Booking choice: The floating and train market experience. Check dates Tour details
Damnoen Saduak sits in Ratchaburi province, about 100 km southwest of central Bangkok, 1.5 to 2 hours by road (Wikipedia). Every way of getting there runs into the same clock: the market is at its best from 7 to 9am, and the public buses start at 6am.
Times below are recent reports from 2025 and 2026. Carry cash for the buses and vans.
The quick answer
By public transport, go to the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), then take bus 78 or minivan 996, about every 40 minutes from 06:00, roughly 2 hours. A taxi or Grab gets you there for 7am; for three or four people, a day hire with the driver waiting is the easy choice. The lowest-priced group tour adds the train market and skips the touts at the drop-off.
How do you get from Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak?
By bus or minivan from the Southern Bus Terminal, by taxi or Grab, or on a day tour. Public transport is the cheapest way, and slower.
Every option, cheapest first:
| Option | Time | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 78 | About 2 hours | Southern Bus Terminal, every 40 min from 06:00 | The cheapest ride; drops about 1 km out |
| Minivan 996 | About 2 hours | Southern Bus Terminal, about every 40 min, 06:00 to 22:00 | Drops at a boat-hire square |
| A group tour with the train | An 8.5-hour day | Samyan Mitrtown, 06:30 | Solo travellers and pairs |
| Taxi or Grab | 1.5 to 2 hours | Your hotel | Three or four people, an early start |
| Car with driver | Your own schedule | Your hotel | Families; adding Maeklong |
Bus and minivan details from Thaiest (2025); car options from machupicchu.org and Lorenzigo (2026). Rome2rio lists the bus at about 2 hours 14 minutes.
Skip the terminal and the touts: the train market tour leaves Samyan Mitrtown at 06:30, longtail and train ride included.
Check dates for the floating and train market experienceHow do you get to the Southern Bus Terminal?
By taxi or Grab: it is on the Thonburi side and not on the BTS or MRT. City bus 515 runs there from Victory Monument.
The Southern Bus Terminal is called Sai Tai Mai ("new southern line") on tickets and by drivers. It has no Skytrain or metro station (Thaiest), so most people take a taxi or Grab. For the 06:00 departure, leave your hotel around 05:15. BMTA city bus 515 runs from Victory Monument, and BMTA buses take contactless Visa and Mastercard as well as cash (Khaosod English).
The minivans leave from a platform outside the main building, not from the bus bays. Older guides send you to Victory Monument; Tourist Bangkok lists vans from Mo Chit, Ekkamai, Sai Tai Kao and Sai Tai Mai (Tourist Bangkok). Sai Tai Mai is the one with the most departures.
What is the difference between bus 78 and minivan 996?
Bus 78 is a bigger air-conditioned bus that stops about 1 km from the market. Minivan 996 is quicker to fill, passes Maeklong and Amphawa, and drops you at a boat-hire square.
- Bus 78: every 40 minutes from 06:00, about 2 hours plus Bangkok traffic. It ends about 1 km from the market: walk 10 minutes or take a motorbike taxi.
- Minivan 996: 06:00 to 22:00, about every 40 minutes. It passes Mae Klong market and Amphawa on the way, which makes it the one for a two-market day. It drops at the car park of a boat-hire business, where touts wait (Thaiest).
Take the first departure. A 06:00 bus reaches the canal around 08:00, still inside the good hours. The 07:00 one arrives with the coaches.
How do you get from the bus stop to the market?
Walk 10 to 15 minutes or take a motorbike taxi. Ignore anyone who says a boat is the only way in.
From the bus 78 stop the market is about 1 km away: a 10-minute walk, or a short motorbike taxi ride (Thaiest). Tourist Bangkok found motorbike taxis waiting outside the CJ Express store. One blogger was quoted several times the usual fare for the same short hop (Grrrl Traveler), so agree the fare first. Songthaews, pickup trucks with benches, run from the Mae Khlong van station.
Wherever you land, someone will sell you a boat. How to hire one fairly and spot the scam pier is in the boat ride guide. To have the boat sorted before you leave Bangkok, the 40-minute longtail from Wandee Pier is sold ahead at a fixed price per person.
Coming by bus or taxi? Book the 40-minute longtail ahead and walk past the touts at the drop-off.
Explore the longtail boat ride Tour detailsIs a taxi or Grab to Damnoen Saduak worth it?
For three or four people starting early, yes. A one-way ride is fine for the trip out; a day hire with the driver waiting saves hunting for a car back.
A car gets you there for 7am, which no bus can. Rome2rio puts the drive from the Southern Bus Terminal at about 1 hour 20 minutes, and recent reports cover taxis and Grab from central Bangkok (Thaiest, machupicchu.org). Split between three or four people, the car is good value. A one-way fare leaves you to find a ride back. A day hire (Lorenzigo) keeps the car waiting and can add Maeklong on the way home.
The catch is commission. Tell the driver up front you want the main market at Ton Khem, not a pier, and that your boat is sorted. If the car stops at a pier 1 km early, stay in or walk.
Can you go to Damnoen Saduak without a tour?
Yes, easily. Buses run from 06:00, entry is free and the boat is optional. What you give up is the train market in the same morning, unless you plan the connection.
A do-it-yourself day:
- 05:15: taxi or Grab to the Southern Bus Terminal.
- 06:00: bus 78 or minivan 996.
- About 08:00: walk or ride the last kilometre, hire a paddle boat for an hour.
- 09:30: breakfast from the boats, then the bank paths.
- 11:00: catch a van back from in front of Damnoen Saduak Hospital (Thaiest), or go on to Maeklong for the 11:10 train.
Lorenzigo's do-it-yourself budget, boat and food included, works out per person at more than a seat on the budget tour (Lorenzigo), because one or two people pay for a whole boat. For three or four, doing it yourself wins, and you set the clock.
Both markets without planning the connection: the classic day trip runs the train market and a paddle boat in one morning.
Check dates for the Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong day tripHow do you get back to Bangkok from Damnoen Saduak?
Wait for minivan 996 or bus 78 in front of Damnoen Saduak Hospital. Vans run into the afternoon; leave by about 15:00.
The 996 picks up for Bangkok in front of Damnoen Saduak Hospital (Thaiest). Machupicchu.org puts the last returns at about 15:00 to 16:00, so don't linger past mid-afternoon.
Going via Maeklong? The railway market is about 20 km away, 15 to 20 minutes by car, and the 996 passes Mae Klong. From Maeklong, vans run back to Bangkok (train36). Train times are in Maeklong and Damnoen Saduak.
Hotel pickup between 06:00 and 07:00, both markets plus Lao Tuk Luck, and back in Bangkok by early afternoon.
Explore the railway and Lao Tuk Luck tour Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
How far is Damnoen Saduak from Bangkok?
About 100 km southwest of central Bangkok, 1.5 to 2 hours by road via Highway 4 or Highway 35, then Highway 325.
Is there a train to Damnoen Saduak?
No. The nearest railway is the Maeklong line, about 20 km away. Take bus 78 or minivan 996 from the Southern Bus Terminal instead.
What time is the first bus to Damnoen Saduak?
06:00 from the Southern Bus Terminal, for both bus 78 and minivan 996, then about every 40 minutes.
Can I take a Grab to Damnoen Saduak?
Yes. Grab fixes the fare before you ride, which saves haggling. For the way back, a day hire with the driver waiting is simpler than finding a car at the market.
Ready to book
Choose your trip
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option.
Floating Market & Train Market Experience
- Local train ride into Maeklong Railway Market
- Longtail boat ride, about 45 minutes
- Licensed English-speaking guide
Damnoen Saduak & Maeklong Railway Market
- Paddle boat ride into the floating market
- Air-conditioned coach from River City and back
- English-speaking guide (German and Japanese too)
Damnoen Saduak Longtail Boat Ride
Just the boat, booked ahead, if you come by bus or taxi
