Last Updated on February 21, 2023 by Sam
The Wat Saphan Floating Market is one of Bangkok’s smaller and more authentic floating markets. It’s got a much more authentic feel than the larger Damneon Saduak Floating Market and Amphawa Floating Market – both of which are located outside of Bangkok itself. Located in Bangkok’s Taling Chan District, Wat Saphan Floating Market is accessible via public transport, and can easily be combined with visits to the nearby Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Taling Chan Floating Market. As it’s a small market, there are only a few boat stalls – but there is still a nice selection of local food, produce, and goods for you to discover at other stalls. Find out everything you need to know about the Wat Saphan Floating Market below!
Planning to visit some night markets in Bangkok? Check out our guide to the brilliant Jodd Fairs Night Market – one of the city’s best night markets!
How to get to Wat Saphan Floating Market
Public Transport
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to get to the Wat Saphan Floating Market, you can take public transport. There are no MRT or BTS Skytrain stations particularly close to the market, but thankfully there is a free electric shuttle bus to the market from one of the nearby stations.
The free BMA feeder buses follow a circular route from Bang Khun Non MRT Station, stopping at Song Khlong Floating Market, Taling Chan Floating Market, Southern Bus Terminal, Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, Flower Market Thailand, and Wat Saphan Floating Market. This means it’s a great way to get to the market if you want to visit some of the other nearby floating markets in the same trip!
Bang Khun Non Station is located on the MRT Blue Line, so if you’re near another station on the blue line then you can take a train directly there. Alternatively, you may need to connect from another MRT line or even from the BTS Skytrain. Prices will vary depending on the distance of your journey, but thankfully public transport in Bangkok is cheap.
Free shuttle buses depart from just outside exit 3 of Bang Khun Non Station, running every 20-30 minutes from 9am until 4.30pm. As the floating markets are only open on weekends, the shuttle buses only run on weekends too.
The Wat Saphan Floating Market has opening hours of 8am to 3.30pm, so bear in mind that some of the later buses won’t get you to the market in time before it closes. We recommend downloading the Viabus app and searching for the ‘4 floating market shuttle bus’ route as it gives live updates of where the buses are. It’s an extremely helpful way to track buses across the city, which is why the app is on our list of best apps for travelling Bangkok!
Taxi
If you’re more concerned with saving time than saving money then the easiest and quickest way to get to the market is by taxi. It’s around a 20-30 minute drive to the market from central Bangkok, although at busy times the traffic may make the journey longer.
Taxis in Thailand and Bangkok are fairly cheap, but will end up costing more than public transport in most instances. Unless you’re on a tight budget, it can be worth paying more for a taxi to save some time.
A taxi from central Bangkok to Wat Saphan Floating Market should cost around 200-400 Baht, depending on your exact starting point. The easiest way to get a taxi is to use the Grab or Bolt taxi apps, as that way the price is confirmed before you book your ride. It’s worth noting that prices may increase during busy periods when using these apps.
Find out more about Grab and Bolt in our guide to the best apps for travelling Thailand!
If you do take a taxi then you can still make use of the free shuttle bus around the floating markets. We highly recommend doing this as personally we think that Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Taling Chan Floating Market are more impressive than Wat Saphan.
Boat Trip
If you’re visiting the nearby Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, then you also have the option to take a boat trip to the Wat Saphan Floating Market. Boat trips from the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market should cost no more than 100 Baht and often visit the Wat Saphan market – although it’s worth checking you will definitely stop here before you pay for your trip!
Best time to visit Wat Saphan Floating Market
The Wat Saphan Floating Market is only open on weekends, with opening hours of 8am to 3.30pm. It’s one of the smaller floating markets in the Taling Chan District of Bangkok, so it doesn’t tend to be particularly busy.
As the market doesn’t get overly busy there is no need to get there too early to avoid crowds. If you’re planning to visit Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Taling Chan Floating Market then we recommend visiting these earlier in the day as they get much busier, and then you can head over to Wat Saphan Floating Market a bit later on.
Tips for visiting Wat Saphan Floating Market
Visit other nearby markets – Although Wat Saphan Floating Market is a nice spot to visit, it’s definitely worth visiting Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and Taling Chan Floating Market whilst you’re nearby. These two floating markets are larger and more impressive, and you can take the free shuttle bus to get there too!
If you want to try something different then you can also visit the Pak Khlong Talat Flower Market, which is also on the free bus route.
Bring cash – Most vendors at the market only accept cash, so be sure to bring enough Thai baht to cover your purchases. It’s best to have some coins and smaller notes, as some stalls won’t have change for bigger notes like 1,000 baht.
Negotiate on prices – It’s often possible to negotiate on prices at market stalls in Asia, so make sure to haggle a bit to get a good deal. If you aren’t satisfied with the price a good tactic is to start walking away, as in some instances the vendor will offer a better deal.
In some cases stalls will have signs up saying that their prices are non-negotiable, so don’t try haggling if that’s the case. Food and drink stalls tend to have fairly set prices too, so we wouldn’t recommend trying to negotiate a lower price there either.
Food stalls – The market is home to a number of food and drinks stalls, and prices tend to be quite cheap – so make sure to try some delicious local cuisine during your visit!
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