Pattaya Floating Market: tickets, hours and what to expect

Pattaya Floating Market stands on the inland side of Sukhumvit Road, about 10 km by road from Beach Road and closer still to Jomtien. Behind a large car park, a site of about 100,000 square metres is laid out as a lake crossed by canals, wooden bridges and boardwalks, with shophouses built on stilts over the water. Its Thai name, Talat Nam Si Phak, means the floating market of the four regions.

What is Pattaya Floating Market?

It is a purpose-built tourist attraction, established in 2008. It is not a historic trading market, and it was never a place where farmers brought produce by boat. The canals were dug for it, the timber houses were designed to show regional building styles, and foreign visitors pay an entry fee. Thailand's long-established canal markets are in the provinces west of Bangkok, a long way from Pattaya.

Judged for what it is, the market makes a pleasant half-day: a compact, walkable display of Thai regional food, crafts and architecture, with vendors cooking and selling from boats and cultural performances every day. It suits a first visit to Thailand, families with children and anyone who wants to taste dishes from several regions in one place.

For open-air markets where residents eat and shop in the evening, with no entry fee, see the guide to night markets in Pattaya.

How much is the entry ticket and what does it include?

Foreign visitors buy a ticket at the entrance. Thai nationals enter free on showing a national identity card. The ticket gives access to the whole site: the four regional zones, the boardwalks and bridges, the craft demonstrations and the daily cultural performances. Boat rides, food, costume rental and activities are paid separately inside, or bought with the entry as a combined ticket.

Carry cash in small notes, since boat vendors and small stalls prefer it. A budget of 1,000 to 1,500 THB per person covers entry, a boat ride, a full meal and a souvenir. Prices for snacks and souvenirs run above those of a street market in town.

Buying online in advance saves little on a 200 THB ticket. It is useful mainly for the bundles with a boat ride or costume rental, and those vouchers have their own conditions, described below.

What are the opening hours and when should you go?

The market opens every day from 09:00 to 19:00. Resellers print 18:00 as the closing time, with last admission at 17:00 on their vouchers, so check the conditions if you prepay.

Mornings are calm and good for photographs, with the walkways still quiet in the first hour after opening. Afternoons are livelier and more crowded, and that is when the cultural performances are concentrated. If you want both, arrive at about 15:00: you catch the shows, then eat and take a boat as the day cools and the groups leave. Avoid the middle of the day from March to May, when the heat on the open bridges is tiring.

What do the four zones contain?

The site is divided into four sections, each built in the vernacular style of one region of Thailand and selling its food and crafts.

• North: Chiang Mai textiles and hill-tribe handicrafts, with khao soi curry noodles to eat.
• Northeast (Isan): handwoven silk, and grills turning out meats eaten with sticky rice and som tam.
• Central: the classic canal-side scene of boat noodles, pad thai and Thai sweets.
• South: batik cloth, seafood and coconut curries.

Between the zones you find craft workshops built around the idea of learning a technique and making something yourself, stages for classical Thai dance, Muay Thai demonstrations and live music, and shops offering Thai head and foot massage. Typical purchases are wood carvings, textiles, silverware, handmade toys and traditional Thai clothing.

How do the boat rides work?

The classic ride is a traditional wooden rowing boat paddled by a boatman. It follows the canals past the stilt houses and floating kitchens for 15 to 20 minutes and takes up to six passengers. You pay per person inside the market or buy a combined ticket.

Wear a life jacket on any boat and put one on every child, whatever the depth of the water. Step into the middle of the boat, sit down before it moves and keep hands inside when passing other boats and bridge posts.

The boat is not needed to see the market, since every shop is reached by the boardwalks. It is worth taking once for the view from water level and for the experience of buying a snack from a vendor alongside.

What food should you try?

Food is the best reason to come. Dishes are sold in small portions from stalls and boats, which lets you eat your way across the country in one walk.

• Boat noodles (kuay teow reua): small bowls of rice noodles in a dark, spiced broth. Order several.
• Khao soi: northern curry noodle soup with crisp noodles on top.
• Som tam with grilled meat and sticky rice: the Isan lunch, pounded to order. Ask for mild (mai phet) if you do not eat chilli.
• Pad thai: stir-fried rice noodles, also made without meat.
• Grilled giant prawns and other seafood in the southern zone: confirm the price before ordering.
• Khanom krok and mango sticky rice: small coconut pancakes cooked in a dimpled pan, and the country's best-known dessert.
• Coconut ice cream and fresh fruit.

A few stalls sell grilled crocodile and fried scorpions for the curious. Vegetarians do well with fruit, sweets, vegetable pad thai and stir-fried vegetables with rice: ask for jay, the Thai word for food without meat or fish. The dishes themselves are explained in what to eat in Pattaya.

How do you get there and how long should you allow?

The address is 451/304 Moo 12, Sukhumvit Road, Nong Prue. The entrance is on the left when you drive south along Sukhumvit from central Pattaya, and the trip takes 15 to 20 minutes outside rush hour.

1. Ride-hailing app or taxi: 150 to 250 THB each way from central Pattaya. Agree the fare before leaving if the taxi has no meter, and use the app for the return.
2. Songthaew: the shared pick-ups that run along Sukhumvit Road pass the entrance, for 15 THB on a trip of up to 10 km. From Beach Road or Jomtien you first need to reach Sukhumvit, so allow extra time.
3. Own transport: a large car park lies in front of the entrance, with separate bays for coaches.

Routes and fares for songthaews and apps are set out in getting around Pattaya.

Allow two to three hours for a full circuit, a boat ride and a meal. The market pairs naturally with an afternoon on nearby Jomtien Beach, or with the attractions further south on Sukhumvit Road such as Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. With children, add it to the ideas in Pattaya with kids.