Undoubtedly, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Thailand is the floating market of Damnoen Saduak. Located within the Ratchaburi Province, just over 100km from Bangkok proper, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is akin to a time machine, warping tourists and locals alike back through hundreds of years of rich Thai heritage. From the Landmark Hotel, visitors are within an hour and a half of experiencing this amazing bastion of traditional Thai culture.
 

The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market has been an important source of trade and social gathering for Thai people since the reign of King Rama IV in the mid 1800’s. Boasting a vast range of fruit, vegetables, hand-crafted products, and tours that captivate hundreds and thousands of tourists and locals annually, the floating market provides the ideal day-trip destination for both first-timers and return enthusiasts.
 

Regardless of which day of the week travelers decide to visit, the ambiance at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market will entice your senses from the moment you arrive. One of the most popular products for purchase is the food. Basking in traditional cuisine, the floating market offers travelers a seemingly limitless array of food and drink to choose from. There are sit-down restaurants beside the canals of Damnoen Saduak, with traditional and modern Thai menus.
 

However, for a traditional Thai experience, opt for the ‘open eateries’ along the canal, which usually specialize in one or two dishes, such as noodles or soups. Here, customers sit by the canal side, order food from a boat merchant and enjoy. Although the price is rather cheap, the food is delectable. Don’t be surprised if you order two or three bowls of the same dish before continuing on with your tour.
 

Those travelers who are not looking for a sit-down menu, the surplus of stalls along the market place offer a variety of food and drink to choose from. Everything from fresh fruits like pomelo, watermelon, and papaya, to traditional Thai ice-cream, to icy cola in plastic bags is available. The canals, however, are the busiest areas of trade, pulsating with hundreds of boats, filled with locally grown agricultural products on a daily basis.
 

Away from the food, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market offers a wide range of goods for purchase. Thai silk, traditional clothing, contemporary accessories, wooden handicraft, children’s toys and many other miscellaneous items can be found, bargained, and bought along the watery market place. Thailand is renowned for haggling prices, and the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is no exception. However, a point to remember is that bargaining in Thailand is generally considered a light-hearted affair, and is best achieved while remaining polite and wearing a smile.
 

In addition to goods, boating tours along the canals of Damnoen Saduak are provided. Journeying by boat to the Rose Garden in Nakhon Pathom Province, which features traditional Thai villages, and a spectacular elephant and culture show, is an absolute must. The afternoon performances only last for 40-odd minutes, but they will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your entire Thai escape. As a point of interest, the world famous Siamese Twins came from this area.
 

Getting to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market can be arranged from the hotel concierge. However, the usual tour departs early in order to arrive at the market during the morning activities. Be warned, it is popular and somewhat touristy, so private tours that get there ahead of the crowds are suggested.
 

There are several other floating markets scattered around the outer Bangkok peripheries, but are generally perceived as modern attempts of Damnoen Saduak, lacking the façade of true traditional influences. Nevertheless, they still remain quite popular with locals and an increasing number of tourists, boasting traditional food, shopping, and boat tours. Some of these floating markets include Ampawan in Samut Songkhram Province, Bangkok Noi in the Taling Chan district of Bangkok, and Pattaya’s Floating-4-Markets theme park.