Ang Sila 133 Years Old Market

Ang Sila’s old market, dating back around 133 years to the Rama III–IV era, is a weekend-only affair — Saturday and Sunday, stalls open from around 6 AM and the crowd thins by early-to-mid afternoon. Show up on a Tuesday expecting a market and you’ll find a quiet street of shophouses instead. It sits in Ang Sila, on the Chonburi coast a short drive north of Bang Saen, and it’s free to walk through.

The signature product here is stone: hand-carved granite mortars and pestles (khrok hin), made by local artisans in a craft the village has been known for since fishermen first turned to stone-carving between catches. Stalls sell them alongside the day’s seafood — much of it landed nearby and cooked right at the market rather than trucked in — plus dried goods and simple Thai snacks. It’s a working local market more than a tourist bazaar, which is part of the appeal and part of the reason it isn’t open daily.

Watch out: This is the single most important thing to know before making the trip — the market runs weekends only. Mid-week visitors regularly turn up based on old tourism-directory listings quoting daily hours, which is out of date; check you’re travelling on a Saturday or Sunday before setting off.

Insider Tip: Arrive as close to opening as you can manage. The seafood sells fastest, and the walk is far more comfortable before the coastal sun gets high — by early afternoon several stalls have already packed up.

Bring cash — small vendors here don’t take cards — and expect a functional rather than polished setup: no dedicated parking area, uneven pavement in places, and stalls that spill onto the road on a busy Sunday. The coast road connects easily to Bang Saen and central Chonburi by songthaew or taxi if you don’t have your own transport.