Amphawa

Train

It's not possible to reach Amphawa by train. However, Mae Khlong station in Samut Songkhram, from where Amphawa is easily reachable, can be reached via the local Mahachai line, with trains departing from Wongwian Yai rail station in the Thonburi area of Bangkok. You'll need to catch a train first to Samut Sakhon, then take a 3 baht ferry across the nearby Tha Chin river and catch another train to Samut Songkhram from the station immediately on the western bank of the river. In this case you would be in the train as it cruises through the legendary Mae Khlong market.

Trains to Samut Sakhon depart every hour from Wongwian Yai station, and the last train to Samut Songkhram departs at 19:00. The whole trip takes about 2.5 hours depending on how long you have to wait in Samut Sakhon. The price is slightly cheaper than taking a bus to Samut Songkhram, and it's a scenic ride through the country in non-air-con carriages.

To reach Wongwian Yai rail station in Bangkok, take the BTS sky train to Wongwian Yai BTS station, exit on the northwest side and walk west for 400 metres before turning right onto Phra Chao Taksin Road. The station is another 400 metres up on the left, some 200 metres before King Taksin monument at the centre of Wongwian Yai roundabout.

Bus

Regular buses do not go to Amphawa, which has no bus station, but minibuses from Bangkok's Victory Monument leave every hour from 06:00 to 18:00 (20:00 on weekends) and cost 80 baht per person. Several minibus operators in the vicinity of Victory Monument go to Amphawa, but the easiest to find departs from the station near the steps of exit 4 at Victory Monument BTS station.

In Amphawa, minibuses to Victory Monument depart from a clearly marked roadside stand on Phrachaset Road just east of the town centre. These run from 05:15 to 18:00 (20:00 on weekends) and also cost 80 baht.

Minibuses to Victory Monument can also be caught from the bus station near Mae Khlong market (at the corner of Rattan Witthi Road and Ratpasit Road) in Samut Songkhram. These cost 70 baht and depart hourly throughout the day in either direction. Other buses and minibuses heading onwards to regional destinations like Petchaburi, Hua Hin and Ratchaburi can also be caught here.

Regular buses also make return trips to the same bus stop in Samut Songkhram, departing hourly throughout the day from Bangkok's Sai Tai Mai (Southern) bus terminal and costing 50 baht.

From Samut Songkhram, you can choose between big, slow songthaew for 15 baht or tuk tuk for 80 baht to take you to Amphawa, all of which can be found in front of Rama II hospital near Mae Khlong market.

Other

If all of the other options sound too daunting, a taxi can take you all the way to Amphawa from the centre of Bangkok for around 1,500 baht, depending on your bartering skills.

Getting Around

Amphawa is a small town that can be easily covered on foot. Most hotels and homestays also offer guests bicycles free of charge. There is currently no place in Amphawa that rents motorbikes.

For getting around the general area, royal blue songthaews run regularly along the main roads, but be sure to tell them where you're headed as destinations are written only in Thai and some songthaews go north in the direction of Bang Khonthi while others run in loops from Amphawa to Samut Songkhram to Tha Kha and back. The cost to Samut Songkhram is 15 baht per person.

A handful of tuk tuks and motorbike taxis can also be found near the minibus pick-up point on Prachaset Road.

Samut Songkhram province is well connected by waterways, so most outlying sights and can also be reached by boat. The price for a private two- to three-hour boat trip is 400 baht, but one-off trips like Amphawa to Bang Noi and back are negotiable. You can also take a 3 baht ferry across the Mae Khlong river from the main pier near the centre of town, from where a few large temples -- but little else -- are within walking distance. If exploring by bicycle, you could bring your bike onto the ferry and head immediately north up to Wat Kai Bang Kung.