There is a diverse selection of Thai food and crafts from the four major regions of Thailand at the Pattaya Floating Market. Take a seat and watch Thai traditional dancing.
Jump in a small boat and be paddeled around the market by your own Thai boatman.
What is Pattaya Floating Market?
The concept behind the market is to present the lifestyles and culture of the people from Northern, Central, Southern, and North Eastern regions of Thailand. When you visit the Pattaya Floating Markets you will be able to see the products that people from those regions produce to make a living. Some of these products include Thai silk, silver jewellary, silver ornaments, items made of wood, wood carvings, paper handcrafts, clothing and souvenirs. You will also have the opportunity to try the food from those regions at any of the food stalls or restaurants that are scattered around and inside the market area.
You wil find some food vendors selling thier products from small boats tied up to the walkways such as this lady selling her pan cakes..
Interested in herbal medicines? You will find many kinds of traditional Thai herbal remedies at the market. Medicines to releive your aching back or tired feet. Tired feet? You can also take a foot massage or even a full Thai traditional massage of your whole body. Now doesen't that sound nice?
The layout of the market is quite appealing but don't get the impression that you are going to be walking around on some vessel that is floating. The shops and walkways over the water are supported on stilts driven into the ground under the water. You might call it the "Jetty Market". The only real floating items are the small canoe like boats that a few of the vendors sell from. The majority of these boats are used to transport tourists around the market on scheduled tours. At 800 baht per tourist head I guess that makes more money. The lake upon which all this sits is man made.
Where is Pattaya Floating Market?
Pattaya Floating Market is located on Sukhumvit Road outside of the Pattaya City area. To get there from Pattaya Central you would travel south along Sukhumvit Road for about 8 kilometers. It usually takes around 15 minutes to get there by car from Central Road Pattaya.
How to Get To Pattaya Floating Market
If you are traveling south from Pattaya you will see the Floating Market on your left. It is well sign posted and you will probably notice a lot of tourist busses parked along Sukhumvit Road outside the entrance to the markets. Personally I wouldn't enter the market when all the tourist busses are stacked up there. It just becomes too crowded and awkward to negotiate a relaxing walk around the shops, restaurants and other attractions.
If you go to a travel shop in Pattaya or even at your hotel reception you will be offered all manner of inclusive packages to tour the Floating Market.
Local Baht Bus. You could jump on a baht bus from the intersection of Sukhumvit Road and South Pattaya Road or Central Road. The one to catch is the white baht bus. It should cost you around 30 baht one way. There is a certain baht bus protocol that foreigners are advised to implement. Bill Williams writes about that in both his eBooks After-The-Rush and Pattaya Bar Girls Guide.
