Things to do near the Maeklong railway market and around it

The Maeklong railway market in Samut Songkhram sits inside a province that TAT calls the smallest in Thailand by size, yet one that offers numerous unique attractions, with the Mae Klong River running through it.¹ TAT puts the province a mere 65 kilometres from the capital.⁷ For a visitor that combination is useful: the sights are close to each other, and several are tied to the water.

The practical result is that you can build a good day around the railway market without long transfers. A temple, a floating market, a seafood stop and a riverside park can all share an afternoon, as long as you pick the order to suit the day's timetable. The train passing at the railway market is the one fixed event; the rest can bend around it. A relaxed pace also helps in the heat, and it leaves you with energy for the stops that need a little walking.

Think of the market as an anchor and the rest of the province as a ring of short trips around it. This page groups those trips by what they offer, so you can pick the ones that match your energy, your interests and the time you have, and still get back to Bangkok at a sensible hour. Leave some spare time for the unplanned, since small provinces reward a loose schedule and the stops are never far apart.

Wat Bang Kung is the temple that stands out. TAT says it dates from the Ayutthaya period and was forgotten for 200 years while the jungle closed in, then restored in 1967, yet the whole building is still wrapped in the roots of a banyan tree.^19,2 Inside there are ancient murals and an impressive Buddha image, and outside stand dozens of life-sized Muay Thai fighter statues.³ It is a rewarding place for a photograph, so go in the quieter part of the morning if you want the statues without the crowd.

The statues have a story. TAT explains that the statues commemorate General Phraya Phichai, a devotee of Muay who took on the Burmese in this area in 1768 with King Taksin the Great.²⁰ It is the kind of local history that a plain temple visit would not hint at, and it turns an interesting photo stop into a small lesson in how the region fits into Thai history. Stand back from the figures to see the dance-like poses in full, and spend a minute on the murals inside before you go back out to the heat.

Wat Bangkhae Noi is the other temple worth the detour. TAT describes carved wooden panels inside the main hall, depicting episodes of the Buddha's life and Thai legends.¹⁶ If time is short, choose the banyan temple for the spectacle and the carved panels for the craft, and keep your visit short enough to respect the quiet. The panels reward a slow look, so give yourself time, speak quietly and keep to the paths marked for visitors during your stay there.

The Chang-Eng Siamese Memorial is one of the region's stranger sights: twin statues for the famous conjoined twins who were natives of Samut Songkhram, born in 1811, with a hall that tells their biography.¹⁷ It is an easy stop for readers who like unexpected stories, and it connects a small provincial town to a name known around the world. The memorial is a short stop rather than a destination, and it fits neatly between a temple and a lunch.

In Amphawa, the Amphawa Chai Pattananurak Project turns local canal houses into galleries and gift shops with handicraft and gastronomy demonstrations, and the King Rama II Memorial Park hosts evening programmes and festivals, including a Loi Krathong event with banana-stem cups floated on the river.^27,28 Both are good for travellers who want something calmer than the market. Go in the late afternoon for the light on the canal, and carry a small light layer in case the evening breeze picks up on the water side.

Another TAT itinerary combined the railway market, the Tha Kha floating market and the Thana Market, which TAT calls 140 years old, in one run, showing how the markets of this corner of the Gulf can be linked.²⁹ If you are collecting markets, this is the area to do it, and each one has its own food, its own boats and its own pace. Compare the stalls before you buy and sample where you can, since each market has its own local specialities and small differences in what is on offer.