Samut Songkram is a province just an hour away from Bangkok. The province is filled with massive plantations and salt farms along the road. There are many markets, massive markets, around the province where people look for fresh products from plantations in bulk and distribute them to markets in Bangkok.
At the city center, it has a famous local market called “Rom Hup market”. This market is not known for the fresh products, but it is famously known for its layout of the market which has a railway passing through the middle of the market.
Find a spot by the railway and you can experience the train at extremely close, which is one of a kind experience you can find at this market.
I went there for a weekend trip with a group of friends from the office in March. The weather was very hot that day. We started walking on the railway from the side of the market. There are many shops along the railway, mostly the souvenir shops and temporary coffee shops and benches to sit around.
A section of the market is a ‘fresh market’ where you can also see some fresh fruits and vegetables selling on the side of the railway, which is a picture I rarely see nowadays.
At some point the vibe of this market reminded me of my childhood memory when I went to the kind of a ‘very local’ market with my family, which I hardly ever go to these days.
On that day, it was very crowded. People both local and tourist are everywhere, walking along the rail, sitting around for drinks. Some are buying something and some are just wandering around the market area.
Before the train arrived for about 15 minutes, things started to change. Public announcements in many languages were broadcasted. The entire area got prompted for this miracle moment.
Everyone started to move away from the rail and look for a place to stand near the rail. Those empty temporary coffee shops were filled all of the sudden. We sat on a small bench beside the railway and started ordering some coffee.
Shops and vendors along the rail were rushing to move their goods away from the rail, closing the umbrella and the sun shades. This is why they call this market “Rom Hup”, which means “closing the umbrella”.
In the next minutes, the train approached us at an extremely slow speed from afar. It was not scary at all until it slowly passed in front of you.
It was a thrilling moment. The train was slowly passing you at an extremely close. Close enough for you to feel the heat of the train from your feet and your nose. I felt like it took forever and I almost ran out of patients and started to scream at some point.
I learned that it is better to stand to enjoy this moment instead of sitting at those benches. You cannot hardly change your position once the train is in front of you.
After the train passed the market, it was such a relief. Everything went back to normal in just a minute. It was a really exciting experience and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something new outside – but not too far – from Bangkok.
Opening Hours
Rom Hup Market opens everyday from 6:00 until 18:00.
The train that passes Rom Hup market comes from Baan Laem in Samut Sakhon province to Mae Klong market, which is the Rom Hup market we are talking about. It is scheduled for 4 times a day and goes back. In total, the train will pass the market for 8 times a day following the schedule below (as of May 2026):
- Baan Laem to Mae Klong market (Rom Hup market): Train departs everyday and will arrive Mae Klong market at 8:30, 11:10, 14:30 and 17:40
- Mae Klong market (Rom Hup market) to Baan Laem: Train departs everyday and will depart from Mae Klong market at 6:20, 9:00, 11:30 and 15:30
Be sure to arrive at Rom Hup market around 15-20 minutes before the arrival/departure schedule from the Mae Klong market, so you can have some time to find some seating by the train.
Entrance Fee
There is no entrance fee for this place. It is just like you go to a market. If you do not buy anything, you do not pay anything. But I do recommend buying some, at least a drink to refresh yourself from the hot weather.
How To Get There?
If you are planning to visit there from Bangkok, I highly recommend hiring a van for one day from Bangkok from any local travel agency. It should take around 2 hours if your journey starts from the hotel in the commercial district of Bangkok like Asok.
You can also take a train from Wongwian Yai station to Maha Chai and cross the river with the ferry to Baan Laem station. From here you can take the train from Baan Laem to the Rom Hup Market, but as a person on the train instead of the person at the side of the railway!
