The small riverside town of Mae Klong, where three waters meet — home to the Maeklong Railway Market, Amphawa Floating Market, and coconut groves everywhere
Samut Songkhram is Thailand's smallest province, and most people just call it Mae Klong, after the main river that runs through town and out to the Gulf. The land around here sits in brackish three-water country, with coconut groves, lychee and pomelo orchards, and salt pans alon
Start with stays →Mae Klong and Don Hoi Lot seafood — The mouth of the Mae Klong River brings in fre
Maeklong Railway Market (Talad Rom Hub) — A fresh market where stalls are set up right o
Don Hoi Lot — A muddy sandbar at the mouth of the Mae Kl
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7.4Highlights and sights around Samut Songkhram — nature, city and culture
A fresh market where stalls are set up right over the railway tracks. When a train is coming, the vendors fold back their awnings and pull their goods aside to let it pass, then set everything up again — a sight people come specifically to see.
A floating market along Amphawa Canal that buzzes on Friday to Sunday evenings, with food sold from boats. You eat your way along the waterside walkway, then hop on a boat to watch the fireflies after dark.
Amphawa is the birthplace of King Rama II, with a memorial park to stroll through. Nearby at Bang Kung Camp is the Bodhi-wrapped chapel, where tree roots cover the entire building.
The whole province is full of coconut groves, with open-air stoves boiling down fresh coconut sugar that you can stop to watch and buy. It's one of Mae Klong's signature products.
A sandbar at the mouth of the Mae Klong River where razor clams burrow into the mud. At low tide you can walk out and dig for them, and there's a long row of seafood restaurants along the shore.
Several old riverside temples you can visit in a single day by boat or car, with carved teak chapels and a Buddha image set within a Bodhi tree.
Samut Songkhram's signature food — real local spots, rounded up and ranked
The mouth of the Mae Klong River brings in fresh shrimp, shellfish, crab, and fish every day. Restaurants out at Don Hoi Lot do stir-fried razor clams with chili and grilled prawns right by the sea.
The province's signature catch — stir-fried with chili and herbs, in chu chee curry, or simply blanched with a dip. The meat is uniquely sweet, and you'll find it around Don Hoi Lot.
The short, plump bent-neck mackerel from Mae Klong Bay, steamed in little baskets and sold at the markets. Fried and eaten with shrimp-paste chili dip, it's a humble local meal.
In the evening there's boat noodles, fried oyster omelet, grilled prawns, and other grilled bites sold from boats along the canal. You can graze your way through the whole evening.
Fresh coconut sugar boiled down from the groves goes into all sorts of desserts — thong yot, sticky rice with coconut, and sweets made with palm-sugar cakes.
The brackish-water orchards here grow big white pomelos and local kom lychees, in season for buying straight from the roadside groves.
Around Amphawa and along the canals you'll find cafes in wooden houses and coffee shops by the water, easy places to sip a coffee and watch the boats go by.
The railway market and the in-town markets have noodles, rice-and-curry plates, and snacks to eat while you wait for the train.
Ready-made plans — from a day trip to 2–3 days, plus routes to neighbouring provinces
Best time to go, getting around, and what to know before visiting Samut Songkhram
November–February, cool and comfortable with little rain, good for boat trips and floating markets. The rainy season is actually when the fireflies show up best.
A fresh market where stalls are set up right over the railway tr
A floating market along Amphawa Canal that buzzes on Friday to S
Amphawa is the birthplace of King Rama II, with a memorial park
The whole province is full of coconut groves, with open-air stov
A sandbar at the mouth of the Mae Klong River where razor clams
Several old riverside temples you can visit in a single day by b
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🦐Mahachai, the port town on the Gulf with a huge fish market, salt flats, and fresh seafood
Explore Samut Sakhon →
🏯An old town on the Phetchaburi River with the Phra Nakhon Khiri palace, craftsman temples, mor kaeng custard, and the beaches of Cha-am and Laem Phak Bia
Explore Phetchaburi →
🏺The dragon-jar town on the Mae Klong River, home to Damnoen Saduak floating market, Khao Ngu caves, and the Tenasserim hills out at Suan Phueng
Explore Ratchaburi →Samut Songkhram is Thailand's smallest province, and most people just call it Mae Klong, after the main river that runs through town and out to the Gulf. The land around here sits in brackish three-water country, with coconut groves, lychee and pomelo orchards, and salt pans along the coast.
It's a little over an hour's drive from Bangkok. Most people come to walk the Maeklong Railway Market, where the train runs straight through the stalls, take an evening boat to watch the fireflies at Amphawa, and stay a night at a homestay by the canal — then wake up early to give alms to monks rowing past.
Best time: November–February, cool and comfortable with little rain, good for boat trips and floating markets. The rainy season is actually when the fireflies show up best.
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