Samut Songkhram guide: Amphawa, the railway market and Mae Klong food

Amphawa: a canal town at its best in the evening

TAT notes that Amphawa Floating Market is less overrun by group tours than Damnoen Saduak, with plenty of Thai visitors doing their own shopping. It is above all a canal-side town of wooden houses, cafés and food stalls; boats with cooks moor along the banks as the afternoon goes on.

TAT also reports that Amphawa's riverfront markets draw day-trippers from Bangkok at weekends, and suggests visiting in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds. The trade-off is that some stalls and boats only operate on busy days. Staying one night lets you see the town both busy and quiet.

The Maeklong railway market

At Mae Klong, a working market spreads its stalls and awnings directly over the railway tracks; when a train approaches, vendors pull back their canopies and the train passes through a few centimetres away. The provincial government told TAT that the market has been part of local life for 60–70 years and sells fresh produce and dry goods, not cooked food.

Check the current train times before you go — the spectacle only happens when a train is due, and timetables change. Stand where staff or vendors direct you, keep children and bags close, and do not step onto the track to photograph the train.

Wat Bang Kung, Don Hoi Lot and the coast

Wat Bang Kung, from the Ayutthaya period, is a small chapel almost completely enclosed by the roots of a banyan tree; TAT describes the murals and Buddha image inside and the life-sized statues of Muay Thai fighters in the grounds. It is a short drive from Amphawa and works well on the way between the markets.

Don Hoi Lot is a sandbar at the mouth of the Mae Klong River, about 3 by 5 kilometres according to TAT, known for razor clams (hoi lot). The road beside it is lined with seafood restaurants and stalls selling fresh and dried seafood. Plan it as a lunch stop.

Getting there and getting around

TAT describes the drive from Bangkok as nearly two hours, with minivans from the Mo Chit and Sai Tai Mai bus terminals, as well as taxis and tours. By rail, take the train from Wongwian Yai station on Bangkok's Thonburi side to Mahachai, cross the Tha Chin River by ferry and continue on the Maeklong line, which ends at the railway market — a slow but memorable route. Check the current timetable first.

Between Mae Klong, Amphawa and Wat Bang Kung, distances are short but public transport is thin. Hire a songthaew or taxi for a few hours, or join a tour if you want the markets and an evening boat trip without arranging transport.

A night in Amphawa

One way to shape a weekend overnight; check market days and train times first.

• Morning: the Maeklong railway market at a train time, then Wat Bang Kung.
• Lunch: razor clams and seafood near Don Hoi Lot, or grilled fish in Mae Klong.
• Late afternoon: check in by the canal in Amphawa and walk the market as it fills.
• Evening: a boat ride on the canal and dinner from the boats and stalls along the water.
• Next morning: the quiet canal before the crowds, then back to Bangkok.