Floating Markets and Sampran Riverside Day Tour from Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

This guided journey commences with a leisurely drive out of Bangkok, passing through salt fields and rice paddies, before embarking aboard your long tail speed-boat on your journey to the Damnoen Saduak floating markets. The trip to the floating markets are a very popular option for so many tourists to Thailand, as it is a showcase of Thai style canoes laden with colorful and succulent fruits, vegetables, sweets and meats - all gently plying their way through the canal, selling as they go. If you want to take a closer look your local Thai guide will help you organize a local boat ride through the markets (optional extra).

It is then off to The Sampran Riverside Thai Village by coach, where you will see local Thai villagers creating traditional village handicrafts. All sorts of skills are on display including; silk-weaving, pottery-making, umbrella-painting, Khon mask masking, mat weaving, doll making, fruit carving, garland-making, rice-pounding and even the delicate crafting of silver and laquerware.

There are also impressive displays of authentic Thai period costumes, a chance to see busy, typical Thai market, different styles of Thai Houses (from both the North to South regions of Thailand) and an intriguing display of Thai antiques from various parts of the country. The village offers a potpourri of different Thai cultural activities that also include Muay Thai boxing, sword fighting, Thai dances, elephants at work and much, much more.

USD $73.00

Review by:   DONNA A,    March 2018
Amazing - highly recommend this tour. Perfect guides and a great way of seeing the countryside surrounding the city

Review by:   Yanti Y,    January 2018
Must do thing if u r first timer to Bangkok

Review by:   Lynn B,    December 2017
Lots of exhaust smell around you from all the boats. Hard to get up to something to purchase if you want to. Hygiene of the vendors on the boats handing you things is nonexistent. It was a hot sunny day when we went, no water provided to anyone on the boat. Boats ramming into each other on the river. Not a pleasant experience. Had to wait 45 minutes to dock the boat and get off - waste of time.

Review by:   MYRNA P,    September 2017
The drive to the floating market is quite far, but well worth it. Stops will be made along the way to show the Thai way of life! When you get to the market, many other tourists will be there so expect a crowd. Try the food you will never regret it!!! But when it is time to shop for souvenirs and other things, make sure to bargain, don't get pushed to buying, bargain to the deepest discount! Beware it is also very humid and hot.

Review by:   Charles S,    September 2017
great experience, glad we did it.

Review by:   sandraacos,    August 2017
One of our best tours in Thailand! We went the last week of July. Our guide was Luck and could not be better. We ended up in a private tour And she accommodated the activities and times to our family. I highly recommend this tour and Luck is the best tour guide you can get!! Thank you Luck for giving us so many great memories!!

Review by:   Ma Socorro Luna P,    May 2017
The tour was superb!Me and my family had a great time visiting the floating village. The floating market was very nice, the lunch in Sampram Riverside was sumptuous and the cultural show is a must see!Thanks to our well-informed tour guide (Ms.Vanda), the tour was extra fun and memorable! 2 thumbs up

Review by:   Samantha G,    May 2017
Good tour

Review by:   Samantha G,    May 2017
Good tour

Review by:   stevepollmann,    September 2016
We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommended this trip. The floating market was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing the cultural events at the Sampran. The buffet luncheon was excellent. Our guide, Neco, was very helpful and was instrumental in getting to locations with plenty of time ahead of the crowds.

Review by:   Juliana J,    July 2016
The tour was well paced and the tour guide was friendly and helpful. Enjoyed ourselves as we do not have any worries in terms of time and safety during the trip.

Review by:   B v,    June 2016
Great Tour. Good food and service as well.

Review by:   Doni J,    June 2016
The tour was good as a day of relaxing with a short highlight in experiencing the floating markets. Peter, our guide was really good, providing lots of options without trying to sell. Also he spoke very clear and good English.

Review by:   o0bev0o,    June 2016
This tour was definitely worth it. To get out to the floating market was quite a drive, not sure how I would have ever found this place by myself even if I did speak Thai.

Review by:   Klose,    January 2016
I like this tour and I find the experience of taking boat to the market is fun. There is a bit traffic on the river while entering the market so I got a lot tan under the sun.

Review by:   Sara C,    January 2016
The tour ran very smoothly from start to finish. We had an excellent guide who answered out questions and gave excellent insight into Thai culture and way of life. An excellent day trip!

Review by:   JACOB G,    September 2015
Very Good. Unfortunately it was a rainy day and we could not take full advantage of the tour. The rose garden lunch was excellent, but the show was mediocre.

Review by:   Divya,    July 2015
This is an excellent family friendly tour but has an early start! After breakfast, we 2 adults 1 baby were greeted at our hotel lobby by Ms Dana who is by the way a very warm, friendly and helpful tour guide. She speaks excellent English and bonded immediately with our little baby. We were escorted to a mini van and we were the only guests on this tour so it was like a private VIP tour. Our driver was very pleasant and quiet and followed Ms Dana's instructions in Thai. After leaving the hotel, we drove for an hour until we reached the Orchid Farm. It is more of a conservatory rather than a farm. There are quite a few shops and a food court. We spent half an hour here and had our photos taken and made on orchid plates. We then headed to the Elephant Farm. We were asked if we wanted to go on the Elephant Ride to the Jungle and back but as the prices were quite steep, we decided not to go ahead. We returned to the van and drove on. We were asked if we wanted to stop at the Handicraft market but decided not to as it was getting rather hot. We then drove on until we reached the Rose Garden. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive there from our hotel on the Chao Phraya River. The Rose Garden itself was a little bit of a disappointment as there were no roses in sight. However, the buffet lunch at the restaurant was scrumptious and Ms Dana had reserved a table overlooking the river. The lunch options are quite good however not many vegetarian options. We then went to the spa next door for a 30 minutes massage as we had some time to kill before the elephant show and cultural show. The massages were excellent and very relaxing. Ms Dana then came to meet us and escort us to the elephant show. Our little one loved the elephant show and was so excited. We then moved onto the cultural show in the theatre and again, our little one was delighted. The cultural show was authentic and traditional. After the shows, we were driven back to our hotel. It was a very safe and comfy trip. 5s

Review by:   Kevin F,    June 2015
It's a bit touristy but I would go again

Review by:   Justine T,    June 2015
This tour was about shopping, the culture show was a watered down representation of what it traditionally is and my guide was very rude. He pointed out street food and said I don't try because I'm "not used to" and kept referring to "my people" aka white people. Ok. I'll be at Mcdonalds where I belong.

Review by:   Marie Y,    May 2015
Floating market is overrated and tourist trap, wished my tour guide told me not to buy stuff from this over priced place, I do not find haggling for the price to be entertaining. Enjoyed the rose garden tour and lunch

Review by:   Cheryl T,    May 2015
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   Halle B,    May 2015
If you are going to advertise it as a floating market tour, then we shouldn't be charred extra to do the floating market when we get there. I paid 70 bucks for a tour guide who lied about the price of the floating market. There should be water provided on the bus since it's so hot.

Review by:   Cindy C,    May 2015
Tour guide did not describe or guide the tour really. Just led us to entrance and said "free time. Meet back here in xx minutes".

Review by:   Sana A,    January 2015
The floating markets were really something else. This was my favorite tour in Bangkok

Review by:   Joan T,    December 2014
Even though the heavens opened whilst on tour, we still enjoyed the shopping experience. Could have done without stopping on way at some sort of market selling coconut based items and showing process of using the coconuts. We would rather of spent the time to shop longer at floating market, instead it was a bit rushed_br/_ We then went to Sampran Riverside where we had a good lunch in a lovely setting, the rain had by then eased. Then on same site went over to another building where we sat and watched various farm animals, Elephants and dancers performing the life of Thai villagers. Finally went out to see a family of Elephants including a baby elephant called One Pin. Thankfully the rain had completely stopped and we're able to fully appreciate the show.... money well spent.

Review by:   philip c,    December 2014
My main observation for this tour was that the guide used every opportunity to make further money from us. _br/_ Rather disappointing how this does not include the gondola ride around the floating market which surprise surprise, comes as extra like so may other things offered by this trip.

Review by:   Laura A,    October 2014
Despite an early start, it is a worthwhile trip, it is about 1hr outside the city but such an action packed day it was so worth it.x

Review by:   Hwee San L,    October 2014
We enjoyed the ride on the long tailed boat most of all. The weather was cooling and the atmosphere was very peaceful. The floating market was very interesting and the foods we ate were quite tasty.

Review by:   Koko,    April 2014
It lacks the crocodile and cobra show

Review by:   Allan Y,    April 2014
The tour was well organized. The Viator guide was good. Besides my wife and daughter, only 2 other ladies from England were in the comfy van. If you're going to the Floating Market, recommend also doing the Roase Garden.. Both places are very touristy. The Floating markets today only exist as tourist attractions. Locals don't go unless they are selling something, not buying. It's worthe trip to get a glimpse of what life among the canals might have been like. Seems like Thailand is now a place for tourists. Hard to get a feel for local culture on these tours, so be prepared with the right mindset. We did visit the Royal Palace on our own. We took the boat ferry from the Sky Train to the Pa;ace. The Sky Train is a good way to beat traffic and the boat taxi gives you a chance to be on the river. The complimentary English language tour inside the Palace was well done. Avoid the people outside who tell you that the Palace is closed or there is a big event going on and want to take you somewhere else.

Review by:   helen,    April 2014
Despite being put on a half day tour when we booked a full day, the trip was a great insight into the market and the culture there. The tour guide was amazing and very informative and knowledgeable, we had a great day and despite the early start its very worth while!

Review by:   venky,    March 2014
Very interesting visit to a unique place. Even though the floating market has been considerably commercialized to cater to tourists, one can get a good appreciation of how it would have been before a few decades. The cultural show in the Rose Garden center is of a high standard that matches the production standards of a Las Vegas show. Overall, a highly enjoyable tour.

Review by:   Margaret D,    February 2014
A fun tour. The best parts were the canal boat ride through a tropical area both very quiet and so peaceful and then viewing the floating market. Also, a top site was the chedi at Nakhom Pathom and also the shows at the Rose Garden Cultural Center were interesting. We had a great buffet lunch at the Rose Garden.

Review by:   Natwarlal M,    January 2014
must see

Review by:   Thomas A,    January 2014
A great full day of cultural highlights and wonderful experiences. Had a wonderful time :-)

Review by:   tina,    January 2014
excellent the guide was very good. The meal at the restaurant offered a variety of food all very good. The show was interesting.

Review by:   Andre O,    January 2014
The guide was awesome! Friendly, funny and enthusiastic. The tour is well organized, and the floating market is a fun place to visit. One of the problems with the tour was the stops at shops that were not listed at the tour itinerary. This added up more than an hour of tour that I didn´t want. Another thing that bothered me was the elephant ride: at first I was surprised with our stop at that place and jumped into the opportunity of close contact with that magnificent animal, but afterwards I kind of felt bad for those creatures, they didn´t look like they were well cared for, and I felt like I´ve been pushed into a trap, and spent 600 baht with something that I ended up regretting. During the ride the mahout asked us to buy some necklaces and bracelets, and also kept pushing us into tipping him.

Review by:   Li Ser Liza C,    January 2014
Enjoyable and fun! *:

Review by:   Fung Yu Sabrina C,    December 2013
not bad.

Review by:   Peter,    September 2013
Floating markets interesting enough. Cultural Center was OK. Elephant ride unique experience.

Review by:   Jason C,    September 2013
Experience culture, food and people......what could be better!?

Review by:   Gillian R,    August 2013
This was a great full day tour with lots of stops and included lunch. Our guide and driver were excellent and very jolly. The lunch at the rise gardens was really good too. The floating market was fab and we spent a fortune on lots of goodies.

Review by:   Aleksander M,    May 2013
Worth seeing. Floating market is really nice and interesting experience. Very nice guide. This is must see in Thailand.

Review by:   mkaraka,    March 2013
The floating markets were amazing. Full of life and vibrant. The cultural center seemed a little "forced" and the show a little manufactured but I would certainly recommend visiting the floating markets

Review by:   Lyn S,    September 2012
Excellent tour would recommend it. Fantastic guide and well spoken very informative. Tour was always on time.

Review by:   Belinda M,    May 2012
Great day but we spent to much time eating the wonderful lunch and didnt see alot of the centre

Review by:   Larry F,    April 2012
Loved long boat ride and the buffet. The floating gardens were nice but somewhat of a tourist trap. The show at the cultural center was nice. Glad we saw it but will probably not repeat it.

Review by:   Dinah Z,    April 2012
Interesting way to see Thai villages. The Rose Garden is beautiful and the performance is fun to watch.

Review by:   Dawn K,    April 2012
Very interesting but a bit rushed at the market.