Samut Sakhon Travel Guide | Fishing Port of Mahachai

Geography & Climate

The Tha Chin and the Salt Coast

Samut Sakhon sits on the upper Gulf, about 30 kilometres from Bangkok by Rama II Road, where the Tha Chin — a branch of the Chao Phraya — runs out to the sea. The province covers 872.347 square kilometres of coastal plain, a metre or two above the tide. The river winds about 70 kilometres through the middle and meets the gulf in Mueang Samut Sakhon. Nakhon Pathom lies to the north, Bangkok to the east, Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi to the west, and the gulf along 41.8 kilometres of south coast. Three districts make the whole of it: Mueang Samut Sakhon, Krathum Baen, and Ban Phaeo. Mahachai stands on the east bank, the fishing quarter of Tha Chalom on the west, and the town is about two kilometres from the sea.

Ban Phaeo and Krathum Baen, to the north, are fresh-water garden land — coconut and fruit — cut by more than 170 canals, some old and some dug for the fields. The south, in Mueang, is the working coast: salt pans, fish ponds, and the fishing port, with the market and the factories gathered at the mouth. The climate is tropical, wet under the southwest monsoon and drier under the northeast. Cooler days run from about mid-October to mid-February, December and January the mildest. Mid-February into May is hot, April the hottest month, and the dry sun is what turns the pans white. Rain falls from mid-May to mid-October and is heaviest in October. The year averages about 28.7°C and about 988 millimetres. In the rains the tide still lies on the low ground.

Best time: November – February for cooler, drier days on the river and the coast; March – May for the white salt pans, though the afternoons are hot; May – October brings the rain, and October is the wettest.

History & Heritage

A Port Called Tha Chin

The river still carries the old name of the town. Before it was a city, the ground at the mouth was Ban Tha Chin, the Chinese pier, a large settlement where junks tied up to trade and to stay. In 1556 (B.E. 2099), under King Maha Chakkraphat, Ban Tha Chin was raised to the town of Sakhon Buri, a place to call out the levies and a gate against enemies coming by sea. On 17 and 18 December 1687 (B.E. 2230) Claude Céberet, of the French embassy, wrote the port down on his way to Mae Klong: one small brick fort, walls about ten feet high, no moat and no gate, a few fighting towers, and small brass guns. A little town, and still a port that mattered.

Late in Ayutthaya, King Sanphet VIII — King Suea — came down by water and took the bends of Khlong Khok Kham. The royal barge Ekachai struck a branch and the prow broke. Palace law laid that fault on the helmsman. Phanthai Norasing, who had the tiller, asked the king to keep the law, and the sentence was carried out. A shrine stands on that ground, and the tambon still bears his name. King Suea then ordered a straighter canal from Thonburi to the mouth, in place of Khlong Khok Kham, and died before the dig was finished. King Thai Sa completed it and named it Khlong Mahachai. A settlement grew on the bank at the canal’s mouth and took the same name. People still call the town Mahachai.

In 1828 (B.E. 2371) King Nangklao had Phraya Choduek Rachasetthi build a brick fort to hold the mouth of the Tha Chin, and named it Wichian Chodok. Three sides of it still stand by the city pillar. In the fourth reign King Mongkut renamed Sakhon Buri as Samut Sakhon, which the province reads as a city of the sea and the river.

Under King Chulalongkorn the court turned to local boards. On 18 March 1905 (B.E. 2448) a royal command raised tambon Tha Chalom to a sanitary district, Sukhaphiban Tha Chalom, the first set up in the provinces. In 1913 (B.E. 2456), under King Vajiravudh, the word mueang was changed to changwat throughout the kingdom, and Samut Sakhon took the title of a province. On 1 January 1943 (B.E. 2486) the province was folded into Thonburi, and the three districts went with it. The act published on 9 May 1946 (B.E. 2489) split Mueang Samut Sakhon, Krathum Baen, and Ban Phaeo back out, and set the province up again.

Covered boats and thatched houses along a canal, coconut palms behind them

Top Attractions

Places Not to Miss

West of the Tha Chin, the canals of Ban Phaeo, and the benjarong yards of Krathum Baen: a junk-hulled viharn, whale bones at Ban Bo, salt at Kalong, and the distance posts of Khlong Damnoen Saduak. The places that shape a day here, listed A to Z.

Ao Mahachai Mangrove Forestพื้นที่ศึกษาธรรมชาติป่าชายเลนอ่าวมหาชัย · ศูนย์วิจัยและพัฒนาทรัพยากรป่าชายเลนที่ 2

The learning ground is the west side of Ao Mahachai National Reserved Forest, about 3,872 rai of mangrove at the mouth of the Tha Chin. The office on the gate is Mangrove Resources Research and Development Centre No. 2, Samut Sakhon, at 120 Moo 6, Bang Ya Phraek. A boardwalk of about 1.5 kilometres runs through the rhizophora. In the cool months the mud holds migratory shorebirds; the provincial note counts more than twenty kinds on a good winter day. The yard has taken campers, and planting days are posted at the centre. The DMCR line is 034 498 262. Read the board for the day’s path.

Location · 120 Moo 6, Bang Ya Phraek, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Atthaphon Date Palm Farmอรรถพลอินทผลัมฟาร์ม

A farmstay in Suan Som, laid across coconut, date palms, and shrimp ponds. The counter pours fresh date juice, and in season the kitchen makes a som tam with the fruit. Ask which beds are picking before you go.

Location · Suan Som, Ban Phaeo

Baan Suan Chamchuenบ้านสวนแช่มชื่น · ตลาดริมคลองดำเนินสะดวก

An orchard and a homestay in Yok Krabat, with a small floating market on Khlong Damnoen Saduak and a room of old farm tools. You pick the fruit in season, and a boat will take the canal if one is running. The same house lets rooms. Ask which trees are open, and agree the boat before you sit down.

Location · Yok Krabat, Ban Phaeo

Ban Chai Thale Rang Chanบ้านชายทะเลรางจันทร์ · สะพานเขียว

A fishing hamlet on the Rang Chan shore. A long green bridge runs out over the mud to the sea, and a small monastic shelter keeps Buddha images toward the water. The view is the whole circle of flats, mangrove, and gulf. Come on a falling tide if you want the mud, and on a clear evening if you want the sun on the bridge. It is a living village. Stay on the walkway.

Location · Rang Chan, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Ban Khlong Khaeชุมชนท่องเที่ยวบ้านคลองแค

An orchard village on the canal in Lak Sam, growing fruit and selling the season from the garden. The kitchens make Thai sweets. At the weekend a community water park opens, with a zip line and paddle boats, and the village asks that those runs stay under its own staff. Phone before you count on the park.

Location · Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo

Ban Krachom Thongชุมชนท่องเที่ยวบ้านกระโจมทอง · หลวงพ่อสาย

A canal village that keeps Thai and Mon ways side by side. Boats go out on the khlong, a folk museum holds the old household things, and a mud house is kept as it was lived in. Luang Pho Sai — Phra Khru Sakhon Suwanakhun, Sai Sri-on, born 20 November 1906 — was abbot of Wat Krachom Thong in Lak Song from 1939. The sufficiency-economy yard is part of the walk. It is a working village. Ask which bases are open.

Location · Lak Song, Ban Phaeo

Ban Nong Nok Khaiศูนย์การเรียนรู้เศรษฐกิจพอเพียงบ้านหนองนกไข่

A sufficiency-economy yard in Nong Nok Khai. The walk is the fields, and the pens take visitors who want to feed the cows, the buffalo, the fish, and the chickens. The village board lists a 2008 prize, Yu Yen Pen Suk, given in Princess Sirindhorn’s name. It is a working village. Ask which bases are open, and stay off a bed that is still in crop.

Location · Nong Nok Khai, Krathum Baen

Ban Phaeo Floating Marketตลาดน้ำบ้านแพ้ว · ตลาด 100 ปี

The old market of Ban Phaeo, on Khlong Damnoen Saduak in Lak Sam. The old-quarter survey lists two-storey wooden shophouses in a long row, facing the water. It was the trading floor when the road had not yet arrived. Some rooms are shut now, and some still sell food, sweets, and garden fruit. People call it the hundred-year market. Long-tail boats leave from the pier by the district office. Read the board at the pier before you sit down.

Location · Lak Sam, beside the district office

Bang Ya Phraek Suspension Bridgeสะพานแขวนกลางป่า บางหญ้าแพรกฝั่งตะวันตก

A wooden suspension bridge in the mangrove on the west side of Bang Ya Phraek, in the same forest as the research centre. The village keeps a low span and a higher one. The boards can be slick after rain, and the tide comes under them. It is a walk, not a park with a ticket window. Go in daylight.

Location · West Bang Ya Phraek, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Boonsong Rabbit Farmบุญส่ง แรบบิท ฟาร์ม

A breeding farm in Lak Sam. The pens hold imported lines — Mini Rex, Holland Lop, Netherland Dwarf, Teddy Bear, and others. It is a working farm. Ask before you handle an animal, and ask which pens visitors may see that day.

Location · Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo

Buran Benjarongบุราณเบญจรงค์

A benjarong workshop and showroom in Khlong Maduea. The pieces are contemporary, painted and lined in gold, and some have gone out as gifts. Ask which room is open to visitors, and pick a bowl up before you buy it. The gold line should be even.

Location · Khlong Maduea, Krathum Baen

Chao Pho Samrit Shrineศาลเจ้าพ่อสำเร็จ · โรงเจไท้เอ็กติ้ว

A Chinese shrine and vegetarian hall in Nong Song Hong. People ask Chao Pho Samrit for work, trade, and a turn of luck, and a figure of Guan Yu stands on the roof, about nine metres. The hall keeps the vegetarian rite. Dress for a shrine, and ask before you go into a room set aside for the fast.

Location · Nong Song Hong, Ban Phaeo

Charoen Phon Gardenสวนเจริญผล

A grape orchard in Chet Rio. The picking runs from the start of the year into about April, and the counter sells the fruit you do not eat on the vine. Phone in season. Outside those months the vines are leaves.

Location · Chet Rio, Ban Phaeo

Coastal Chalom Model Boatsกลุ่มเรือจำลองฉลอมชายฝั่ง

A bench that keeps the lines of the chalom, the sailing boat of this gulf, in miniature. The group works from the research of Thongchai Saisaengchan. It is a workshop, not a gallery with set hours. Ask before you go, and ask before you handle a hull.

Location · Chalom coast, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Don Kaidee Benjarong Villageหมู่บ้านเบญจรงค์ดอนไก่ดี

Don Kaidee paints benjarong in the houses. The five colours and the gold line are the work, and the benches people ask for are Urai, Panrada, Daeng, and Nulek. It is a living lane, not a factory tour. Ask which studio is firing that day, and agree a price before a piece is packed.

Location · Don Kaidee, Krathum Baen

Duang Chinda Fruit Gardenสวนผลไม้ดวงจินดา

An orchard in Lak Sam you can walk. The season decides the basket: mulberry, dragon fruit, mango, longan, and a red tamarind the garden calls Siam. The counter also sells the fruit already made up, mulberry yogurt among it. Buy what is ripe that week.

Location · Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo

Kalong Beachชายทะเลกาหลง · สะพานสายรุ้ง

A coloured wooden bridge and a concrete viewing pier share the Kalong shore, side by side, with the gulf on one hand and the salt coast on the other. The Tourism Directory lists them together as the rainbow bridge and the Kalong sea viewpoint. People come for the photograph, a bicycle, and the long view. Wind off the water is the weather. The pier is a walkway, not a swimming beach.

Location · Kalong, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Kalong Salt Fieldsนาเกลือกาหลง

Kalong, on the south coast, is one of the grounds where the province still rakes sea salt. In the dry months the pans turn white, and some of them take a pink cast before the harvest. The work is under the sheds as much as on the pans: baskets, a shoulder pole, and salt poured out to drain. These are working fields. Ask before you step onto a bund, and keep off a pan that is still making. The hot months, into May, are when the white shows best.

Location · Kalong, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Khlong Sunak Honคลองสุนัขหอน

A canal of about 30 kilometres from the Tha Chin, through Tha Chin, Bang Krachao, Ban Bo, Bang Thorat, Kalong, and Na Khok, and on to the Mae Klong in Samut Songkhram. This Bang Krachao is the tambon in Mueang Samut Sakhon. The local telling of the name is the dogs: night boats and voices on a quiet canal, and the dogs answering down the bank. Mon households from Mawlamyine settled the Bang Krachao reach in late Ayutthaya. Nipa and lamphu still line the water, and the lamphu carry fireflies. Evening boats leave from the sala of Wat Charoen Sukharam, Moo 2. The lamps show best on a dark night in the rains. Agree the hour at the sala, keep quiet, and leave the insects on the trees.

Location · Bang Krachao, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Krachakhao Beachชายทะเลกระซ้าขาว

The shore of Ban Bo, a quiet reach of mangrove, mud, and small homestays. Kitchens on the lane cook what the boats bring in, and the prices stay with the village. Hosts have taken visitors out for shells, crabs, and a planting day in the mangrove. It is a working coast. Ask which boats are going. The water here is a fishery.

Location · Ban Bo, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Krachakhao Fishery Villageหมู่บ้านชาวประมงกระซ้าขาว

The fishing village of Ban Krachakhao, named for the shell hash of an old seabed. Blue nets are strung over the lanes to dry the catch, which is why people call it the blue village. The counters sell dried seafood and shrimp paste. Walk the lanes in the morning, when the nets are working, and buy from a shed that will tell you the day the paste was made.

Location · Ban Bo, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Krachom Thong Coconut Shellวิสาหกิจชุมชนกลุ่มงานกะลาเอกบ้านกระโจมทอง

A community workshop that turns coconut shell into lamps, tissue boxes, and small things for a house. The pieces are cut and polished in the village. Ask which makers are at the bench, and pick a piece up before you buy it. The shell should be smooth, and the joint tight.

Location · Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo

Krathum Baen Cowboy Marketตลาดกระทุ่มแบนไนท์อินเทรนด์ · คาวบอยวินเทจ

A night market across from Wat Nang Sao, built as a cowboy street. Stalls sell food and clothes, there is room to sit, and a band plays. It opens after dark. The board moves. Read the gate.

Location · Opposite Wat Nang Sao, Tha Mai, Krathum Baen

Lak Ha Floating Marketตลาดน้ำหลักห้า · ตลาดน้ำสามวัฒนธรรม

Lak Ha is the fifth distance post on Khlong Damnoen Saduak. The posts stand about four kilometres apart, eight of them, along 33.6 kilometres from the Tha Chin at Bang Yang to the Mae Klong. Each post carries Thai numerals, Roman letters, and Chinese characters, which is the three scripts of the name. The market walk begins at the mouth of Khlong Rong Khe, on the line between Rong Khe in Ban Phaeo and Prasat Sit in Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi, and runs about 800 metres past Wat Prasat Sit. In that court is Luang Pho Trairat Rot Rit, and a statue of Chaophraya Si Suriyawong (Chuang Bunnag), who had the canal dug. Mae Rabiap’s boat noodles still tie up along the bank. Come in the morning. The far end of the walk is already Ratchaburi.

Location · Mouth of Khlong Rong Khe, Lak Ha, Ban Phaeo

Living Museumพิพิธภัณฑ์มีชีวิต · ค่ายวิทยาศาสตร์พื้นบ้าน

Police Colonel Paitoon Permsiriwisarn built this yard in Moo 6, Tha Mai, to keep the tools of a household and to show the science in them. The museum database lists it open every day, about 08:00–17:00, and gives 081 907 2495. Photographs from a visit of King Bhumibol hang with the old implements. Call before you go. The camp side is a set of learning bases, not a playground.

Location · Moo 6, Tha Mai, Krathum Baen

Mahachai Bay Viewpointจุดชมวิวปากอ่าวมหาชัย บางหญ้าแพรก

A wooden bridge on the Bang Ya Phraek shore, out toward the mouth of Mahachai Bay. The sunset is the reason to stay. In the cool months the mud in front of the bridge holds migratory birds, the same winter visitors that use the reserved forest next door. Come before the light goes, and stand off the outer boards if the wind is up.

Location · Bang Ya Phraek, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Mahachai Tree Marketตลาดต้นไม้มหาชัย

A growers’ market: pots, succulents, rarer stock, and the tools to keep them, with a plant clinic run by the people who grow the plants. Hours follow the stalls. Ask before you assume a rare pot is for sale, and carry a tray if you are taking more than one.

Location · Mahachai, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Mon Sirin Date Palm Gardenสวนมนศิรินทร์อินทผลัม

A date garden in Amphaeng, country-planted. The beds the garden names are Barhee, Ahmed Dahan, and Konaisy, and a red date of its own raising it calls Red D7. The fruit follows the season. Phone before you drive for a picking.

Location · Amphaeng, Ban Phaeo

Nong Phaong Floating Marketตลาดน้ำหนองพะอง

A shaded market on Khlong Phasi Charoen in Suan Luang. The stalls sell savory plates, Thai sweets, and what the gardens send in. Sunisa’s bench is here, the one that cooks seablite into a khanom tom and a lod chong, on coconut milk from Ban Phaeo. Come hungry, and eat what was made that morning.

Location · Suan Luang, on Khlong Phasi Charoen, Krathum Baen

Pramote Orchid Farmฟาร์มกล้วยไม้ปราโมทย์

An orchid farm in Bang Yang. The house counts the ground at about 80 rai, planted to Dendrobium and Cattleya among other lines. You may walk the rows and buy a cut spike. Ask which houses are in flower, and leave a plant that has not been offered.

Location · Bang Yang, Krathum Baen

Rotchana Orchid Farmสวนกล้วยไม้โรจน์ชนะ

An orchid garden in Ban Phaeo tambon. The farm’s own count runs past a million plants, in some twenty colours. The rows are the photograph. Ask which houses are open, and leave a spike that has not been cut for sale.

Location · Ban Phaeo, Ban Phaeo District

Samut Sakhon Phutthamonthonพุทธมณฑลสมุทรสาคร · พระศรีสาครภูมิบาลประทานธรรมสุทัศน์

A public park on 141 rai, 2 ngan, and 48 square wa in Amphaeng, begun in 2005 on common land. The north of it is a health garden and a sports yard, the middle the Buddha court, the south a day centre for older people. The image is Phra Si Sakhon Phumiban Prathan Tham Suthat, a walking Buddha nine metres tall, facing the Tha Chin. The name is read as an auspicious Buddha who watches the province and points the way of the dhamma. On 2 August 2013 the then Crown Prince opened the eyes and placed relics in the ushnisha. The paths take a bicycle and an evening walk. Dress if you are going up to the image.

Location · Moo 2, Amphaeng, Ban Phaeo

Sasipim Melon Farmศศิพิมพ์เมล่อนฟาร์ม

A small farm and cafe. The beds grow Japanese-style melons — Akira-I, Red Honey, and Sua’to — with grape tomatoes and peanut-butter pumpkin, and a corner of variegated plants. It is a family place. The fruit follows the season. Phone before you count on a tasting.

Location · Mueang Samut Sakhon

Talat Talay Thaiตลาดทะเลไทย

The seafood floor on Rama II in Tha Chin, a short drive from the riverside market at the Mahachai ferry. Wholesale and retail share the sheds: fresh, frozen, dried, and cooked down, in hundreds of stalls. The morning is when the boards are fullest; by afternoon the fresh fish thins and the dried gifts remain. Wear shoes that can take a wet floor. Buy what you can keep cold, and eat a cooked plate the same day.

Location · Rama II Road, Tha Chin, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Tha Sae Waterside Buddhaพระพุทธรูปบนเกาะกลางน้ำ · เสาธงท่าแซะ

A pavilion on a made island in a pond at Tha Sae, with a Buddha image turned to the water. Beside it a stainless flagpole is the mark of the tambon. The local count puts the pole at about 60 metres. Dress if you are going up to the image. The pole is for looking at.

Location · Tha Sae, Krathum Baen

Tom Fruit Gardenสวนผลไม้นายตั้ม

A garden in Yok Krabat built for a visit: an all-you-can-eat mulberry table when the fruit is on, a boat through the dragon-fruit rows, and a gelato counter, with jars of the fruit cooked down to take home. The buffet follows the mulberry. Phone before you promise a child the table.

Location · Yok Krabat, Ban Phaeo

Uncle Kwan Date Palm Gardenสวนลุงขวัญอินทผลัม

A date garden in Suan Som, grown from tissue culture. The counter’s own drink is a frozen date juice, poured in flakes. The garden has set out bridges and swings for a photograph. The fruit is the reason to come. Ask what is ripe.

Location · Suan Som, Ban Phaeo

Wat Charoen Sukharamวัดเจริญสุขาราม · วัดบางไผ่เตี้ย

The Wat Charoen Sukharam of Bang Krachao, Mueang Samut Sakhon. Around 1892 (B.E. 2435) the Pan-udom and Milawan families gave about 5 rai for a samnak, and the place was called Wat Bang Phai Tia, after the low bamboo on that ground. It later took the name Charoen Sukharam. The sala on the canal is where the evening boats for Khlong Sunak Hon are hired. Dress for a working temple, and agree the boat before dark.

Location · Moo 2, Bang Krachao, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Chi Phakhaoวัดชีผ้าขาว · เพี่ยแม่งโกล้น

A Mon temple on about 16 rai, raised around 1732 (B.E. 2275) by households who had come from Sam Khok in Pathum Thani. The old name is Phia Maeng Klon, Mon for the tamarind temple. It was later called Wat Chi Phakhao, for a white-robed ascetic the telling puts on this ground. The grounds keep a great takien trunk. The story told there is that it was found after a dream, and people come to ask for a living. The sima was granted on 1 March 1955. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Tha Chin, by Khlong Chi Phakhao, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Kalongวัดกาหลง · หลวงปู่สุด

The seat of Luang Pu Sud, Phra Khru Samut Thammasunthon. He was born on 7 May 1902 in Phanom Phrai, Roi Et, ordained as a novice there in 1918, and died at this temple on 14 August 1983, aged 81. People still ask for his takrut and his yant. In the years 1973–1981 the outlaw Tee Yai — Korn Prasert Changkhian — was widely said to have been his pupil. The temple is a working parish on the Kalong coast. Dress for it, and do not treat the amulet counter as the reason for the hall.

Location · Kalong, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Ketumdhi Sri Wararamวัดเกตุมดีศรีวราราม

The parish dates the temple to 1963 and points visitors to a chedi and a standing figure of Thao Vessuwan. In September 2023 the abbot was asked across to Wat Yai Ban Bo to open the eyes of one of two new Vessuwan images there. Dress for a working temple. The chedi court is the walk.

Location · Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Khai Raiวัดสุวรรณรัตนาราม · วัดแคราย · อุโบสถเบญจรงค์

The ordination hall at Wat Khai Rai, also called Wat Suwan Rattanaram, is painted inside and out in benjarong, and the principal image is painted with it. Don Kaidee, down the road, is where those colours are still made. Dress for a working temple. The hall is the walk.

Location · Khai Rai, Krathum Baen

Wat Krachakhaoวัดกระซ้าขาว · วัดหอมทองราษฎร์บำรุง · พิพิธภัณฑ์โครงกระดูกวาฬบรูด้า

A village temple on 54 rai and 1 ngan in Ban Bo, with a further 22 rai of sangha land. On 26 March 1943 (B.E. 2486) village head Huad Homthong and his wife gave the ground, and the first name was Wat Homthong Ratbamrung. It took the village name later: krachak is the shell hash of a former seabed. The sima was granted on 20 September 1955, 40 by 80 metres. The principal image is in a Chiang Saen manner, with a lap of nine sok and nine inches. Beside the halls, a shed keeps the bones of Bryde’s whales, a mother and a calf, from a stranding in the village mangrove in 2000 (B.E. 2543). The museum does not charge, and it asks for a call before you come. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Ban Bo, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Lak Si Rat Samosanวัดหลักสี่ราษฎร์สโมสร · หลวงพ่อโต

A people’s temple on Khlong Damnoen Saduak, Moo 2, Ban Lak Si, Yok Krabat. Nang Chaem Wasukri gave the land. It began as one thatched kuti, then took an old house for more, and was called Wat Mai Lak Si after the fourth distance post, later Wat Lak Si Rat Samosan. Luang Pho To is a red-sandstone image of the U Thong manner, Mara Vijaya, plastered and now thick with gold leaf — a lap of 81 inches and a height of 99. It was found at an abandoned temple on the Mae Klong in Bang Khonthi, taken first to Wat Don Manora, and in 1927 (B.E. 2470) Luang Pu Faeng brought it up the canal on a bamboo raft. The parish still holds the gold-leaf fair and the procession on the waning 3rd to 5th of the fourth lunar month. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Moo 2, Yok Krabat, Ban Phaeo

Wat Lungsarnprasithวัดหลังศาลประสิทธิ์

The parish dates the temple to about two centuries. The court shows a large Phra Sangkachai, naga sculpture, and figures of Thao Vessuwan. The bowl in the Sangkachai’s hands is said to stand for the provinces. Dress for a working temple, and ask which hall is open.

Location · Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Na Khokวัดนาโคก · หลวงพ่อสัมฤทธิ์

A temple in Na Khok with salt pans up to the court. Inside, the hall is gilt, which is the surprise after the white fields, and the image people ask for is Luang Pho Samrit. Dress for a working temple. The pans around it are working ground — ask before you walk a bund for the photograph.

Location · Na Khok, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Nang Saoวัดนางสาว · โบสถ์มหาอุต

29 Moo 7, on the Tha Chin in Tha Mai. The telling is late Ayutthaya, in a Burmese war: two sisters hid in an old hall. The younger repaired it and named it Wat Phrom Chari. The village wore that down to Wat Nong Sao, and then to Wat Nang Sao. The maha-ut ordination hall has one door and no windows, a base that curves like a junk, clay tiles, and whole logs for beams, with paired sandstone boundary stones. A hall of this type is rare. Inside, the murals are lacquer and gold. Luang Pho Dam and a figure of Luang Pho Pa Lelai sit in the viharn, up a naga stair. In front, on the river, Wang Matchha is a sanctuary of sawai. People feed them. Dress for a working temple, and do not throw more than the fish will take.

Location · 29 Moo 7, Tha Mai, on the Tha Chin

Wat Noi Nang Hongวัดน้อยนางหงส์ · วัดหงส์อรุณรัศมี · วัดตากแดด

About 25 rai on the flat beside Khlong Sunak Hon. The National Office of Buddhism dates the founding to 1780 (B.E. 2323). It was Wat Tak Daet, then Wat Noi Nang Hong under the second abbot, then Wat Hong Arun Ratsami. People still use the middle name. The sima was granted in 1886. A new white ordination hall, finished in 2016, faces the canal. In the court a brick hull holds a small stupa — the relic chedi built in the shape of a junk — and a twelve-indented chedi stands at the corner. The bell tower is a mix of Thai and European work, and the parish account puts it in the third reign. An older brick hall still carries the words Wat Rasmi cut in stone. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Moo 4, Tha Chin, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Nuam Kanonวัดน่วมกานนท์ · วัดท่าหิน · หลวงพ่อหาย

Moo 5, Ban Tao Dam, Chai Mongkhon. The parish dates the founding to about 1917 (B.E. 2460). Before the roads, people unloaded sand and stone in front of the temple and carried it on later, so the place was Wat Tha Hin. It took the name of the donor, Tang (Nuam) Kanon. The sima was granted on 14 March 1967. Luang Pho Hai is a life-size standing figure in wood, in the opening-the-world posture. Around 2005 a couple left it with the abbot while they built a house, and then gave it. The abbot’s view is that the wood is about two centuries old. People who have been ill bring boiled eggs and bananas. Phra Phuttha Chaiyamongkhon, the reclining figure, is the largest in the province — about forty metres long and nine high, the measure given for it. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Moo 5, Chai Mongkhon, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Srisutharamวัดศรีสุทธาราม · วัดกำพร้า · พระอนุสาวรีย์กรมหลวงชุมพรเขตอุดมศักดิ์

A Mon temple at the mouth, on about 39 rai. The conservation record dates it to 1826 (B.E. 2369), in the third reign. The village was Wat Bang Phra, which wore down to Wat Kamphra; the formal name now is Wat Srisutharam. Luang Pho Dam and Luang Pho Daeng are the paired images. On 22 March 2017 the Navy commander opened a monument to Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, the Prince of Chumphon, built by the chamber of commerce on about 3 rai beside the river. The figure in naval dress is 9 metres; with the base, the whole stands 17 metres. Anchors line the fence of the older shrine, left by people who work the boats. Dress for a working temple. The monument faces the channel, short of the bay mouth.

Location · Bang Ya Phraek, at the mouth of the Tha Chin

Wat Srivanaramวัดศรีวนาราม · วัดบางสีคตใน · พระมหาเจดีย์พุทธคยารัตนมงคล

This Bang Krachao is the tambon in Mueang Samut Sakhon. Also called Wat Bang Si Khot Nai. In the court stands a replica of the Mahabodhi at Bodh Gaya, Phra Maha Chedi Phutthakhaya Rattanamongkol, raised by subscription. The parish keeps an image it calls Luang Pho Phuttha Metta in the chedi, and speaks of relics brought from India. Dress for a working temple. The chedi is the walk; go in the morning if you want the stone without the glare.

Location · Bang Krachao, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Sunthon Sathitวัดสุนทรสถิต · วัดอำแพง

23 rai and 3 ngan in Amphaeng. The record dates the founding to 1882 (B.E. 2425), under the old name Wat Amphaeng, and allows that the ground may be late Ayutthaya. The sima was granted in 1957, 18 by 40 metres. Three U Thong images in the Mara Vijaya posture, of stucco, sit in the old ordination hall, and Luang Pho Dam sits in the new one. A replica of the Buddha’s footprint is kept in the court. A weekend market sets up along the canal. Dress for a working temple, and ask which hall is open.

Location · Amphaeng, Ban Phaeo

Wat Tha Krabueวัดท่ากระบือ · หลวงพ่อรุ่ง

A riverside temple in Bang Yang. Luang Pho Rung, Phra Phairot Wutthachan, was born on 16 August 1873 in Nong Nok Khai, ordained on 5 May 1894, and two days later came to this ground when it was still a small samnak. He died on 27 September 1957, aged 85, in his 64th rains. The river villages call him the monk of the Tha Chin. A metal figure of him stands in the court. Old viharns and bell-shaped chedis share the ground. Dress for a working temple.

Location · Bang Yang, on the Tha Chin, Krathum Baen

Wat Tha Maiวัดท่าไม้ · อุโบสถมหาปรินิพพาน

51 Moo 11, Setthakit 1, Tha Mai. It was a samnak, Samnak Pho Tham Rangsi, and received leave to be a temple in 1977 (B.E. 2520). The sima came in 1994. The Mahaparinirvana ordination hall is built in a northern manner: a row of carved white marble columns, a golden naga at the door, and lacquer-and-gold walls. The principal image is a copy of Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, a lap of 69 inches, with Chiang Saen, Sukhothai, and U Thong figures beside it. Pens of cattle stand in front of the gate, kept for a life-release. Yellow and white stickers from this temple are a common mark on cars. Dress for a working temple. The hall is the reason to come.

Location · 51 Moo 11, Tha Mai, Krathum Baen

Wat Tham Chariyaphiromวัดธรรมจริยาภิรมย์ · วัดใหม่มธุรส

On the canal in Lak Sam. In 1901 (B.E. 2444) Kamnan Iang and the village bought about 44 rai after talking with Phra Khru Tham Chariya of Wat Kharuehabodi in Taling Chan, and raised a thatched kuti they called Wat Mai Mathurot. He later gave it his name, with phirom — gladness — on the end. Phra Mahathat Rattana Chedi, pale gold, stands over the water. The upper chamber holds Luang Pho U Thong, and relics. The parish says the chedi was finished in three years and ten months. Dress for a working temple. The canal bank is the walk.

Location · Lak Sam, on Khlong Damnoen Saduak

Wat Yai Ban Boวัดใหญ่บ้านบ่อ · หลวงพ่อป่าเลไลยก์

Moo 3, Ban Khlong Luang, Ban Bo, on about 68 rai. The temple dates itself to about 1726 (B.E. 2269), in the reign of King Thai Sa; another account puts it a few years earlier. Sunthorn Phu’s Nirat Mueang Phet, in the third reign, passes this Ban Bo. The old hall has great timber posts and Mon brick, laterite boundary stones in pairs, and chedis inside the wall. A pediment records repairs in 1929, 1969, and 1999. Luang Pho Pa Lelai stands in front of the hall. A new ordination hall has been rising beside it. In September 2023 the temple opened the eyes of two Thao Vessuwan figures, each 7.5 metres, to raise money for that build. Dress for a working temple, and use the old hall gently — the timber is the point.

Location · 1 Moo 3, Ban Bo, Mueang Samut Sakhon

Wat Yai Chom Prasatวัดใหญ่จอมปราสาท · วัดใหญ่สาครบุรี

On the west bank of the Tha Chin, where Khlong Sunak Hon leaves the river. The telling places the temple in the reign of King Maha Chakkraphat. The first market of Ban Tha Chin stood in front of it, and the river has since taken that ground. In 1898 (B.E. 2441) King Chulalongkorn granted the name Wat Yai Sakhon Buri, a set of the Tripitaka in 39 volumes, and the standing of a royal temple. People still say Wat Yai Chom Prasat. The old viharn is a brick shell with a base that curves like a junk’s hull, read as late Ayutthaya. The ubosot doors are cut in four layers of wood — flowers, a Chinese pine, animals, figures — leaves that once hung on the old viharn. Inside sits Luang Pho Pu, an early-Bangkok image in the Mara Vijaya posture. The Fine Arts Department registered the temple on 27 September 1936, and again in 1955 and 1989. Dress for a working temple, and keep off the loose brick.

Location · Tha Chin, west bank, at the mouth of Khlong Sunak Hon

Where to Stay

A Night in Ban Phaeo

Five houses on the orchards and the river. Call before you drive. The pin opens the latest map.

Baan Leelathai Resortบ้านลีลาไทย รีสอร์ทแอนด์สปา

086 786 0613

A resort and spa in Suan Som, with the canal and the Tha Chin for neighbours. Call 086 786 0613 and ask which houses are free.

Location · Suan Som, Ban Phaeo

Baan Suan Chamchuen Homestayบ้านสวนแช่มชื่น โฮมสเตย์

083 177 0715

The homestay of the Chamchuen orchard, in Yok Krabat, for a night after the fruit and the canal. Call 083 177 0715. The same house runs the garden visits.

Location · Yok Krabat, Ban Phaeo

Mon Son Pha Homestayมอญซ่อนผ้าโฮมสเตย์

081 854 4913

A small homestay in Chet Rio, named for the Mon cloth. Call 081 854 4913 and ask how to find the lane. It is a house, not a hotel desk.

Location · Chet Rio, Ban Phaeo

Sanrak Resortแสนรัก รีสอร์ท

034 866 065

A resort in Suan Som. The board lists 034 866 065. Call before a weekend, and ask for the pin.

Location · Suan Som, Ban Phaeo

Subnaidin Coconut Farmstayทรัพย์ในดิน โคโคนัท ฟาร์มสเตย์

093 628 9946

A farmstay in the coconut at Amphaeng. Call 093 628 9946. You are sleeping in a working garden.

Location · Amphaeng, Ban Phaeo

Local Flavours & Food

Coconut, Sea-Blite, and a Table on the Canal

Ban Phaeo and Krathum Baen cook what the orchards, the Tha Chin, and the khlongs give them. Coconut runs through the drinks, sea-blite turns up in a sweet and a salsa, and a shack on Khlong Khanphanang still braises pork leg until it falls.

The rooms below are cafes and kitchens in those two districts, listed A to Z. Hours move. Call, or read the door.

Where to Eat

Tables on the Canal

The pin opens the latest map.

Asia Buffetเอเชียบุฟเฟต์

A seafood and international buffet in Khlong Maduea. The board runs past a hundred dishes: grilled river prawns, oysters, salmon, pork ribs, and a pork knuckle. Read the price at the door. Take what you will finish.

Location · Khlong Maduea, Krathum Baen

Baan Suan Pa Funบ้านสวนพาฝัน

A garden cafe in Nong Song Hong. The counter pours coconut tea and coconut coffee, and the kitchen sends out house cakes and a pizza. The point is the breeze in the trees. A clear weekend fills the tables.

Location · Nong Song Hong, Ban Phaeo

Coco Cafeโคโค่ คาเฟ่

A small cafe inside an aromatic-coconut grove in Bang Yang, built in the manner of a garden hut. The drinks and the sweets are made from that coconut. The trees are a working plantation. Stay on the path to the tables.

Location · Bang Yang, Krathum Baen

Dee Gunn Cafeดีกัน คาเฟ่

A garden room in Tha Mai, under coconut, with a canal at the edge. Khao yam with short mackerel, a seafood hor mok steamed in young coconut, and a coconut pastry are the plates. Sit outside if a table is free.

Location · Tha Mai, Krathum Baen

Hua To Cafeหัวโตคาเฟ่

A small room beside Ban Phaeo Hospital. The board runs from a Thai plate to an Italian one, with bakery, and a line of dishes made with sea-blite, chakram, among them a curry-cheese ball and a shio pan. Ask what the kitchen has that day.

Location · Beside Ban Phaeo Hospital, Ban Phaeo

Khot Kha Mu Nam Daengโคตรขาหมูน้ำแดง

A roadside shack on Khlong Khanphanang in Rong Khe. The plate is red-braised pork leg on rice, and a minced-pork basil if you want heat. It is a working kitchen, not a dining room. Go when you are hungry.

Location · Rong Khe, on Khlong Khanphanang

Khrua Khun Kuangครัวคุณกวง

A small kitchen in Talat Krathum Baen that cooks with seablite. A Mexican-style salsa of the plant, and a seafood hor mok stirred with it, are the plates to ask for. The rest of the board is the day’s market.

Location · Talat Krathum Baen

Khrua Ton Thipครัวต้นทิพย์

A local kitchen in Tha Mai, near the orchid rows. The portions are large. Tamarind prawns and crispy catfish are the plates people order. The prices stay with the lane. Go when you are hungry.

Location · Tha Mai, near the orchid farms

Kul's Cafeกุลส์ คาเฟ่

A coffee studio in the Residence project at Om Noi. The room takes its colours from benjarong, and the bar brews on a siphon as well as a pour. Ask which single origin is open.

Location · The Residence, Om Noi, Krathum Baen

La Bella Cafeลาเบลล่าคาเฟ่

A glasshouse on the Tha Chin in Bang Yang, planted like a formal garden. Honey-lemon cold brew, a dalgona, and a fruit-and-yogurt parfait are the order. Weekend afternoons fill the glass.

Location · Bang Yang, on the Tha Chin

Lighthouse Cafeไลท์เฮาส์ คาเฟ่ แอนด์ เรสเตอรองต์

A large family room in Om Noi, with koi ponds and a place for children. The board runs from a savory plate to a hot pot and a cold drink. Agree where the children may run.

Location · Om Noi, Krathum Baen

M Nine Cafeเอ็มไนน์ คาเฟ่แอนด์คิชเช่น

A cafe in Bang Yang set among coconut, rice, and orchid rows. The bar will set a coconut coffee for you to finish yourself. Thai milk tea on coconut milk, and a young-coconut cake scented with pandan, are the other orders.

Location · Bang Yang, Krathum Baen

Ma Kin Ni by Pencilมากินนี่ by Pencil

A country room on Khlong Om Yai, opposite Wat Rong Khe. A bowl of boat noodles has often been about 20 baht, with a longer Thai and Western board and coffee besides. The price moves. Read the board.

Location · Rong Khe, on Khlong Om Yai

Na Ban Phaeo Cafeณ บ้านแพ้ว Cafe & Bistro

A loft bistro in Lak Sam. Thai plates sit beside honey toast and bingsu, and the drinks are built on coconut — an affogato, and a latte on Ban Phaeo coconut sugar. A weekend afternoon fills the room.

Location · Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo

Nam Dok Mai Cafeน้ำดอกไม้

A garden cafe in Suan Som, planted around mango and flowers, with tables on Khlong Damnoen Saduak. The plates run hot, and some arrive dressed with edible flowers. Sit on the water if a table is free.

Location · Suan Som, on Khlong Damnoen Saduak

Ninja Parkนินจาปาร์ค · นินจาซูชิ

A Japanese-styled park in Talat Krathum Baen, with a sushi room that lists more than a hundred dishes. The yard has run artificial snow, archery, and costume hire. Ask which of those is open the day you go. The kitchen is the part that keeps regular hours.

Location · Talat Krathum Baen

Phak Kap Phakพักกับผัก

A riverside kitchen in Suan Som, on the Tha Chin, cooking from its own vegetable beds and from old house recipes. One set is the kitchen’s recipe lost for fifty years. The house lists a Sakhon Guide award for 2024. Book if you want that set.

Location · Suan Som, on the Tha Chin

Phraohom Cafeพร้าวหอมคาเฟ่

A cafe set inside a coconut plantation in Nong Bua. Food, a drink, and a sweet, with the garden around the tables. The plantation is working ground. Stay on the path to the tables.

Location · Nong Bua, Ban Phaeo

Rays River Cafeเร รีฟเวอร์ คาเฟ่

A large house on the Tha Chin in Bang Yang, with a formal garden, bonsai, and an aquarium. House scones, in raspberry and in coconut, and a coconut matcha latte are the order. It is a dressed room. Read the door for the hour.

Location · Bang Yang, on the Tha Chin

Rung Naphaสวนอาหารรุ่งนภา

A garden kitchen in Tha Mai, ringed by orchid nurseries and open to the water. The board runs to wild game, river prawns, a salad of young coconut shoot and salted egg, and a sour curry. The heat is the house style. Say if you want it pulled back.

Location · Tha Mai, Krathum Baen

Song Kler Kapraoสองเกลอกะเพรารสเด็ด

A basil shop beside Krathum Baen Hospital. The leaf is the shop’s own, sharper than a market bunch, and the meat changes with the board. It is a plate of rice, not a long meal. Go when the wok is hot.

Location · Beside Krathum Baen Hospital, Talat Krathum Baen

Sook Cafe and Steak Houseสุข คาเฟ่ แอนด์ สเต็กเฮาส์

A cottage cafe in Don Kaidee, inside a wedding-studio ground, on Soi Sai Yai Rak 4. Steak, pasta, a fresh smoothie, and a dessert on Ban Phaeo coconut are the order. A wedding day may close the lane. Call before you drive.

Location · Soi Sai Yai Rak 4, Don Kaidee

Sunisa Thai Sweetsสุนิสาขนมไทย · เมนูลับตำรับชะคราม

A sweet stall inside Nong Phaong market. The board the stall calls its secret menu is built on seablite: khanom tom and lod chong singto, coloured with the plant and finished with coconut milk from Ban Phaeo. Buy a box for the day. The dough does not wait.

Location · Nong Phaong Floating Market, Suan Luang

Tannam Bang Lamphuท่าน้ำบางลำพู

A large room on the Tha Chin in Suan Som, split into a vintage quarter, a blue sea quarter, and tables in shipping containers. Acoustic sets play, and crispy pork belly with fish sauce is the plate people order. A music night fills. Come early if you want the river without the speaker.

Location · Suan Som, on the Tha Chin

The Second Floorเดอะเซคอนด์ฟลอร์ กระทุ่มแบน

An upstairs cafe at the clock-tower junction in Talat Krathum Baen. The drinks are mixed to stay lightly sweet, and the house says the fat in them is not hydrogenated. An espresso Thai-tea latte, a flourless chocolate cake, and a lemon cheesecake are the order.

Location · Clock-tower junction, Talat Krathum Baen

The Story Cafeเดอะสตอรี่คาเฟ่

A small cafe in Don Kaidee. Visitors pin notes on a board, the drinks are built on fruit, and a few tables take the water. It is a quiet hour. Ask what was pressed that morning.

Location · Don Kaidee, Krathum Baen

Tiao Phet Boat Noodlesก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือรสเด็ดเตี๋ยวเผ็ด

A noodle shop in Om Noi, near Lighthouse Cafe. The boat noodles are mixed hot, with a beef or pork hot pot, pork satay, and a tom yum noodle beside them. Say how much chilli you want. The house heat is the point of the name.

Location · Near Lighthouse Cafe, Om Noi

Wan Ahan Paวัลย์อาหารป่า

A wild-game kitchen in Bang Yang. The set the house calls Samrap Pa Sakhon is built on river fish and wild boar, with the heat of this coast. The meat follows what came in. Ask what is on the board.

Location · Bang Yang, Krathum Baen

Wara Alternative CafeWara Alternative Cafe

A spare white-and-brown room in Yok Krabat, cooking from its own hydroponic beds. Italian plates, a crab pasta, and a sea-blite salad are the order. Ask what was cut that morning.

Location · Yok Krabat, Ban Phaeo

Local Specialties & Souvenirs

Coconut, Salt, and a Box of Squid

Salt from Khok Kham, a green coconut from Ban Phaeo, and a box from the Mahachai sheds. The gifts of this coast are things you can eat, and one painted bowl.

The list runs A to Z. The coconut, the lod chong, the crab dumplings, and the chiffon belong to the day you buy them. The dried squid, the salt, the chilli paste, and a benjarong bowl can wait until you are home.

Aong Tong Thong Phapทองพับอองตอง A crisp folded sweet in Rong Khe, Ban Phaeo. The provincial gift book lists the house at 53 Moo 9, and says the cream is fresh coconut from the district, with no preservative in the bag. The pieces are a bite. Eat them from the packet. They are a cracker, not a cake that waits a week.
B&B Coconut Chiffonบีแอนด์บี เบเกอรี่ · ชิฟฟอนมะพร้าวน้ำหอม A bakery in Lak Sam, Ban Phaeo, at 19/9 Moo 11 on the road toward Phra Prathon. The cake is chiffon and young coconut, from nuts cut in the local gardens. The provincial gift book is where the address sits. Eat it within a few days, or freeze it. It is a cake, not a cracker.
Ban Phaeo Aromatic Coconutมะพร้าวน้ำหอมบ้านแพ้ว The short green nut of Ban Phaeo, Krathum Baen, and Mueang, registered as a geographical indication on 26 July 2017. The fruit is oval, with three folds at the base. The flesh is soft, and the water is sweet and scented like pandan. Drink it the day it is cut. A whole nut does not love a long hot ride.
Ban Phaeo Coconut-Flower Sapน้ำช่อดอกมะพร้าวน้ำหอมบ้านแพ้ว Sap from the unopened flower of the dwarf aromatic coconut, not a drink of pollen. A knife takes a little off the spadix, and the sap drips into a cylinder for ten or twelve hours, the old way. It was registered as a geographical indication in December 2025: clear and mild, or boiled to a pale brown. The same sap, boiled down, is the coconut sugar. A sealed bottle travels. The fresh sap is for the day.
Ban Phaeo Longanลำไยพวงทองบ้านแพ้ว Phuang Thong longan from the raised orchard beds of Ban Phaeo and Krathum Baen, registered as a geographical indication in 2019. The fruit is a little lopsided, the seed small, the flesh thick, dry, and crisp-sweet. It is a seasonal bunch. Buy what you can eat before it weeps.
Ban Phaeo Pan Limesมะนาวแป้นบ้านแพ้ว The small pan lime of the Ban Phaeo orchards. The province has talked of a geographical mark for it. It is not one yet. Buy a bag in season, and use the fruit before the skin dries.
Ban Phaeo Snakeskin Gouramiปลาสลิดบ้านแพ้ว Snakeskin gourami of the tiger-stripe and Thai-melon kinds, raised in the province and registered as a geographical indication in December 2025. The gift is the sun-dried fish. It is less salty than a coast fish, and it should not smell of mud. Keep the bag dry.
Chang Rang Wat Crispy Noodlesหมี่กรอบช่างรังวัด Crispy noodles from Krathum Baen, on Sukhonthawit, begun by the municipal housewives' group. Sweet, a little sour, with bits of salted egg, in a box that travels. A short warm brings the crunch back. It is a snack for the train, not a plate of noodles.
Don Kaidee Benjarongเบญจรงค์ดอนไก่ดี Five colours and a gold line, painted in the houses of Don Kaidee, Krathum Baen. Tea sets, bowls, and a piece for a shelf. The provincial gift book lists the village as a five-star OTOP. Agree a price before a piece is packed, and wrap it so the gold does not knock.
Khok Kham Flower Saltดอกเกลือโคกขาม · เกลือสปา Flower salt from the pans at Moo 3, Khok Kham, skimmed off the water at first light, before it sinks. Cook with that. The same yards pack a salt scrub for the skin. Do not put the scrub in the pot.
Mahachai Dried Seafoodกุ้งแห้ง · กะปิ · น้ำปลา Dried shrimp, shrimp paste, and a fish sauce that is still fish, from the sheds at the Mahachai port. Buy from a counter that will say the day the paste was made. A jar travels. A bag of fresh fish does not.
Mahachai Squidหมึกตัวฉาบ · หมึกบด · หมึกสามรส The gift people ask for by name. A flattened sweet sheet, a bag of shredded dry squid, or the three-flavour pieces, sweet and sour and salty. Keep the packet sealed. It is a snack, and a side for rice.
Sam Phi Nong Grilled-Fish Chilli Pasteน้ำพริกปลาย่างสามพี่น้อง A hot paste of grilled fish, packed under the name Sam Phi Nong. It wants rice and a plate of raw vegetables. Read the lid before you trust a jar that has sat in the sun.
Wat Chet Lod Chongลอดช่องวัดเจษฯ Fine pandan strands in front of Wat Chetsadaram, on Chetsada Withi in Mahachai. The flour is old rice, and the coconut milk is boiled with coconut sugar until it is brown. On the ice the milk breaks white. Several houses still use the name. The counter people mean is the one by the temple. Eat it the day you buy it. If the strands stiffen in the cold, loosen them in hot water before the milk.
Ya Hia Crab Hoi Joฮ่อยจ๊อปูย่าเฮี๊ยะ Crab dumplings in Khok Krabue, on the Mahachai side. Fried or steamed, the point is the crab. The house calls itself the first hoi jo in Mahachai. Buy a pack for the evening, and keep it cool. It is not a jar.

Local Culture & Vibe

Flags on the River, Gold Leaf on the Canal

Samut Sakhon keeps its year on the Tha Chin and on Khlong Damnoen Saduak. Nine shrines mark the vegetarian days, a copy of Luang Pho To goes by boat through three provinces, and the embankment in front of the city pillar fills with seafood.

The five rites below are listed A to Z. Lunar dates move. The province and the temples post the year.

Don Kaidee Loy Krathongลอยกระทงท่าจีน · วัดดอนไก่ดี

Full moon, 12th lunar month · Tha Chin at Krathum Baen

Krathum Baen floats a line of krathong on the Tha Chin. In 2023 the municipality held the night at Wat Don Kaidee, on 27 November, with a Yi Peng lantern arch beside the water. The ground can change. Read the board for the year, and float a krathong that will not leave plastic on the river.

Luang Pho Rung Memorialงานประจำปีวัดท่ากระบือ · หลวงพ่อรุ่ง

Near his death day · Wat Tha Krabue, Bang Yang

The week Wat Tha Krabue keeps for Luang Pho Rung and for Luang Pho Prayat, the second abbot. People lay gold leaf, and the temple gives a Mahachat sermon. In 2025 the fair was 22–28 September. In 2026 the 68th ran 12–18 October, with the sermon on the 14th. The week moves. Ask the temple.

Luang Pho To Boat Processionปิดทองหลวงพ่อโต · แห่เรือคลองดำเนินสะดวก

Waning 3rd–5th, 4th lunar month · Wat Lak Si, Yok Krabat

The parish at Wat Lak Si Rat Samosan lays gold leaf on Luang Pho To, and the gardens bring fruit. A copy of the image goes by boat along Khlong Damnoen Saduak, out and back through Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi, and Samut Songkhram. In 2026 the fair ran 6–14 March, nine days, and the papers counted close to a thousand boats on a trip of nearly 70 kilometres. The lunar days are the ones to trust. The district posts the week.

Nine Shrines Vegetarian Festivalไหว้เจ้า ๙ ศาล · เทศกาลกินเจ

1st–9th, 9th Chinese lunar month · Mahachai and Tha Chalom

Nine days without meat, for the Nine Emperor Gods. The head shrine is the city pillar. The other eight sit in Mahachai and Tha Chalom, and a tram has run between them. Seng Hiang Tua in Tha Chalom does not use mediums. On the ninth night a paper boat is taken to the river at Wat Sutthiwat Wararam and burned, to send the gods back. The 20th fair, in 2026, ran 9–18 October, with vegetarian kitchens along the embankment. The moon sets the dates.

Samut Sakhon Seafood Festivalเทศกาลอาหารทะเลสมุทรสาคร

February or March · embankment by the city pillar

The province and the restaurant club set cooked seafood and Ban Phaeo fruit along the embankment in front of the city pillar shrine, on Chetsadang Road. The provincial page names a great pot of batfish at the opening. The month moves between February and March. Read the year before you plan a meal around it.

Travel Info & Getting There

Plan Your Journey

How to reach Samut Sakhon from Bangkok, and how to move around once you arrive.

From Bangkok

By car

Highway 35, Rama II Road, covers about 30 kilometres from Bangkok to the town. Clear traffic is under an hour. Friday afternoon and the Sunday drive home are the slow hours, and works on the surface road still take a lane. The M82 motorway, open since 28 August 2026, runs Bang Khun Thian to Ban Phaeo, about 25 kilometres, free and all night. It takes cars and buses, not motorcycles. A car is held to 80 kilometres an hour, a bus or a truck to 65. Leave at Phanthai Norasing or Mahachai for the port, and at Ban Phaeo for the gardens. Two further Samut Sakhon ramps are still being built. The Department of Highways will post the day a toll begins.

By train

The Mahachai line starts at Wongwian Yai, a short walk from the BTS. Trains run through the day and take about an hour. On the board now the first leaves at 05:30 and the last at 20:10. The ordinary ticket is about 10 baht, and an air-conditioned carriage costs more. Mahachai station is on the east bank, a short walk from the market, the city pillar, and the ferry. The State Railway posts the year.

By bus

BMTA line 4-18, the old 105, runs Rama II between the provincial stadium and BTS Krung Thon Buri, from about 05:00 to 22:00. Minivans from opposite Pata Pinklao, line Tor 131, set down in town; the posted fare has been 35 baht. Read the fare on the vehicle. Neither of these reaches the gardens at Ban Phaeo.

Getting around

The east bank is a walk: station, market, city pillar, and the municipal pier. The green ferry, the bai tong boat, crosses to Tha Chalom in a few minutes, for 3 baht, and it runs through the night. A motorcycle pays the same again. Ban Laem station, for the few trains on to Maeklong, is a short walk from that pier. Songthaews and motorcycle taxis cover the town; agree the fare first. Khok Kham, the mangrove, and the Rang Chan shore are a short drive south. Krathum Baen lies north along the river. Ban Phaeo and the canals of Damnoen Saduak are west, and a hired car or songthaew is the way to see them in one day. Ride-hailing covers Mahachai and thins out toward the gardens.

Best time to visit

November to February is the kinder weather: cooler, drier days on the river and the coast. March to May turns the salt pans white, and the afternoons are hot. May to October brings the rain. October is the wettest, and the tide still lies on the low ground by the market. The port is a morning, any month. Come on a weekday if you want the lanes without the weekend cars.

Continue the Journey