Maeklong Railway Market is one of the fascinating attractions in Bangkok. This is a must-visit place if you are visiting Bangkok. I traveled to Thailand in 2019 and visited this crowded Maeklong railway market in Bangkok for just 23 baht.
This blog post will tell you how to get to the Maeklong railway market, the cheapest way for just 23 baht. The train was very close to your nose just 3 inches.
It is an old train, simple seating arrangement, and has no fans. It consists of four carriages and a locomotive.
So, how to get to Maeklong Railway Market by train for just 23 Baht from Bangkok in a fun way.
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Pro Tip: Traveling by train is also the cheapest way to visit the Maeklong Train Market. You have to start traveling early if you are in Bangkok and do this visit in a single day. I usually call a day trip to Maeklong Railway market because you will see lots of places, shops, temples, ferry rides, train rides, etc. along the way when you are traveling from Bangkok to the railway market.
The planning to find this route needs some time because 2 trains and a ferry right one way in just 23 Baht ($ 0.30). now, don’t worry! This is a complete guide on how to get it.
What is Maeklong Railway Market?
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Maeklong Railway market is located about 80 km from Bangkok in an area called Samut Songkhram.
In the market, locals sell fruits, vegetables, home utensils, and things you don’t need on your trip. But, why do hundreds of tourists visit this market every single day due to its location alongside the railway track?
The mad thing about the Maeklong Railway Market is that one minute there are umbrellas and stalls shed everywhere. Hundreds of people went about their shopping as per usual until a train went out. The market quickly packs away right before the train goes right through the middle. Then, in a matter of seconds, it releases back into a busy market.
How to Get from Bangkok to Maeklong Railway Market
There are a few options to get to Maeklong Railway Market from Bangkok. The route you take depends on time, budget, and your adventurous life. I went by train, as it is the most scenic and cheapest.
7By Taxi
The taxi will cost you high. A taxi driver will charge 2000 Baht ($60) for a full day. But if you are four people then a taxi will be relatively a good option.
6By Minivan
It leaves from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) and the Northern Bus Terminal (near Mo Chit BTS). It costs you about 70 Baht ($2) per person.
Minivans run from the Southern Bus Terminal every 40 minutes. The journey takes 1 hour and a half (90 minutes) and drops you off right by the market.
Minivans ended their services from the Victory Monument bus terminal in 2016.
There is a minivan there from Bangkok, which is cheap and comparatively economical.
5By Bus
However, I did the longest way to get there (and perfect for backpackers like me who always try to travel on a budget) is to take the train to Maeklong Railway Market.
4By Train
Yes! You are right. The same train which is goes through the Maeklong Railway Market.
The train usually takes 3 hours for the whole journey, one way. Get a train from Wongwian Yai Station to Mahachai Station. Cross the river to Tha Chalom Pier. Get another train from Ban Laem Station to the Maeklong Railway Market.
Bonus Point: Trains have no air conditioning so only choose this option if you are ready for the Bangkok hot day.
3Train Cheap Travel Guide
I acknowledge everyone is not like a backpacker or budget traveler like me, you have options which one you want to select according to time and budget. Starting early in the morning, I did little left and came back after visiting the railway market to Bangkok by train at around 8 p.m. But it’s pretty simple and very, very cheap at just 23 baht (US Dollars 0.70 or 70 cents).
I believe one reason is that why few tourists you can find on board the train how to go to Maeklong Railway Market by train is that it’s really hard to find out information. Yesterday night before the trip to the Maeklong railway market, I just lay down on the bed patching together information from lots of different websites to get to the market most cheaply. And I found the information about the train, market, river crossing and how much budget you need to get there.
23 Baht is the cheapest budget to get to the Maeklong railway market by train.
I don’t know that all the train timings will be totally up to date when you read this blog post. but I can at least give you an idea of what to do and how to get there. I hope you will find the best and right information when you read out. I continuously updated this blog post.
2By Tour Groups
This is a convenient and tension-free way to get to the market. Tourists usually get from Bangkok to Maeklong Railway Market to take a tour which also takes place in other nearby markets like Amphawa Floating Market or Damang Saduak Floating Market. The tour cost starts from 750 Baht ($22). They often start tours very early in the morning, you can set your schedule and cost.
Maeklong Railway Market Train Schedule 2023
The train performs eight journeys a day departure and arriving at the market. So, make sure you know what the current Maeklong Train schedule is. The train runs seven days a week. You are free to choose any day to visit.
The famous Maeklong Railway Market train Timetable for 2023 is as follows:
Arrival times: 8.30 a.m., 11.10 a.m., 2.30 p.m., and 5.40 p.m.
Departure times: 6.20 a.m., 9.00 a.m., 11.30 a.m., and 3.30 p.m.
Getting from Bangkok to Maeklong Railway Market
I lived near Khaosan Road and arrived at Wongwian Yai train station in just 8 Baht ($0.20 or 20 cents) in a local non-air-conditioned public transport. Non-airconditioned public buses are cheap compared to air-conditioned public buses.
Booking.comThe Maeklong Railway Market is located in Samut Songkhram province. This is about 1-hour southwest of Bangkok, just beyond Samut Sakhon. The area is surrounded by small canals and the Mae Klong River which flows out to the ocean in the Gulf of Thailand.
Takes about 3 hours in total, one way. Get a train from Wongwian Yai Train Station to Mahachai Train Station. Cross the river (to Tha Chalom Pier). Get another train from Ban Laem Train Station to the Maeklong Railway Market.
I break this lovely journey from Bangkok to Maeklong Railway Market will take four steps.
Step 1 Wangwian Yai Railway Station to MahaChai Railway Station
Yes! This cool journey starts in Bangkok, where all tourists stay and have fun.
Precisely, the journey begins at Wongwian Yai Railway Station which is across the Chao Phraya river in the west of the city. It is 10 10-minute’ walk away from the BTS station.
The train takes you to a place called MahaChai train station which is about 45 km away from Bangkok. There are two train runs in the morning at 7:40 and 8:35. My recommendation is to take earlier to avoid getting the next train from Ban Laem train station.
First, I arrived at Wangwian Yai Railway Station. The station consists of a single train track, one platform, and one small ticket office, and get your ticket for just 10 Baht ($ 0.30).
However, what a platform it is. There are some vendors selling things on a single platform. The platform is about 150 m long, I roam around the whole platform and station. There is a small waiting area or sitting area too.
I loved this train journey. The train is shaking and sounds a lot. It takes about an hour but it passes through hundreds of tiny houses and bushes so close to you could almost touch them (don’t, no-one want to lose a finger on a trip or never). You can see many magnificent temples along the way to MahaChai.
Some stations even don’t have a platform. Just Train stops and people board the train.
This is a great train journey where you can see Bangkok you’d never generally get to visit.
This journey has no air-conditioning on the train, but the windows and doors are all open so it’s cool and windy.
1Schedule of Wangwian Railway Market
I get on a train from Wangwian Yai to Maha Chai railway station and the ticket cost is about 10 Baht ($0.30). The first train departs from Wangwian Yai Railway Station at 5:30 a.m. and the last train is at 8:10 p.m.
Step 2 Maha Chai Train Station to Tha Chalom Pier Ferry Terminal
When you arrive at MahaChai train station, you’ll be confused.
Because you are in a market. But no, wait this is not Maeklong market. Like the same Mae Klong train goes through the market and all.
Step 3 Tha Chalom Pier Ferry Terminal to Ban Laem Railway Station
After arriving at Maha Chai Train station, I walked to the Tha Chalom Pier Ferry Terminal which is around 250 meters.
Buy a ferry ticket for just 03 Baht ($0.10) and get on the ferry. People usually use the ferry to cross the Maeklong River. The Ferry journey takes 02 minutes to cross the river. I just waited 02 minutes to get enough people for the ferry.
Now get off the ferry and walk around 600 meters to reach Ban Laem Railway Station. The way is very simple.
You can visit a Giant Buddha Statue (Wat Laem Suwannaram) near the Ban Laem Railway Station if you have reached the station earlier.
I missed the train and visited this Giant Buddha temple. Watch the video below this post.
Step 4 Ban Laem Railway Station to Maeklong Railway Market
Take a train from Ban Laem Railway station to Maeklong Railway market station, the ticket is also 10 baht ($0.30) and only just 04 journeys to the train market for a whole day. So, if you travel by this route please focus on train timing and the timing is (Ban Laem to Maeklong):
07:30
10:10
13:30
16:40
See the complete route in the below Google Map.
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Will you visit or have visited Maeklong Railway Market once in your life? If yes! Please feel free to mention your thoughts in the comments.
If you like this post, why not share it on different social media platforms? You can help show other people how to get to Maeklong Railway Market on a budget and visit Bangkok which is an that area usually tourists don’t visit.
Have you traveled to this market from Bangkok for just 23 Baht ($0.70)? If yes, comment below. For more detailed information, please watch my video (below).
