Maeklong Railway Market - When Insanity Becomes a Tourist Attraction

The Maeklong Railway Market: Where Vendors Play Chicken with an Actual Train

Welcome to the Maeklong Railway Market, known in Thai as "Talad Rom Hup" or "the market that closes its umbrella." Situated in Samut Songkhram province just south of Bangkok, this market should be renamed "The Market Where Tourists Almost Die for Instagram."

Picture this: a normal market selling fruits, vegetables, seafood, and the usual Thai market stuff. Nothing special, right? WRONG. This market just happens to be built directly ON active train tracks. Not next to, not near, but ON. As in, the train runs THROUGH the market multiple times a day. It's like someone looked at a busy market and a functioning railway and thought, "These two things should definitely occupy the exact same physical space. What could go wrong?"

The Main Attraction: Narrowly Avoiding Death

The star of the show here isn't the produce or merchandise – it's the train that passes through the middle of everything eight times a day. When the train approaches, vendors perform what can only be described as a choreographed panic dance:

1. A warning whistle blows

2. Vendors calmly fold back their awnings

3. They pull back their goods about 20 centimeters from the track

4. The train passes BY INCHES from their merchandise

5. Everyone acts like this is totally normal

6. The second the train passes, everything goes back like nothing happened

It's the most casual near-death experience you'll ever witness. The train moves slowly enough that no one gets hurt, but quickly enough that you'll wonder if your travel insurance covers "crushed by produce and locomotive while taking selfie."

Getting There: A Journey That Makes You Question Your Life Choices

Getting to Maeklong Railway Market is an adventure that makes you realize why more tourists don't go there (even though, paradoxically, it's filled with tourists):

Option 1: The "I Have Time to Waste" Method

1. Take the BTS to Victory Monument

2. Find the minivan station near Century Movie Plaza

3. Take a minivan to Maeklong (about 60-80 baht)

4. Try not to contemplate your mortality as the driver attempts to break the sound barrier

5. Arrive slightly traumatized but ready for more trauma when the train comes

Option 2: The "Authentic Experience" Method

1. Go to Wongwian Yai Train Station in Bangkok

2. Take the train to Mahachai (about 10 baht, 1 hour)

3. Take a ferry across the river (3 baht, 5 minutes)

4. Find the Ban Laem Station on the other side

5. Take another train to Maeklong (10 baht, 1 hour)

6. Congratulations! You've spent half your day in transit to watch a train almost hit people

Option 3: The "I Value My Sanity" Method

1. Book a tour

2. Pay extra

3. Let someone else figure it out

4. Wonder why you didn't just do this in the first place

5. Some tours might even throw in a stop at Don Hoi Lot, a sandbar known for its razor clam population, or add Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.

What To Do Besides Not Die

While avoiding being hit by a train is the main activity, there are other things to do at Maeklong Railway Market:

1. Buy produce: The market sells fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood at local prices. Though why you'd want to buy raw seafood while on vacation is between you and your hotel room's mini-fridge.

2. Take THE photo: You know the one where the train is coming directly at you while vendors scramble to move their goods. It's the money shot that will make your Instagram followers both impressed and concerned for your judgment.

3. Count tourists: Play a game of "spot the nationality" based on who's taking what kind of risky photo. Bonus points if you see someone lying on the tracks for a photo (please don't be that person).

4. Eat local food: There are food stalls nearby where you can try local dishes. Because nothing builds an appetite like watching a train nearly decapitate a display of mangoes.

What makes the Maeklong Railway Market special isn't the goods for sale but watching human adaptability in action. These vendors have turned what should be a massive safety hazard into a tourist attraction and continue their business with barely an interruption eight times daily.

So if you want to see the perfect metaphor for Thailand, namely beautiful chaos, pragmatic solutions, and making the best of whatever comes your way, hop on over to Samut Songkhram. Just make sure to listen for that warning whistle, or you might become part of the attraction yourself.