Taling Chan Floating Market

First, this isn't really a floating market. It's a land market beside Khlong Chak Phra, in front of the Taling Chan District Office, with a few boats selling bits and pieces and dining platforms that sit on the water so the floor shifts gently under you while you eat. It started in 1987 and still draws mostly Thai weekend crowds. If you came for rows of vendors paddling produce past your table, you'll be disappointed. If you came to eat well, you'll do fine.

It runs on Saturday and Sunday only, from about 08:00 to late afternoon. Google lists 08:00 to 16:30 and some guides say 17:00, so I wouldn't arrive after 15:00. There's nothing to pay to walk in, and Thai music usually plays from late morning into early afternoon.

The food is the reason to go. Grilled fish and seafood on the floating platforms are what the market is known for. Pick your fish, hand it over and it comes back grilled to the water's edge, for around 200 baht going by reviewers. I'd stick to things cooked in front of you. Reviewers have flagged sliced fruit and mochi sitting out too long in the heat, and I'd trust them on that.

Boat trips leave from the market, and the prices published online vary a lot. Shared boats to the nearby canal markets run about ฿70 to ฿100 a seat, the short loop to Wat Ko with a 20-minute stop is about ฿80, the longtail to Khlong Bang Luang about ฿200, and a private boat for up to four about ฿1,000. Ask at the pier before you board. Song Khlong Floating Market at Wat Taling Chan is about 250 meters away if you want a second stop.

There's no train to the door. Bus 79 runs direct from Siam Paragon, CentralWorld and Platinum, or take the MRT Blue Line to Bang Khun Non, about 4 km away, and a taxi or motorbike taxi from there. A taxi from central Bangkok runs about ฿150 to ฿200. Go early for the best food and the coolest air.