Samut Songkhram is Thailand’s smallest province by area, but it packs in some of the most photographed sights near Bangkok: a market where trains roll through the stalls, an evening floating market, mudflats where locals collect razor clams, and canals lit up by fireflies at night. Its old name, Mae Klong, comes from the river that flows through it. It is perfect for an overnight escape from the city.<\/p>\n
Vans run from Bangkok to Mae Klong town, and the Maeklong Railway, which starts at Wongwian Yai in Bangkok, reaches the railway market after a ferry crossing at Samut Sakhon. Amphawa is a short ride from Mae Klong. Many visitors stay overnight in Amphawa to enjoy the evening market and a firefly boat trip.<\/p>\n
Vendors set up their stalls right on the railway tracks. When a train approaches, awnings are folded back and goods pulled aside within seconds, then everything returns as the train passes. Check the current train times before you go so you can see it happen.<\/p>\n
An afternoon-to-evening market along a canal, open Friday to Sunday, with boats grilling seafood, wooden shophouses, caf\u00e9s and souvenir shops. It is lively and popular with Thai visitors.<\/p>\n
After dark, boats leave from Amphawa to see fireflies blinking in riverside trees. Sightings vary with the season and weather.<\/p>\n
Mudflats at the mouth of the Mae Klong River, famous for razor clams (hoi lot). At low tide you can see the flats and the people working on them, then eat seafood at the restaurants nearby.<\/p>\n
A peaceful park in Amphawa honouring King Rama II, who was born here, with traditional Thai houses, gardens and displays on literature and arts.<\/p>\n
An old ordination hall wrapped in the roots of a banyan tree, linked to a fortified camp from King Taksin’s time. It is one of the most atmospheric temples in the region.<\/p>\n
Next to the railway market, this temple houses the revered Luang Pho Ban Laem image.<\/p>\n
A smaller, more local morning floating market where farmers sell produce from rowing boats. It opens on certain days only, so check before you go.<\/p>\n
Amphawa is known for coconut palm sugar; some small producers welcome visitors to see the boiling process and buy fresh sugar.<\/p>\n
Day 1 (Friday\u2013Sunday):<\/strong> catch a train passing through Maeklong Railway Market, visit Wat Phet Samut, then head to Amphawa for the afternoon market, seafood dinner and a firefly boat trip; stay overnight. Day 2:<\/strong> early visit to Tha Kha (if open) or King Rama II Memorial Park and Wat Bang Kung, then seafood at Don Hoi Lot before returning.<\/p>\n Around April, local fruit such as lychee and pomelo is celebrated with fairs, and Songkran<\/strong> is marked with merit-making at riverside temples and water play in Mae Klong and Amphawa. Temple fairs, including those at Wat Phet Samut, are held during the year. Dates change; check with TAT. If you’re joining Songkran, read our Songkran etiquette and survival guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mainly Friday to Sunday, from afternoon into the evening.<\/p>\n Several times a day; check the current State Railway timetable before you go.<\/p>\n Sightings vary with season and weather; local boatmen can advise.<\/p>\n Pla thu mackerel, razor clams and seafood grilled on boats. See our Samut Songkhram food guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cover photo: Amphawa Floating Market 7.jpg<\/a> \u00b7 Rangan Datta Wiki \u00b7 CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a> \u00b7 Wikimedia Commons<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Samut Songkhram guide: Maeklong Railway Market, Amphawa Floating Market, firefly boats, Don Hoi Lot, Wat Bang Kung and a 2-day route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[233],"class_list":["post-5694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-samut-songkhram-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5694"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5705,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5694\/revisions\/5705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5694"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Festivals and events<\/h2>\n
Travel tips<\/h2>\n
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FAQ<\/h2>\n
When is Amphawa Floating Market open?<\/h3>\n
When do trains pass through the railway market?<\/h3>\n
Can I see fireflies all year?<\/h3>\n
What should I eat?<\/h3>\n
More from songkran.com<\/h2>\n
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