Would you recommend going? We have the option of joining a day tour to the floating market and the Rose Garden. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

i like it a lot...i have been twice...it is very interesting...some think that it is very touristy, but i do not...you will not see anything like it any place else....great place for pictures....rose garden on the other hand--- i do not like....i found it boring...just a big theme park...and thus a waste of precious touring time...

if you can do the market without a tour group and without rose garden, you would enjoy it more...for instance hire a car and driver to take you there and back...if there are 2 or 3 of you it might be almost as cheap as going on the tour...\

you have to plan on at least a 1/2 day to do it...go early in the day like at 8AM leaving from bkk or earlier

ask your hotel for a car and driver or call ratt on this board...

Mlo1970, just wondering, are you going with Friendly Planet/ Smartours tour group? We are going with Friendly Planet in February, and seem to have the same optional tours choice.

Yes we are going with smartours! We are going in three days. I'll post our thoughts on the optional tours. Have you decided which you are going on?

rhkkmk --- so helpful! thanks! any guess at about how much to get a car and driver for 1/2 day? Do you suggest 8 am start for the grand palace as well?

I think both places are a little touristy but I enjoyed both. If you go knowing that you will enjoy something different to the usual. Have fun!

I think we are going to take most of them, except 'Kantoke Dinner'. My friends said it was not too good. Also, not sure on hilltribe villages tour. Once again, my friends who went with this tour before, arranged their own hilltribe tour thru hotel, and liked it a lot. So, we may do the same. Otherwise, we are planning to take all other optional tours.

We did the floating market at Damneon Saduak, prearranged before arriving BKK. Departure was very early, before 7am. We drove south to a point where we got into a longtail boat for the balance of the trip to the market. We arrived early enough; vendors were just opening, so we didn't have much of a crowd while making purchases.

Yes, it is touristy, but is a nice way to see the life on the Klongs. We stayed a few hours, even cruising thru the Klongs, made some more purchases; then with our guide found our air conditioned vehicle and headed back to BKK arriving about 2pm. Do figure at least half a day.

Can't comment on the Rose Garden - did not stop here.

If you do the market with a guide and driver from bkk it will be about $50 but that also includes going to a few other places also. just like rhkkmk said you really need to do it this way instead of with a huge tour. when we got there is was so nice and peaceful, but when we left it was so hectic with all the huge tours!

rose garden is on almost every tour to the floating market....its a narural stop and you can eat there....i hate it!!!

it largely depend on who you hire...its usually a per hour fee...ratt charges 225B per hour plus 1 B per kl of mileage....i think for a 13 hour day i paid her $100 US....its worth every c3ent having your own driver, believe me...plus they get you right to the site and stop at other interesting places along the way....we went to a pottery kiln near the market and that was fascinating and cheap to buy ceramics....
8 is the last time i would leave....i think we went at 6:30 and got there early before the throngs, which makes all the difference....

i think the grand palace does not open until 10, but i may be wrong...be there shortly after opening however as the crowds are less and so is the heat which is the real problem....bring lots of film ...enjoy...
ask more questions if you want

I agre with the positive comments about the floating market and the use of a driver. Being there long before the tour busses arrive makes it much more pleasurable.

If you're interested, my pics of the market are at:
http://www.pbase.com/mike_buckley/float_market