Cha-am Wednesday Night Market

Food is the whole reason to go. Racks of ribs, curries, fried things, noodles, desserts, piles of fruit and veg, all at the sort of prices that make you order a second thing you didn't need. Eat as you walk. That's how it works here, and it works well.

Beyond the food there are clothes, souvenirs and everyday household bits, the kind of stalls that exist because Cha-am locals actually shop at them rather than because tourists wander past. It gets packed as the evening goes on. Worth knowing: a lot of the same vendors turn up at the Pae Mai Tuesday Market, which has live music and proper seating. If you can only make one, and you want somewhere to sit with a beer, the Tuesday market has the edge. This one is stalls and food, straight up.

I'd get there early rather than late. More stalls still stocked, a bit more room to move, and you can take your time instead of shuffling along in a crowd.