Floating market and Ayutthaya day tour from Bangkok

What the floating market and Ayutthaya day tour from Bangkok includes

Three stops fill the day: the Maeklong Railway Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the ruins of Ayutthaya, the former royal capital of Siam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour runs 10 to 11 hours and starts from THB 960, with a maximum of 12 participants per group. Included are an English-speaking guide, transport by air-conditioned vehicle, one bottle of drinking water per person and the long-tail boat ride at Damnoen Saduak.

Damnoen Saduak gets 120 minutes on the itinerary, and the boat ride through the canals is part of it rather than something you arrange at the pier. The market is openly tourist-facing these days, with most stalls along the water selling souvenirs, and it is still the floating market that fills the brochures. The canal itself was commissioned in 1866 by King Rama IV to link the Mae Klong and Tha Chin rivers and improve water transport between Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon.

Two things are left out and both cost money on the day: lunch and all entrance fees. The temples on this itinerary charge THB 20 at Wat Phanan Choeng and THB 80 each at Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Si Sanphet, payable in cash. Dress for temples from the start of the day, since Thai temple dress code asks for covered shoulders and knees, and slip-on shoes save time where shoes come off before entering a hall.

The day step by step

1. Mae Klong Railway Market (Hoop Rom Market) 150 min
   The Mae Klong Railway Market dates back to 1905, when fishing was the main source of income here and the market was the place to sell the catch and local produce. A railway was later built through it to move goods to other provinces, and the vendors stayed put. They still trade on the tracks, pulling back awnings and sliding baskets and trays aside minutes before a train passes, then setting everything out again. The 150 minutes include the drive from Bangkok.
2. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 120 min
   Damnoen Saduak is Thailand's best-known floating market, and the stop opens with a traditional long-tail boat ride through the canals. From the water you see the stalls, the sampans and the houses along the banks. Expect souvenirs rather than a working produce market: the place caters largely to visitors now, which is worth knowing before you arrive.
3. Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan 180 min
   Wat Phanan Choeng is one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples, founded in 1324, which is 26 years before the city itself was established. The seated Buddha image inside, Luang Pho Tho, stands 19 metres tall. The temple is still in active use and busy with Thai visitors making merit. Entrance costs THB 20 per person, is not included and must be paid in cash on the day. The 180 minutes include the drive from Damnoen Saduak to Ayutthaya.
4. Wat Mahathat 60 min
   Wat Mahathat was the spiritual and political centre of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, home to sacred Buddha relics and the seat of the Supreme Patriarch, and it stood near the Royal Palace for ceremonies such as the Kathin robe offering. It is mostly ruins now: crumbling chedis, old walls and weathered Buddha images. The stone Buddha head held in the roots of a banyan tree is the photograph everyone takes here. Entrance costs THB 80 per person, in cash, and is not included.
5. Wat Phra Sri Sanphet 150 min
   Wat Phra Si Sanphet sat inside the Royal Palace complex and served only as the royal chapel, with no resident monks, much as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha does in Bangkok today. Its 16 metre standing Buddha was covered in more than 150 kilograms of gold, which was melted down when the Burmese army took Ayutthaya in 1767. The three bell-shaped stupas holding the ashes of three Ayutthaya kings still stand. Entrance costs THB 80 per person in cash, and the 150 minutes include the drive back to Bangkok.

What is included

Meeting point and what to bring

• Meeting point: in front of Starbucks on Khao San Road, near Chana Songkhram Police Station, or Silom MRT Station Exit 2, on the side of Dusit Central Park opposite Lumpini Park
• Group size: a maximum of 12 participants per group
• Carry cash for the temple entrance fees, THB 20 at Wat Phanan Choeng and THB 80 each at Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Si Sanphet
• Lunch is not included, so plan to buy food at the market stops
• Dress for temples: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes that slip off easily
• Ages: infant 0–2, child 3–12, adult 13+

Other floating market and Ayutthaya day tours from Bangkok compared

The tour on this page is the shortest and the lowest starting price of the group below. The private excursion runs 11 to 12 hours from THB 5800 with the highest rating, so it fits families and small groups who want their own vehicle. The MBK Center departure and the driver-only option are both 12 hour days, from THB 2530 and THB 3040, and the small-group full day runs 11 hours from THB 2160.

Figures move, so check the booking page for current dates and prices.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 26 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

More ways to plan your visit

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Maeklong Railway Market

Maeklong Railway Market

What to wear for markets and temples

What to wear for markets and temples