Ayutthaya Floating Market, Ayutthaya Overview

The Ayutthaya Floating Market is one of the few destinations that is not centred around tourism. In fact, a lot of Thai locals themselves frequent the place, and not just for shopping. The activities and vibrancy of the market are what makes it unique, feeling more like a fair than your typical floating market. Covering a sprawling stretch of 70 acres, the Ayutthaya Floating market is a lot beyond being a mere source of entertainment and shopping. There are around 50 boats and 200 shops in the market. It preserves the scenic beauty, culture and heritage of the place, serving as a fun yet extremely informative place. One can feed the fish with a bottle, water buffaloes with some grass and genuinely lose themselves in the hubbub of daily life.

Also known as Ayothaya Floating Market, it indeed is a unique blend of beauty and knowledge about the old culture and traditions of Ayutthaya. The market provides all kinds of delightful experiences to both the local and foreign tourists. The best of all is the food stalls right in the middle of the market. People usually sit on the deck and relish the lip-smacking local Thai food.

Ayutthaya Floating Market Tour

The floating market of Ayutthaya is indeed an amusing one. The number of activities that one can indulge in here is too varied. The most distinct feature of this market is that it has stalls or tourist attractions named after various markets in Thailand. Each of these stall sell products authentic and local to the city or district they belong from and thus there are a variety of items available – both food and other trinkets.

There are also various activities one can engage in at the Ayothaya Floating Maret. Be it taking a boat trip around the market relishing the experience, an educational ride on an elephant back, or checking out the sites with historical importance. Ayutthaya has a long history attached to it and the elephant ride reveals a lot about them, showing around tourists the various important sites. The scenic beauty of the place is stunning and gorgeous.

Food Stalls at Ayothaya Floating Market

The central part of the Ayutthaya Floating Market is one of the best parts as it has all the food stalls. The noodle stores are in large numbers. Sea-food is also available in abundance, especially delicious prawns. One just cannot miss the Roti Sai Mai which is the Thai style cotton candy, the signature sweet of Ayutthaya. There are a number of other food stalls, mostly serving authentic dishes of the districts they belong to!

Tips for Ayutthaya Floating Market

The weekdays are usually less crowded and so are the mornings and evenings.
The peak crowd hours are between 12:00 PM to 03:00 PM in the afternoons. Before and after that the crowds ease off a bit.

How To Reach Ayutthaya Floating Market

The Ayutthaya Floating Market is situated in Phai Ling, in the Phra Nakhon Si District of Ayutthaya. If one is travelling by car, follow the Asian Highway till the Ayutthaya Government office and Tesco Lotus. Turning left from there, head towards Chedi Wat Sam Pluem through Rojana Road. At the roundabout take the right Wat Maheyong, and in about 600 metres one will see the entrance to the Floating Market on their right. For parking, drive 200 metres after making a right turn from the entrance.

Those travelling by bus, have two options- an air-conditioned bus or a standard one. Both leave for Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. The buses depart at various times from two stops- Mo Chit Bus Terminal or Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road.