Pak Khlong Talat Market

Address: Chak Phet Rd, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand

Hours: Open 24 hours (busiest late night to early morning)

Admission: Free

Pak Khlong Talat is Bangkok’s biggest wholesale and retail flower market, running along Chak Phet Road near the Memorial Bridge on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. Trading around the clock in flowers, fruit and vegetables, it is busiest and most colourful late at night and before dawn, when fresh blooms arrive from across Thailand.

Vendors sit amid mountains of marigolds, roses, chrysanthemums and lotus buds, while women deftly string jasmine garlands (phuang malai) used as offerings. A favourite of photographers and early risers, it lies within walking distance of Wat Pho and the Grand Palace.

Pak Khlong Talat runs along Chak Phet Road beside the Memorial (Phra Phuttha Yodfa) Bridge. It is a short walk from Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, or a quick hop on the Chao Phraya Express Boat to Saphan Phut / Rachini pier. The MRT Blue Line (Sanam Chai station) is about a 10-minute walk away.

• Visit late at night or before dawn to see the market at its busiest, when fresh flowers arrive by the truckload.
• It’s a working market - keep to the edges of the walkways and ask before photographing vendors.
• Combine it with nearby Wat Pho and the Grand Palace for a full riverside morning.
• Cheap jasmine garlands and flower bunches make inexpensive, photogenic souvenirs.

The market is open 24 hours, but it is liveliest and coolest late at night and in the pre-dawn hours, when wholesale deliveries arrive. The cool season (November-February) is the most pleasant time overall; avoid the midday heat.