🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Mae Klong Market and the Umbrella Market are the same place — a fresh market that straddles the Ban Laem–Mae Klong railway line, open daily from roughly 6am–6pm. Most people come to watch the train pass while the vendors fold their umbrellas and pull their goods back in a matter of seconds. But if you make the trip and leave with just a single ice cream bar, you've missed the point — the market is ringed with old-school stalls that have been going for decades, from noodles and red-pork rice to gao lao soup and hand-made egg noodles.
Read this before you go
Most of the food here is morning food — many stalls close in the afternoon or sell out before noon. If you're coming to eat properly, aim to arrive mid-morning, before 11am, and save the afternoon train for after.
Mae Klong station train timetable
The key to eating here is timing the train right. The Mae Klong line only runs a few times a day, and the moment the whole market folds its umbrellas at once is when the train arrives at and departs from the station. The rough times people have used for years are:
- Train arrives at Mae Klong station — around 08:30 · 11:10 · 14:30 · 17:40
- Train departs Mae Klong station — around 06:20 · 09:00 · 11:30 · 15:30
- As the train nears, a warning signal sounds and the vendors fold their umbrellas and pull everything back — it only takes a few minutes before the train passes.
- Times can shift with the operating schedule. Double-check with station staff or a vendor at the front of the market once you arrive to be sure.
Where to stand for train photos
If you want the shot of the train slicing through the stalls, stand at the edge of the track in the market lane — there's no need to squeeze into the middle of the rails. Wait until the vendors have finished folding their umbrellas, then shoot; you'll get a better photo and stay safer. Don't stand in the path of the train.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Samut Songkhram food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Noodles and egg noodles worth trying
If you could only eat one thing at Mae Klong Market, plenty of people would say noodles — several of the noodle and egg-noodle stalls here have been run by the same families for generations. These are the ones locals bring up most often.
Kong Meng Jan Egg Noodles
An egg-noodle and wonton shop going back more than 60 years, with house-made noodles served alongside red pork and wontons. It's one of the first names Mae Klong locals reach for when the talk turns to noodles in the market.
Akong Kuay Jap
Clear-broth kuay jap (rolled rice-noodle soup) at easy prices, starting in the low double digits. It opens before dawn and makes a good light meal before you walk the market — tender offal in a well-rounded, mellow broth.
Weera Beef Balls
A beef-ball noodle stall many people rate as the best beef balls in Mae Klong — firm, springy balls in a broth sweetened from the bones. Open morning through afternoon.
Jun Panich (Fish-Ball Noodles)
A long-standing fish-ball noodle shop. Mae Klong is a coastal town, so the fish balls are fresh and properly springy — a good pick if you like your noodles on the lighter side, without heavy toppings.
Krung Thai Gao Lao
A well-known spot for gao lao (noodle-free soup) and pork-offal rice congee, over by the Krung Thai Bank. The offal is clean with no off smell, the broth comes piping hot, and it's a solid breakfast. Cash only, and busy from early morning.
Standout rice dishes around the market
Beyond noodles, Mae Klong Market has rice-plate stalls that have been around for years and still draw real queues — better if you're properly hungry rather than just grazing.
Meng Red-Pork & Crispy-Pork Rice
A famous Mae Klong red-pork and crispy-pork rice stall — the red pork is tender and fragrant, the crispy pork crunchy outside and soft inside, all under an old-recipe sauce. It's the name people recommend most when red-pork rice in the market comes up.
Om Sawin Stewed Pork Leg Rice
An early-morning stewed pork-leg rice stall, open from 5am and usually sold out by around 10am. The skin is meltingly soft and the sauce is rich — if you want some, you really have to come early.
Thai Sawasdee Chicken Rice
A long-running chicken-rice shop near the Sawasdee hotel — fragrant rice, a punchy old-style dipping sauce, and tender chicken. A breakfast-and-lunch regular for Mae Klong locals.
Jue Chicken Rice
Another chicken-rice stall in the market, with a mellow, well-balanced broth. Locals stop by often, and it's a handy backup if the first shop has a long queue.
Je Rung Southern Curry
A bold, punchy southern curry-over-rice stall, with gaeng leuang (yellow curry) and khua kling, for anyone who likes fiery southern flavours in the middle of Mae Klong Market. Ladled over rice, it fills you up fast.
Snacks and sweets around the market
Once you've worked through the main dishes, there are still snacks and sweets to pick up — several of them Mae Klong specialties that are hard to find in Bangkok.
Khun Ae Oyster Omelette
An old-style oyster omelette with a soft batter and duck egg. It's an afternoon snack people queue for, opening around 2pm onward — handy if you're waiting for the evening train.
Mae Klong Mackerel
The famous 'bent-neck' short-bodied mackerel — small, fatty fish that you can buy by the basket to take home, or order fried hot and eaten with steamed rice in the market.
Palm-Sugar Sweets
Thai sweets and genuine coconut- and toddy-palm sugar from Samut Songkhram — good both to nibble on the spot and to carry home as gifts, with a homey, fragrant sweetness.
Soul Bakery Mae Klong
A bakery in the market for anyone who wants to pause over bread and coffee. It stays open into the evening, making it a good spot to sit out of the sun while you wait for the train.
An eat-and-walk plan built around the train
If you want both the good food and the umbrella-folding train shots in one day, try pacing it like this, adjusting to the train times on the day you visit.
Eat breakfast before the crowds arrive
Cover the noodle stalls and snacks
Finish with snacks and the afternoon train
Getting there
It's about an hour and a half by car from Bangkok, or take a Mae Klong-line minivan from the New Southern Bus Terminal and get off right by the market. If you actually want to ride this train line, you have to connect from Ban Laem, crossing by boat at Tha Chalom–Ban Laem first — it's a route for people who enjoy the slow, old-fashioned way of travelling.
Plan a full day of eating around Samut Songkhram
See the Samut Songkhram guide →