Ban Tha Kha

Ban Tha Kha sits in the Tha Kha subdistrict of Amphawa district, a patchwork of canals and fruit orchards roughly 90 minutes from Bangkok. Its floating market — one of Samut Songkhram’s older ones — trades only on Saturdays, Sundays, and the 2nd, 7th, and 12th day of the waxing and waning moon, running from about 06:00 to noon. Show up on any other day and you’ll find a working farming village rather than a market.

On a trading day, boat vendors paddle produce, fruit, and simple cooked snacks along narrow canals shaded by coconut palms and orchard trees, much as they have for generations. Wooden houses on stilts line the water, and residents still tend the fruit gardens behind them. The Tha Kha Floating Market draws far fewer visitors than Amphawa Floating Market a few kilometres away, so there’s usually room to lean from the bank and buy straight from a passing boat instead of queuing.

Outside market hours, Ban Tha Kha functions as an ordinary residential and agricultural community, not a staged attraction. Walking its lanes on a weekday means orchards, small temples, and locals going about daily business — worth a look if you’re already staying nearby in Amphawa, less worth a dedicated trip on its own.

Getting here without a car is the main obstacle. No public bus or boat service runs directly to the village; most visitors arrange a taxi, songthaew, or private driver from Amphawa town, about a 15-minute drive away. Entry to both the village and the market is free, and there’s no ticket booth or gate to pass through.

Insider Tip: If you’ve already seen Amphawa’s evening market, come to Ban Tha Kha on one of its lunar trading days rather than a plain weekend — those days pull in more local vendors and the market stays noticeably smaller and less commercial than either Amphawa or Damnoen Saduak.

Watch out: Turning up on a non-trading day is the single most common mistake here. Check the lunar calendar or stick to a weekend before making the drive out.