🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you're visiting Ayutthaya and want a break from temple-hopping, Ayothaya Floating Market is a good place to stop. It's a cultural-style floating market that recreates the houses and old city walls of the Ayutthaya era — you cross wooden bridges over the canals while vendors paddle boats selling food in the traditional way. All told there are several hundred stalls in one spot, covering food, souvenirs, handicrafts, and a performance area.
Opening hours, entry fee and getting there
- Opening hours — Open daily 09:00–18:00 (Saturdays and Sundays are far busier than weekdays)
- Entry fee — Free for Thai nationals, 200 THB per person for foreign visitors
- Location — Phai Ling subdistrict, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district, near Wat Maheyong on the eastern side of the city island
- Getting there — About 1.5 hours by car from Bangkok, with a large car park. Without a car, take a van or train to Ayutthaya and then a songthaew or motorbike taxi
- Phone — 035-881-733 / 035-881-688
Know before you go
Opening hours and show times have changed with the seasons and festival periods before, so calling the market to check ahead is the safer bet — especially if you're set on catching one particular performance.
Want more out of Ayutthaya? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Food — boat vendors and riverside stalls
The heart of Ayothaya Floating Market is the food. There are vendors paddling boats along the canals plus stalls on land, several hundred in total. Most of it is central-Thai dishes and old-school snacks at easy prices, and you can graze your way through the whole day. These are the ones people tend to stop for.
Boat noodles (kuay teow reua)
The dish that suits the floating-market setting best — a rich, dark broth served in small bowls, so you can easily put away several. It's an Ayutthaya specialty to begin with.
Grilled prawns / riverside food
Made-to-order eateries and seafood along the canal, with grilled river prawns, grilled fish and som tam — enough to sit down for a proper meal at a waterside table.
Traditional Thai sweets
Khanom krok, khanom buang, thong yip and thong yod, khanom tan — made fresh in front of you, a good match for the market's retro theme.
Roti sai mai (cotton-candy roti)
Ayutthaya's signature treat — thin pancake wrapped around colorful strands of spun sugar. You'll find it in the market and can buy it to take home as a souvenir too.
Khanom jeen nam ya
A central-Thai classic — rice noodles with a coconut or chili curry sauce, eaten with fresh vegetables. A light bite while you stroll.
Pad thai / oyster omelette
Popular street food that's easy to find in the market, stir-fried hot off the wok. Good as a snack or a meal.
Coconut ice cream & herbal drinks
Something to cool off with as you walk — coconut ice cream with toppings, plus chilled herbal drinks like lemongrass and butterfly-pea. Several stalls sell them.
Old-fashioned snacks
Khao kriab pak mor, sakoo sai moo, sticky rice with coconut — traditional Thai snacks that are getting harder to find these days. A few stalls let you try them.
Eating tip
Bring plenty of cash in small notes. Most stalls take cash and dishes run in the tens of baht, so paying cash is more convenient. Late morning to afternoon is when the most stalls are open, but if you want to dodge the sun and the crowds, just after opening in the morning is more relaxed.
Souvenirs — OTOP products and handicrafts
Beyond the food, Ayothaya Floating Market is a good place to pick up souvenirs, with an OTOP product zone and handmade goods from local communities. The buildings and zones are named after the districts of Ayutthaya province, so it's a pleasant place to browse.
- Roti sai mai — Ayutthaya's signature souvenir, easy to take home and keeps for several days
- Basketry — woven bamboo work, baskets and containers from local communities
- Woven & batik fabrics — local cloth and hand-dyed work, to wear yourself or give as gifts
- Dried Thai sweets — thong muan, khanom kong, traditional treats packed and ready to gift
- Woodwork & silverware — handmade home decor and jewelry
Folk performances
What sets Ayothaya apart from your typical floating market is the daily Thai cultural performances on the central stage — khon masked drama, Thai classical dance, phleng choi folk singing, and theatrical songs. On weekdays there are roughly 3 shows, rising to 4 on weekends and public holidays. They're free, with no extra charge.
Want to catch a show
The rounds and types of performance can swap around day to day. If you specifically want to see khon or Thai classical dance at a certain time, ask the staff by the stage about that day's schedule and time your wander to match the show you want.
Other activities in the market
Boat ride around the market
Take a boat through the canals to soak up the floating-market atmosphere. The service point is near the market entrance, around 20 THB per person.
Elephant ride past the ruins
Ride an elephant for the views around toward Wat Maheyong, about 20 minutes and roughly 100 THB per person. Kids love it.
Animal feeding & Thai-costume photos
There's a zone for feeding fish and small animals, plus several retro-themed photo spots. Good for the whole family.
Straight talk
Ayothaya Floating Market is a tourist-oriented market with a staged retro atmosphere, not an authentic working floating market in the traditional sense. Some people may feel it's fairly set up for visitors, but if you treat it as one place to stroll, snack, watch a show and buy souvenirs, it's worth half a day — a handy stop between temple visits.
Plan a full day in Ayutthaya — temples, food and markets
See the Ayutthaya travel guide →