Lao Tak Lak Floating Market

Lao Tak Lak is the original floating market of Ratchaburi, in the Damnoen Saduak area — the forerunner of the famous market next door, and a quieter, more local alternative to it. Its name means “old market,” and it sits in a long-established Teochew-Hainanese Chinese community of canal-side shophouses. Entry is free, it’s a food-first market of boat noodles and old-town coffee, and it’s liveliest in the morning.

What it’s like

The appeal here is the everyday feel. Vendors paddle produce, fruit and cooked food along the canal, and stalls line the water selling boat noodles (kuai tiao ruea), grilled fish, sweets wrapped in banana leaf and strong old-fashioned coffee. It trades for locals as much as tourists, so prices are fair and the pace is unhurried — a contrast to the tour-bus bustle of the main Damnoen Saduak market a short way off. Century-old shophouses back the waterway, and you can eat at floating platforms over the canal.

Insider Tip: Come in the morning and pair it with the bigger Damnoen Saduak floating market nearby — do the touristy one for the classic photos, then come here to actually eat and browse at a local pace.

Getting there

It’s in Damnoen Saduak district, Ratchaburi, about 80 km southwest of Bangkok — an easy add-on to any Damnoen Saduak day trip, or a stop with your own car. It’s open Monday–Friday 09:00–18:00 and weekends until 19:00, but go early for the busiest trading and the coolest part of the day.

Watch out: Bring cash and small notes for the stalls, and wear shoes that cope with wooden walkways over the water. Don’t confuse it with the main Damnoen Saduak market — this is the quieter old one, reached from the Ratchaburi side, not from Kanchanaburi.

Lao Tak Lak Floating Market is at Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi 70130. View on Google Maps.