🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Don Wai Floating Market sits within Wat Don Wai in Bang Krathuek subdistrict, Sam Phran district, Nakhon Pathom province. It's an old riverside trading market that has been around so long it became a favourite weekend day trip for people in Bangkok and the surrounding area. What keeps people coming back is that it isn't a postcard-style floating market with vendors paddling boats full of goods — it's a land market with a wooden walkway running along the Tha Chin River, roofed over so you can stroll through sun or rain. Both sides are lined with local food stalls one after another, and at the far end there's a pier where you can hop on a boat to cruise the riverside life.
Local food worth trying
Don Wai is known for traditional local dishes that are getting harder to find in the city. The standout is five-spice braised duck, simmered until the skin turns soft and soaks up the braising broth, along with sweet-salty braised mackerel and barb fish, khanom jeen with coconut curry and jungle curry, steamed fish curry (hor mok), firm featherback fish cakes, and to finish, old-style Thai sweets and coconut pancakes (khanom krok) made fresh at the stall. Here are the stalls and dishes people heading to Don Wai usually don't skip.
Nai Nap Five-Spice Duck
One of Don Wai's old-guard five-spice duck stalls, around so long it's the name most people think of first. The duck skin is soft and the braising broth is fragrant with spices. Order it by the plate or take a whole duck home. Expect a queue on weekends.
Nai O Five-Spice Duck
Another five-spice duck stall people often compare to Nai Nap. The braising broth is a touch richer. If you like, comparing the two on the same trip is fun. A single plate of duck over rice is enough to fill you up.
Khanom Jeen — Coconut & Jungle Curry
Several khanom jeen stalls are scattered through the market, known for fragrant, creamy coconut curry and a bold jungle curry. Eat it with fresh vegetables and boiled egg — a light meal before you carry on grazing.
Steamed Fish Curry & Featherback Fish Cakes
Classic floating-market eats that Don Wai does well. The hor mok is soft and fragrant with noni leaf, and the fish cakes are springy and made with real featherback. Buy some to snack on as you walk or take home as a side dish.
Braised Mackerel & Barb Fish
An old-style sweet-salty dish that's hard to find in the city, simmered until the bones turn soft. Eat it with hot steamed rice — it's a takeaway gift locals at Don Wai recommend.
Coconut Pancakes & Old Thai Sweets
Khanom krok made fresh at the stall — fragrant with coconut, crisp outside and soft inside — plus royal-style Thai sweets like thong yip, foi thong, and khanom chan. Pick some to eat as you walk or box up to take home.
Coconut Ice Cream — Old-Style
Finish your meal with coconut ice cream and toppings — sugar palm seeds, sticky rice, peanuts — the kind you find at old markets. Cool and refreshing on a hot day.
What time to go
Don Wai's food stalls open in the morning and the food is freshest from morning to midday. The famous five-spice duck stalls sell out before afternoon on some days. If you're coming specifically to eat, arrive around 9–11 a.m. so you get the full spread and the crowds aren't too thick yet.
Want more out of Nakhon Pathom? 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.
Riverside raft restaurants
If you'd rather sit down to a proper meal with a river view, the far end of the market has several raft and riverside restaurants to choose from. Sit in the cool breeze and watch the boats go by. Most menus are Thai food and river dishes — grilled fish, tom yum, stir-fried curry, river prawns — great for coming with family or a group of friends.
Phae Suwannarat
A well-known raft restaurant on the Tha Chin where you sit with a full river view. The menu spans Thai food and plenty of river dishes, roughly ฿100–300 per plate. Come as a group and share — it works out good value.
Riverside Rafts at the Market's End
A cluster of wooden and raft eateries at the far end of the market, right by the pier — a good spot to rest after grazing. Order a snack and a drink while you wait for your boat tour.
Garden boat tour — cruising the Tha Chin
The highlight that sets Don Wai apart from an ordinary walk-and-eat market is getting on a boat to cruise the Tha Chin River. At the pier behind the market there are tour boats with a guide who narrates as you go, running past fruit orchards, orchid farms, and riverside village life on both banks. Some routes stop to pay respects at temples along the river in a single loop. It's an activity kids and adults enjoy about equally.
- Short route (about 1 hr 15 min) — a cruise past the orchards and riverside life around Don Wai. Boat fare roughly ฿50 for adults, ฿25 for children.
- Long route (about 2 hr) — Don Wai–Wat Rai Khing–fish sanctuary–under Pho Kaeo Bridge–Sam Phran. Boat fare roughly ฿80 for adults, ฿40 for children.
- Private charter — coming as a group, you can charter the whole boat; agree on the route and price with the boat owner at the pier before setting off.
Check before you board
Boat fares and departure times can shift with the season and the number of passengers. On weekdays some departures wait for a full boat before leaving. Ask at the pier for the exact departure times and price up front, and bring cash — many operators don't take bank transfers.
Temples — Wat Don Wai & Wat Rai Khing
The market is inside Wat Don Wai to begin with, so you can walk in to pay respects and feed the fish in the river in front of the temple. If you want to keep the merit-making going, Wat Rai Khing — a famous temple of Sam Phran — isn't far. You can also take a boat across from the Wat Rai Khing pier over to Don Wai (fare around ฿50 per person). Many people plan one trip that covers it all: paying respects, eating well, and a boat tour.
- Wat Don Wai — pay respects at the temple the market sits in, and feed the fish in the no-kill sanctuary in front of the temple.
- Wat Rai Khing — a landmark temple of Sam Phran; pay respects to Luang Pho Wat Rai Khing, connected to Don Wai by a crossing boat.
- Orchid farms & riverside orchards — some boat routes pass villagers' farms, giving you a real look at Tha Chin riverside farm life.
Getting there, opening hours, parking
- Location — Wat Don Wai, Bang Krathuek, Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom, about 30 km from Bangkok.
- Opening hours — daily, roughly 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Stalls are fully open and liveliest on weekends and public holidays.
- Driving yourself — from Bangkok take the Pinklao–Nakhon Chai Si or Phetkasem road, then turn onto Sai Sai into Don Wai. It takes about an hour.
- Public transport — vans and song thaew run from the Bangkok side toward Sam Phran–Nakhon Chai Si; get off and take a connecting ride into the market.
- Parking — there's a lot inside the temple and private lots; parking is around ฿20–40. Lots fill up fast on holidays, so arriving early makes parking easier.
Make the most of a day trip
The easy formula: arrive in the late morning, eat your fill at the market, stop to pay respects at Wat Don Wai, then take the long boat route to Wat Rai Khing and Sam Phran. Finish by buying takeaway gifts — braised fish and Thai sweets — before you head back. Merit, a full stomach, and a cruise, all in half a day.
Keep planning your Nakhon Pathom trip — where to eat, what to do, and where to stay
See the Nakhon Pathom travel guide →