Home Destinations Trat 🧭 Plan Your Trip 🔎 Search About

Home › Thailand › Trat › Trat Old Town Khlong Bang Phra + Wooden Cafes

☕ Trat itinerary

Trat Old Town
Khlong Bang Phra + Wooden Cafes

Most people pass through Trat town in a rush to catch the ferry out to Koh Chang or Koh Kood, never realising there's a quiet old quarter worth a walk right here. The Khlong Bang Phra community is a row of old wooden houses along a canal — some people call it the Chiang Khan of Thailand's east. There are cafes carved out of original wooden homes, a morning market where Trat locals actually shop, and an old temple to drop into. This plan is built mostly for walking, over two days, with no rush — just atmosphere and coffee.

🏚️ Wooden houses by the canal☕ Renovated cafes🥢 A local morning market

Trat Old Town Khlong Bang Phra + Wooden Cafes

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

Trat's old quarter sits right in the middle of the town district, and you can walk to all of it — Khlong Bang Phra, Thanacharoen Road, the morning market, and the old temple. In-town lodging ranges from wooden-house guesthouses to small, budget-friendly hotels, which suits anyone who wants to slow down before or after island-hopping, or travellers who aren't headed to the beach at all but want to feel a real coastal town.

Know before you walk

The Khlong Bang Phra community is a row of old wooden houses along the canal inside Trat's municipal area, and it's free to wander. Cafes and shops are at their fullest from Friday to Sunday; on weekdays it's quieter and some places close. If you're here mainly to photograph the wooden houses and sit in a cafe, come on a weekend for the fuller atmosphere.

Day 1

Morning market → walk Khlong Bang Phra → wooden-house cafe

07:00

Walk the Trat municipal morning marketThe market in the centre of town is where Trat locals actually do their shopping. You'll find regional eats like old-style Thai sweets, breakfast noodles, and seasonal fruit. In fruit season (Apr–Jun), Trat's orchards bring in plenty of durian, rambutan, and mangosteen.

09:00

Walk into the Khlong Bang Phra communityRows of century-old wooden houses line both banks of the canal. You can stroll along the water at your own pace, taking in the wooden footbridges and original homes where people still live. The shots come out best in the soft morning light, before the sun gets harsh.

10:30

Sit at a renovated wooden-house cafe by the canalSeveral cafes in the quarter are converted from old wooden homes, and you can sip coffee looking out over the canal in comfort. Most coffees run around THB 50–80. Some places open only on weekends, so check the shop's page first if you're coming midweek.

12:00

Lunch in town — try a local noodle or curry-rice shopTrat town has plenty of long-running curry-rice and noodle shops, around THB 40–60 a plate. Easy and filling, and never far from the old quarter.

14:00

Stop by Wat Yothanimit (the temple) and the old shrines in townWat Yothanimit is an old temple long tied to Trat, with an ordination hall in older architecture. It's an easy walk from the Khlong Bang Phra area, and along the way there are old Chinese shrines that hint at the town's past as a trading port for several ethnic communities.

16:00

Late-afternoon cafe / a sweets shop in townSave the late afternoon to rest your legs at a cool cafe, or try local sweets like khanom khi nu and khanom taan, still found in the markets and old shops.

18:00

Dinner in town + a stroll down Thanacharoen RoadThanacharoen Road is the main street of the old quarter, with a scattering of restaurants and evening coffee spots. A gentle walk to settle dinner before heading back to your room.

Pick lodging you can walk from

If you want to see the old town on foot, choose a place to stay around Thanacharoen Road, near Khlong Bang Phra. From there the morning market, cafes, and temple are all within a few hundred metres — no driving around hunting for parking.

Day 2

Morning cafe → Trat souvenirs → a viewpoint before you leave

08:30

Morning coffee at another wooden-house cafeOn day two, swap to a cafe in the quarter you didn't sit at on day one. Many bake their own homemade pastries, good paired with a drip coffee, and a weekend morning is quiet before the crowd arrives.

10:00

One last walk for wooden houses + the canal footbridgesCatch the angles you missed on day one. The wooden bridges and narrow lanes of the community are the best spots for that old coastal-town feel — and remember to ask permission if you're shooting close to homes where people live.

11:30

Buy Trat souvenirsThe local specialties are processed fruit (fried durian, rambutan), fish sauce, shrimp paste, and dried seafood. You can find them at the town market or souvenir shops in town, where prices at the source beat what you'll pay out on the islands.

13:00

A farewell lunch in townPick a made-to-order spot or in-town seafood, both cheaper than the beachside places — an easy last meal before the drive home.

14:30

Stop at the Koh Chang Naval Battle Memorial before leaving TratIt's out at Laem Ngop, about 20 minutes from town, with a monument to Prince Chumphon and a sea viewpoint looking out toward Koh Chang. A good spot to round off the trip with a photo if you're driving back this way.

In-town eats not to miss

Old-style Thai sweets at the morning market — khanom taan, khanom khi nu, khanom chan, made fresh and sold in the morning. They go fast, so come before mid-morning for the best pick.
Long-running noodle shops — the town has several noodle spots that have been open for years, THB 40–60, an easy breakfast or lunch.
Trat orchard fruit (seasonal) — durian, rambutan, mangosteen, longkong from Apr–Jun. Buy from the market vendors: sweeter and cheaper than the roadside stalls further out.
Coffee at the wooden-house cafes — drip coffee and homemade pastries, THB 50–80. The real draw is the wooden-house-by-the-canal atmosphere.

🎟️

Book the activities in your Trat trip ahead

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.

🎟️ Top tours in TratHighlights, guided Klook 🎟️ Trat attractions & ticketsSkip-the-line entry tickets Klook 🚐 Day trips from TratOut and back in a day Klook 🌎 Trat activities (GetYourGuide)Global tour marketplace GetYourGuide

🎟️ See all Trat tours & activities (Klook)

Rough budget per person (2 days, 1 night)

Lodging, 1 night — guesthouses and small in-town hotels start around THB 500–900; split it two ways if there are two of you.
4 meals + coffee — around THB 500–800 if you mostly eat at in-town shops.
Souvenirs — up to you; budget around THB 200–500.
All in, a walking trip around town runs about THB 1,200–2,000 per person (not counting travel from Bangkok).

Can you do it without a car?

Easily — this plan is built around walking the town anyway. Take a minivan or bus from Bangkok to Trat, get off in town, and pick lodging around Khlong Bang Phra and Thanacharoen Road. From there you can walk to the morning market, the Khlong Bang Phra community, the cafes, and the temple. For days when you want to head out to Laem Ngop or a viewpoint outside town, hire a motorbike taxi or rent a scooter in town.

When the old quarter is liveliest

The Khlong Bang Phra area and most of the cafes are fully open and busiest from Friday to Sunday. Weekdays are quiet and some shops close. To get both the atmosphere and the full line-up of open shops, plan your trip across a weekend.

Want to add an island leg, or check in-town hotels in Trat before booking?

See the Trat travel guide →

FAQ

What is there to do in the Khlong Bang Phra community in Trat?

It's a quarter of old wooden houses along a canal in the centre of Trat town. You can walk the canal banks past century-old wooden homes, photograph the wooden bridges and old lanes, and stop at cafes renovated from original wooden houses. Some people call it the Chiang Khan of Thailand's east. It's free to wander.

Are the cafes in Trat old town open every day?

Not all of them. Many cafes and shops around Khlong Bang Phra are fully open from Friday to Sunday, while on weekdays some close and the quarter is quieter. If you're set on a cafe sit-down, come on a weekend, or check the shop's page first if you're coming midweek.

Do you need a car to visit Trat old town?

No. A walking plan covers the morning market, the Khlong Bang Phra community, the cafes, and the temple, all within a few hundred metres. If you want to head out of town to Laem Ngop or a viewpoint, you can rent a scooter or hire a vehicle in town then.

How many days is enough for Trat old town?

Walking the old quarter, the morning market, the cafes, and the in-town temple takes a comfortable 1–2 days. If you want to add a Koh Chang or Koh Kood leg, budget another 2–3 days, since you'll need to take the ferry across and stay overnight on the island.

What's the best month to visit Trat old town?

Since you're not heading out to sea, the town is walkable year-round. Nov–Feb is cool and pleasant for daytime walking, while Apr–Jun is Trat's orchard fruit season, when the morning market fills with durian, rambutan, and mangosteen to taste and take home.

Copyright & Image Takedown Policy

Thailandaddict is created to review and share travel experiences. Where an image is sourced from elsewhere, we credit the source. If you are the copyright owner and prefer that your image not appear on this site, please contact us and we will gladly remove the image or correct the information.