonderful pictures for us. We got to go on a boat ride and see fireflies in the trees as well! What a great tour and tour guide! Would definitely recommend 🙂
5
Perfect day trip from Bangkok
She has plenty of knowledges to guide us so we had so much fun and studyings during her tour!!! Her hospitality, kindness, perfect.
3.5
Really disappoint. Learn more.
We came to Thailand and did a lot of tour in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya. This time we chose WanderSiam because they have a good rate on the internet. I’m a Tourguide and I would like to share some experiences of our trip on January 6th, 2024.
+ It is an easy tour to organise and they can do better. Because the tour departs at 10.30 and returns at 17.30 without lunch and accommodation.
+ There were a lot of mistake:
– We did not request to pick up because our hotel was in Sukhumvit but they sent a message to the wrong person and came to another hotel to pick us up. They could not find us there and sent us a message to hurry us up. When we came to the office, the staff did not say hello or smile with us, even when we started the tour, they also did not come to the bus to say goodbye and wish us a good trip.
– WanderSiam said the office is opposite the Police Station but we found the temple opposite there. We walked 300m to find their office located at the corner of another street.
+ The tour guide was a quiet guide. How did he get a Tour guide licence?
– He did not welcome and introduced himself. After counting people, he just said we will drive 1hr.50min to the floating market. He did not ask any people’s names and we had to ask his name. Mr.Kee or Key ( because he did not pronounce his name in English).
– A quiet tour guide did not introduce enough information about the itinerary, the location, and the name of the province we stopped for visiting there. He could not tell about the story and history of the floating fishing village, how the King dug up the cannel for …? education of the children’s lives of local people in the past and the daily life, the business, their culture … Nothing to inform us, he just put us on the boat. To visit the temple and Maeklong station. These places are very interesting but the tour guide also did not inform us about the war, the name of the tree to cover the temple by their roots (we found 2 kinds of trees on the temple and know the name because we have the same trees at home). How is the temple now and how the government keeping the temple during the roots is destroying the temple.
He also could not inform us of any information of the train station and the local market where the train goes through every few hours/a day (when built, who built, what the local people sell on the train line… when it became a market and why the government keeps safe people and keeps open the market… for the local people’s business or for making tourism ).
– We had a 7 hours tour, but 4 hours of riding on the minibus just to look out the windows or sleep because the Tour guide did not say anything. Thailand is a beautiful country, friendly people, good food and a lot of special things. The guide should tell us more about the history, the cultures, business of Thai people, specialties in Thailand, the difference between the North and the South…
– The bus was also not clean (our seats at the back of the driver, there were a lot of empty bottles and plastic bags).
– When we arrived in Bangkok, the quiet tour guide asked us to scan the code to need our help for good reviews on Tripadvisor. I told him I’m also a tour guide and can not give a good rate because the tour was not organised, the tour guide only led our group. He can not inform us about the itinerary, the place before we visit. Should tell us more about Thailand, Thai people, the food, the cultures… He should make fun on the bus, make us interested in the trip and look after his customers well (before we stop, he tells us how long we will arrive, and does not remind us to keep safe and bring our belongings.
After finishing the tour, the staff of the office need to go to the bus to ask us how we enjoy or not, say thank you and say goodbye.
We should buy another tour from them but we are really disappointed.
I told him should learn more to be a professional tour guide. The WanderSiam tour company also needs to learn more to be a professional international tour operator.