Beware of Ayutthaya Floating Market!

[Pawpal]

Free admission for Thais (or, actually, anyone with an Asian appearance) but there's a 200 baht charge for foreigners, even residents with a pink ID card. Such blatant discrimination is insulting not to mention counterproductive for a purely commercial venue. There are plenty of other floating markets that welcome all visitors (and their wallets) regardless of race or nationality and far more deserving of our patronage.

 

[dimitriv]

And there is also not much floating there.

 

If you do not want to pay you can follow the road, pass the paid entrance at the right. After a couple of minutes walking you will see that there are more entrances, where you can go in without paying.

 

[Metropolitian]

 

Little change that there will be an 'expart card' , but TAT will do something.. maybe.

 

[Puchaiyank]

Bad luck I suppose...our boat captain took us on a tour of vendors he apparently was getting kickbacks...when we were not impressed...quickly took us back to get rid of us...nice tour...????

[TSF]

Why bother? Just boycott all those places where Thais are free and farang pay. 

[jaiyenyen]

I took the family to Ayutthaya last year. We had a good time until we got to the floating market. I saw a girl trying to sell 200 baht tickets for what I thought were boat rides. My family walked ahead of me and straight past the girl. As I walked past her I gave her my best 'No thank you' in Thai, and carried on walking. Moments later two Thai men (Boys) then grabbed me from behind and started shouting "You buy ticket. You buy ticket". I pulled myself free of them and showed my Thai driving license but they weren't interested. I called my family back and we left.

As was said before, anyone who resembled an asian was allowed to enter.

Great job Ayutthaya Floating Market. Allowing Teenage dip5h1ts to manhandle western tourists like this, I'm a 63 year old man. The staff there had Zero customer skills. I make sure to tell any visitors I come into contact with, to avoid the place.

The joke is, I intended to walk around and buy a few things (Spend money). Why should I have to pay to do that?

[alacrity]

21 hours ago, dimitriv said:

And there is also not much floating there.

 

Considering the color of the waters there, I'd be surprised if there weren't quite a few local goldfish.

[pixelaoffy]

Ayutthaya ! Lived there a year ! Awful place ! Dangerous dogs roaming and scamming from temples to markets ! I moved on after work contract ended 

[JusticeGB]

I just refuse to go into any place with dual pricing and my wife tells the ticket office in no uncertain terms what she thinks about them trying to rip off her husband and her child's father. 

[timendres]

Walked up, saw the price, walked away, taking my three Thai friends with me. That market lost at least 2,000 baht of business over a 200 baht ticket.

[userabcd]

Ah, flashing the magical pink ID card did not work to avoid paying 200 baht.

Edited September 7, 2020 by userabcd

[trucking]

Its not really a market if you have to pay anything at all to enter. Just a tourist attraction posing as a market.

 

Lam Phaya was probably one of the better floating markets out there. No admission fee , lots of good food and they have 1 hour boat trips up and down the river for a reasonable fee ( same price for all )

We used to go with a bottle of wine get a table on the boat , fill it with food from the market then enjoy the trip whilst filling our bellies. Excellent value. Might be a bit too well known by now although the difficult access kept tourists away. ( turn sound off before watching  )

 

 

[Pedrogaz]

Not likely I will visit anywhere like a floating market. What is the point?

[Oxx]

There are several floating markets in Ayutthaya.  I presume, based upon the description, that the OP is referring to Ayothaya Floating Market.  (Ayothaya is not the same as Ayutthaya - it's not a transcription issue, the Thai spelling is different.)  This is the floating market off the island to the east, adjacent to the elephant "attraction" and (I believe) under the same ownership.

 

Best not to tar all floating markets in Ayutthaya with the same brush.

[oobar]

28 minutes ago, Oxx said:

Best not to tar all floating markets in Ayutthaya with the same brush.

Why not tar them all?  Maybe the honest ones will take note of what the sh!t ripoff ones are doing to the general trade.

[baansgr]

Due to dual pricing, Thailand has lost tens of thousands of baht over the years just from me...friends family visiting never go...how many others are the same...must be into millions of baht, although I suppose that is recouped by the ones that pay.

[Longchop]

17 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Due to dual pricing, Thailand has lost tens of thousands of baht over the years just from me...friends family visiting never go...how many others are the same...must be into millions of baht, although I suppose that is recouped by the ones that pay.

Same here, Thai friends know that attempts to subject me to blatent Thai greed and racism would only put me instantly into a very bad mood so they will never suggest we visit one of these rip off "attractions"

[Saraburi121]

From what I can tell this is a private venture, not like a national park or govt sponsored area.  Took the family there on a trip June this year, what a sad place.   First thing I noticed was the elephants outside the pay area, the wooden posts had just been painted red and the elephants had red paint all over them.  Not an elephant expert but they looked not to be in good shape.  Bypassed that and got to the entrance, $200 baht for me and family free, ok I will go to check it out just to see what is up.  Inside was overpriced sub par food, overpriced cheap souvenirs but you do get a ride around a dirty pond!  My wife (Thai) asked me why would someone pay money to go spend more money? 

[jak2002003]

6 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

I just refuse to go into any place with dual pricing and my wife tells the ticket office in no uncertain terms what she thinks about them trying to rip off her husband and her child's father. 

Learn to tell them in Thai yourself...might get you a little more respect than having your wife fight you battles. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

First time I went, about 4 years ago, parked up round the back and walked in oblivious to the entrance fee with 4 other Thais.

Second time got caught with the 200 baht entrance fee, a big round sticker on your shirt ( in case anyone mistakes you for a Thai ) and a boat ride round the green lake !!

Never been back .

 

Go regularly to Wat Maheyong ( gf’s place of worship ) and often see the elephants from “ elephant village “ attached to the Floating market grazing in the fields or by the pond that’s as close as I get to paying another 200 baht !!
 

 

 

 

 

[AndyFoxy]

People know their is double pricing. Why even go there in the first place when you know it is only going to make you angry?

[rickudon]

I got taken to the Pattaya floating market by some Thai friends on Saturday, same, Thais all free and me pay 200 baht (well, the wife paid). It is just a tourist trap and because of Covid-19 over half of the stalls and 'attractions' were closed down. The highlight of the visit was seeing a water monitor very slowly swim across the dirty water in front of me. I told the wife i wanted a refund, but, of course, she was far too embarrassed to do that after our friends had taken us there. Oh at least the toilets were free....

[hotchilli]

On 9/5/2020 at 9:55 PM, dimitriv said:

And there is also not much floating there.

 

If you do not want to pay you can follow the road, pass the paid entrance at the right. After a couple of minutes walking you will see that there are more entrances, where you can go in without paying.

 

I do the same at my local temple, at the main entrance is a big sign saying "foreigners pay 60 baht entrance"

the temple grounds are in the form of a square, walk around the corner and use a side entrance, no charge !

 

[chuang]

Here it goes again..????