Spice Roads Bike Trip to Floating Market

My husband and I are considering taking the Spice Roads%26#39; one day bike trip from Bangkok to the Floating Market. Has anyone taken this trip? We would like to see the market and are always up for a little cycling, but don%26#39;t want to waste an entire day (we only have 2 full days in Bangkok) if it%26#39;s not worth our while. Neither of us are big shoppers, either.

Thanks!

Marilyn

Spice Roads Bike Trip to Floating Market

marilynpm

i presume you mean the Don Hwai floating market which is the most popular market for tourists. if so the it%26#39;s a 30km ride to get there, so i think most of the time you%26#39;ll be on the bike and only spending 2/3 hrs at the market. this market is pretty well geared up for tourists, it was set up about 10 years ago by the provincial authority. most people i know who have gone there have said it was okay, but it does get very busy and you need to get there early.

if i was doing a whole day then i think i would stay in BKK and do a trip within the city. that way you get to see more than one thing for the day.

another company that does half day bike trips within BKK is

www.covankessel.com

they cater mainly for dutch tourists but my wife has done 2 half day trips with them and they were good.

bkk3

Spice Roads Bike Trip to Floating Market

Thanks for the quick reply BKK3. The trip I am referring to is to the Damnoen Nam Saduak market. From what I have read, it is about 70km from Bangkok. Here%26#39;s the basic itinerary - according to their website.

06:45 - 08:00 Pick up from hotels.

08:00 鈥?09:15 Drive to Samut Songkram.

09:15 鈥?09:45 Visit Damnoen Nam Saduak (Floating Market).

09:45 - 10:30 Long tail boat ride through the maze of canals to Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram

10:30 鈥?12:30 Ride along back roads visiting Ban Khai Noi, Ban Bung before arriving at our lunch stop Suan Rim Nam. (19km)

12:30 鈥?13:30 Enjoy lunch on the river side setting

13:30 鈥?15:00 Ride more back roads back to our start point of the floating market. (13 km)

15:00 鈥?15:15 Load bikes and visit temple at finish point

15:15 鈥?17:00 Drive back top Bangkok and drop off at hotels.

The cost is 2500 baht. It seems like a pretty good deal for a whole day - plus the added bonus of getting on a bicycle for a bit in Thailand and getting to see a bit of the area outside Bangkok.

I think it sounds a little expensive if that is 2500 PER person... but i have read a couple of good reviews on the company last year. Another good one that alot of people rave about is Amazing Bangkok Cycles www.realasia.net - might be worth looking into! x

We did a Spice Roads bicycle trip to Koh Kred in January 2006. It was OK, but not more than that. The bicycles were a bit sorry. My husband%26#39;s bike you could not raise the seat and have it stay up...he traded with the guide because no matter what they did they couldn%26#39;t get it to stay raised and my husband is quite tall. My brake cables (both front and back) snapped within the first 30 minutes...took 30 minutes to repair, though it was repaired, so that%26#39;s good. My daughter%26#39;s bike was far too small for her in spite of us providing them with her height and the size bicycle she rides at home...there was no helping that.

The guide was nice it seemed, though she had a habit of taking off and leaving us even if we were looking at something or taking a picture, having a drink (and it was a private tour, so no other guests for her to worry about).

They did provide fruit, cookies and drinks at the one rest stop, and a nice lunch was included for us as well, though at a tourist restaurant rather than at a local place as we%26#39;d requested.

We also had requested and had been confirmed that following the bicycle part of the tour we would take a khlong tour for 2 hours in some less traveled khlongs...the guide and driver knew nothing of it and insisted it had not been arranged. So we went back to the hotel after the biking.

marilynpm

this market is the largest floating market in thailand and the most visited.

listen, if this is what you want to do then go ahead. the price seems fair enough. my wife has done 2 half day tours with CoVanKessel tours in bangkok and each cost 1000B. the tours lasted 4 hrs (but this was bike only and didn%26#39;t include lunch). your probably paying a bit more due to the use of a minivan to get there and back as well plus lunch.

bkk3

marilynpm

forgot to mention that Samut songkram is a pretty area. very rustic and gives you a feel for rural thailand only 70 km away from BKK.

Bang Khai Noi and Bang Bung villages will also give you an idea on how most of the people live in rural thailand.

i%26#39;ve been done this way a couple of times as it has a good number of ceramic factories and Benjarong pottery places.

i think you%26#39;ll enjoy it.

bkk3

I%26#39;ve did this trip in 2006; it was excellent. You travel from your hotel (pickup in minibus) to Damoen Saduak and after a tour start on the bike. Bike was good, gel saddle.

Lots of stops at points of interest. Drinks. Good light lunch in a restaurant - price was included, but buy own Singha beer. Boat trip on river, canals.

Coming back the minibus got held up in traffic. We were near a Skytrain station so another rider and I jumped out and took the Skytrain instead into centre of BKK- cheap, fast, clean.

I rode with a company I%26#39;ve done several trips with, SpiceRoads, including one week Sukhothai to Chiang Mai.

Web is www.spiceroads.com

Recommended.

2500 Baht seems a good deal if that is for both of you but seems a little expensive if i is each.

Not done the cycle deal but have been round the area. It is nice and rural with plenty to see and I%26#39;m sure that you will enjoy it. I%26#39;m not into cycling any more.

My wife %26amp; I took the Spice Roads 鈥榝loating market cycling tour鈥?after reading reviews on this site. Booked online approx 拢40 P/P) %26amp; received confirmation of booking. On arrival at Bangkok hotel received another letter %26amp; re-confirmation of collection time from hotel (very impressed with admin service).

On day of excursion collected promptly at 7:15 then approx 2hrs to Floating Market. Approx 90 mins. spent around the floating market with the excellent Spice Roads guide (Moire), as there were only 4 clients on this trip we received great personal service. The second part of trip was a 40 min. longboat ride from the market out into the country, very nice.

At the next stop our bike where waiting, set up with our names attached %26amp; in very good condition. For approx 1.5 hours we meandered through country lanes, villages %26amp; fruit plantations, including regular stops at Temples etc %26amp; short ferry ride across a river. Free Iced water bottles %26amp; face cloths were also regularly supplied throughout the ride, by the minibus driver who followed us at distance.

We stopped at a local river-side restaurant for a lesiurly lunch, we had a very nice 鈥楾hai鈥?meal followed by fresh fruit including soft drinks %26amp; tea/coffee, all this in very pleasant %26amp; clean surroundings (%26amp; all included in the tour price).

We then set off again for about another pleasant 1.5 hours leisurely cycle ride back to the floating market town, then it was bikes away %26amp; then off back to Bangkok in the minibus.

All in all it was a fantastic day offering great value for money %26amp; you do not have to be fitness fanatics to take this tour as the going is very easy. We would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see more of the real Thailand . . . Thanks again to 鈥楽pice Roads鈥?/p>