Ok so don't do what we did! We had a private driver pick us up from our hotel in Bangkok and take us to the train market - which was great - saw the train pass twice etc etc - would recommend. Then we went off to the Damnoen floating market...... our driver took us to this quiet pier and we had no idea that there was any other options - just thought this was where all the tours left from..... was SO expensive - so totally ripped off but just thought that was what it cost.......... and we went for the cheapest option..... anyway - as soon as we took off in the boat the hassling started from all the marketstalls that you very slowly go past..... NOT part of the floating markets. Once we FINALLY got to the actual floating markets - which was quite a boat ride away - it was terrible - so packed - no boats could move. NO ONE selling anything except stuff on the side - nothing genuine. You could have your photo taken with a snake or a baby sloth. BUT the one thing that i wish i had known is that you can somehow go to just this part of the markets and either walk along and have a look or hire a boat from there - MUCH better and a lot cheaper. Once we finally pushed our way through all the boats we asked to go back to the pier straight away but our driver ignored us and tried to get us to get off at a temple. Anyway... was a very big disappointment. I wish i had done more research and known that you can go to just the floating markets part. Either way it is a huge tourist trap. Took us over an hour to get back to our hotel too... but still loved Bangkok!

This review is only about Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: What a bad experience! It started from buying the boat ticket. We paid 5,000 baht for a boat, a motor boat. When we arrived at the destination, we found that the ticket office was very shabby. (By the way, we later found out there are other entrances and ticket "offices".) There were pieces of papers with 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 6,000 written on them. The ticket seller did not ask us how many hours we would like to play, and recommended the 5,000 baht price. At that time, I asked him why we could not buy 2,000 and 3,000, and he said that it was for groups with fewer people. Later, I saw the official price bulletin board in the river, and I realized that we were ripped off. Our boat ride was less than two hours, and the price should be 3,000 at most. when we finished the ride, I did not see the ticket seller again. I asked the driver who drove us there, and he said he knew nothing. After you get in the floating market, it was not like what you saw on pictures. There were many vendors by the river trying to sell you all kinds of stuff with unreasonable price. The central part of the market was jammed with all boats. You cannot get off the boat. Yes, you get buy food from vendors in other boats, but it all feels like a show. The floating market was not pretty at all. Even without the boat price bummer, it was certainly NOT worth to visit this market, which requires 1.5-hour drive from Bangkok. If the authority want to remind tourists about price, why didn't you post it at the entrance?? TWO THUMBS DOWN! SHAME ON YOU THAI TOURIST BUREAU!

Total tourist crap, plus they took more then double price...avoid the place as they only want to sell you things..total crap

Great fun place to go. Unique experience. Very crowded. Big parking space. Carry tissues with you, they come very handy when you need to go to the bathroom. Lots of good food to try. Lots of souvenirs vendors.

A bit touristy but fun an worth checking out. The further you go into the market, the less crowded it gets. We had lunch at a local family run restaurant on stilts, quite deep into the market. Food was delicious. Remember to bargain big.

It was very hot and humid but it was a unique experience that made it very different from the Venice Italy canals boat rides and the other cruise rides in different cities. We took very early hotel car ride there, had the driver wait and took us back to hotel afterwards. The water was not clear, vendor spoke very limited English, the canals were quite full of touristy boats. But the vibrant colors of local flowers and fruits, as well as some (unnecessary) local inexpensive goods, the smiles of the locals and the smell of noodles being freshly cooked on the boats all made it uniquely Thai and quite a fun morning. There is no luxury or particularly comfort of that excision but it’s quite a morning in a foreign country surrounded by locals.

Total scam!!! Waste of money. Terrible stalls selling same stuff. Tourist trap, don’t waste your day travelling here 1.5hrs each way

A torturous hour of being driven through vendors selling all the usual tchotchkes and bric-a-brac (many of which you’d never get past your home customs inspector) on a smelly long tail boat. Has nothing to do with local flavour. It’s totally dumb, imagine tourists being driven through a museum gift shop on smelly old jalopies. It makes no sense being stuck in an aquatic traffic jam, for what? They’ll try and charge you a bomb. Refuse, pay the minimum (1000 or 2000 I don’t remember) which is the boat charge per hour, which must go back to the locals for their suffering. And one hour was about 50 minutes too long. However, I did almost buy the 200THB commemorative photo at the end just for hilarious scowl on my kids face. The worst. Avoid.

Traveled 2 hours from Central Bangkok. Was looking forward to it, but was slightly disappointed. It’s heavy touristy and a trap. Pay for a boat before you go or they will charge you 2000 baht, which is very expensive as compared to local pricing etc. the market itself is not an organic Thai experience at all. It’s loaded with vendors that are selling the exact same thing at every stall. You’re stuck on the boat for 1 hour to 2 lashing by stalls with the same items . Very annoying.

It was a very new and unusual but enjoyable experience for me. I had a lot of fun driving around and shopping. We were told to arrive early to see the market at its busiest, which probably means more tourists but also more local activity. It was meant to provide an insight into Thailand's unique water-based trade. I enjoyed watching the locals go about their business.. While I appreciated the logistics and the novelty, certain aspects made it less than enjoyable. The canals were full of boats, even out of season, and the diesel fumes from the motorboats were unpleasant and polluting. The water did not look very clean, and sometimes there was leftover food floating in it. The boat trips are well organised. Cruising the canals was fascinating and gave a glimpse of local life. You can either take a motorised longtail boat or a rowing boat through the canals. It is only a few minutes by boat to the market itself. We passed stilt houses, saw vendors selling fruit and snacks from their boats and felt the lively, colourful atmosphere of the floating market. It looks like the main business at this market is tourism... most of the floating stalls and solid molo shops were selling souvenirs. There were also boat vendors selling fresh food and produce and others selling hot food and snacks, sort of like a food truck only on a boat. While the market is incredibly lively, chaotic and bustling with longtail boats, the novelty of floating through the canals is something unique. The sampan (traditional boat in SE Asia) are full of vegetables and colourful fruits while other sampan cooks prepare and sell noodles, skewers and other delicacies. You are driven from stall to stall, you have to keep your hands inside the boat because the boats are everywhere and bump into you... and well, for some people it is strange and uncomfortable. Because how many coconut ice creams can you have? I held my ice-cream bowl in front of me to show that I already have ice-cream, I do not need another one. As for the souvenirs, you could say it was junk from China... but still, there were a lot of things that I really liked, wonderful souvenirs that I would like to buy for my people. But being on the autistic spectrum, I could not buy anything because interacting with people and bargaining is just not my thing. If they had a store with the same things where I could bargain online without physically communicating with a person and pay with Google or Apple pay... I would spend a fortune there :D Of course I would never buy Giucci, Prada handbags there, not pieces of luggage... But coconut kitchenware, handmade crafts, elephant pants, t-shirts, pictures, snacks for sure... Some parts of the canal were very crowded as you can reach out and touch the other boats as they pass by. After about 45 minutes on the boat we were dropped off to continue our tour of the stalls on foot. We spent another 50 minutes walking around the area on our own. There was really nothing different... more stalls selling souvenirs. And a clean toilet for 5 THB (not the usual western type, but you do your business and flush with water from a separate container). Similar to the pier here at the floating market, I saw some vendors allowing you to "carry" their pet snake. Again, in my opinion, this is animal abuse. But this is Thailand, I am not sure about their laws. Overall, the boat trip and market provided a unique insight into Thai culture and was one of the most memorable experiences, but the overwhelming crowds, environmental issues and intrusive sales culture detracted somewhat from the experience. If you're prepared for these challenges, it's worth a visit just for the novelty. I would recommend a tour from Bangkok that includes the famous Maeklong Railway Market when the train passes through. The tour company puzzles out the schedule when to be on the market for the train and when to be on the float market for the full experience. Of course it is not difficult to plan it yourself, train schedules are well known.

I absolutely loved this unique experience! The foods that were made on the spot were delicious! This is also a great place to buy hand made goods by locals. Everyone there was so friendly and welcoming. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about their culture and lifestyle on the water!

Floating market is an awful scam. Avoid this rip off.. £100 to be taken on a small boat in dirty water, to endless stalls to buy the same stuff you can buy on any street corner. Plus car cost of c£60 to get there and back.

My experience was sorted out as part of my Thailand tour (Wing On) - we had a paddle boat and luckily no issues as described in other reviews. My understanding is that a boat ride should cost between 1000-2000 Baht, so don't pay over the odds. I have included photos of the entrance we arrived at, didn't seem to be any tough salespeople in that area. We had a pleasant journey through the markets, we started in a very crowded area and passed through quieter canals later on. You can get coconut ice cream, pad thai, fried rice for as little as 60 baht each. The fruit on display looked really fresh. I purchased trousers for 250 - down from 450 but probably could have haggled to less than 130. If you are looking for good bargains especially clothing then I would recommend Maeklong Railway market, plus its easier to negotiate on land! Overall I had a fun time at Damnoen Saduak floating market. It is a new and unusual experience for tourists! If you make your own way there, perhaps try the bus from Sai Tai Mai early in the morning.

I think that my family was scammed by the driver and the boating service provider. They charged each person 1500 baht to ride the boat as it was fixed price, lawed and controlled by the goverment so we trusted them as we did not do a research before heading. End up we paid 6000 baht for our family, around 1hr tour by boat and now realised that it was super overpriced and its a lie that the price is controlled by gov... Will definately NEVER be back again

This place is a complete scam, they are in together with taxi drivers scamming tourists. Avoid this market at all costs.