TL;DR: Ayutthaya’s main evening food market is Bang Lan Road Night Market (also written Bang Ian), a short walk from Wat Mahathat, open roughly 4-5pm to 9-10pm daily with curry-and-rice plates around ฿30-40 (US$0.90-1.20), skewers from ฿10 (US$0.30), and noodle dishes up to about ฿80 (US$2.40). A second, quieter option is Hua Raw (Hua Ro) Night Market on the riverside northeast of the old palace walls, where dishes average around ฿60 (US$1.80) and you can watch longtail boats return past floodlit temples. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings (roughly 5-10pm), Krungsri Walking Street sets up near Wat Si Sanphet with crafts and silk alongside the food stalls. None of these is the touristy staged “floating market” experience, that’s Ayothaya Floating Market, a separate daytime attraction covered in its own guide. All prices ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
If you’ve spent the day cycling between ruins in the Ayutthaya heat, the night markets are where the town actually comes alive. This guide covers Ayutthaya’s real evening food markets, Bang Lan Road, Hua Raw, and the weekend Krungsri Walking Street, how they compare, what to eat, and how they differ from the separate, more tourist-oriented Ayothaya Floating Market out on the edge of town. Figures below are checked against 2026 visitor and local travel sources, listed at the end.
Ayutthaya’s night markets compared
| Market | Location | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bang Lan Road Night Market | Central, near Wat Mahathat | Daily, ~4-5pm to 9-10pm | Widest range of food stalls |
| Hua Raw (Hua Ro) Night Market | Riverfront, NE of the old palace | Evenings, until around 9-10pm | River views, floodlit temples |
| Krungsri Walking Street | Near Wat Si Sanphet | Fri-Sun only, ~5-10pm | Crafts, silk, festive weekend atmosphere |
| Chao Phrom Market (daytime) | Central, adjacent to Bang Lan Road | Early morning to early evening | Local daily life, not a night market |
Hours compiled from 2026 local travel and visitor guides; see Sources. Actual stall setup and closing times vary night to night, as with most Thai street markets.
Bang Lan Road Night Market (also written Bang Ian)
This is Ayutthaya’s biggest and most reliable night market, and the one most guesthouses will point you to. It sets up every evening from around 4-5pm on Bang Lan Road (you’ll also see it spelled Bang Ian Road in English-language listings, both refer to the same street), a short walk from Wat Mahathat and right next to the daytime Chao Phrom Market. Food dominates: pre-cooked curry-and-rice plates run about ฿30-40 (US$0.90-1.20), grilled meat, sausages and meatballs on skewers start from ฿10 (US$0.30) each, and noodle dishes, including glass noodles with prawns, run up to roughly ฿80 (US$2.40). A cold Leo beer to go with it costs around ฿90 (US$2.70). Beyond food, you’ll find clothing, small gifts and household goods, though eating is clearly the main draw. Seating is limited, mostly at the western end, so plenty of visitors buy food to eat standing or take back to their guesthouse.
Hua Raw (Hua Ro) Night Market
Smaller and quieter than Bang Lan, but with a setting Bang Lan can’t match. Hua Raw sits on the riverfront to the northeast, in front of the old palace’s high white walls, with tables looking out across the water to illuminated temple ruins as longtail boats head home for the evening. Dishes average around ฿60 (US$1.80), and the mix leans broader than Bang Lan’s curry-and-skewer focus, Thai standards alongside European and Muslim food, coconut-based desserts, and fresh fruit. It’s often ranked as Ayutthaya’s second-best night market by visitors, behind Bang Lan on sheer range of stalls but ahead of it on atmosphere. Being set back off the main road rather than lining it, it’s a touch harder to stumble onto by accident, so a short tuk-tuk, motorbike taxi or car ride is the easiest way in.
Krungsri Walking Street (weekends only)
Ayutthaya’s weekend market runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, roughly 5pm to 10pm, setting up near Wat Si Sanphet and opposite the Chantharakasem National Museum, about 400 metres from the temple. Alongside the usual street food, pad thai, som tam, mango sticky rice and khanom krok, you’ll find handmade crafts, silk, jewellery and textiles, giving it more of a festive weekend-market feel than Bang Lan’s straightforward food focus, with vendors sometimes in historical dress. Because it’s weekend-only, it’s worth timing a visit for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening if this is the one you want to see.
What about Chao Phrom Market?
Chao Phrom is Ayutthaya’s main traditional market, but it’s a daytime market, not a night market, so don’t plan an evening visit around it. It operates from the early hours, is busiest before noon, and mostly winds down by evening, with the Bang Lan Road night market effectively taking over the same patch of town after dark. If you want to see Ayutthaya’s everyday market life rather than its evening food scene, visit Chao Phrom in the morning instead.
Night market or Ayothaya Floating Market?
These are two completely different things, and it’s worth knowing the difference before you plan your evening. Ayutthaya’s night markets are ordinary, unstaged local street markets, used by residents as much as visitors, with no entrance fee and no boats trading on water. Ayothaya Floating Market, by contrast, is a separate, purpose-built daytime attraction on the edge of town with a paid entrance fee, boats permanently mounted on wooden frames rather than genuinely afloat, and scheduled cultural shows. It’s a legitimate half-day out in its own right, just not the same experience as an evening market. See outthailand.com’s full Ayothaya Floating Market guide for entry fees, show times and an honest read on how touristy it is.
Honest downsides
- Seating is limited at all three markets. Bang Lan in particular has only a handful of tables at its western end; be prepared to eat standing up or take food back to your guesthouse.
- Hours aren’t rigidly fixed. Like most Thai street markets, stalls set up and pack down based on foot traffic and the vendor’s own schedule, so the exact 4pm start or 10pm close can shift by half an hour or more.
- Krungsri Walking Street’s weekend-only schedule catches people out. If you’re only in Ayutthaya on a weekday evening, Bang Lan or Hua Raw are your options; Krungsri simply isn’t running.
- Language can be a small barrier at the smaller stalls, though pointing at what looks good works fine, as it does at any Thai market.
Planning your evening
A good plan for a full day in Ayutthaya: spend the afternoon at the ruins, cycle back into town as the heat breaks, then walk or tuk-tuk to Bang Lan Road for dinner among the stalls, finishing with a stroll or a short ride out to Hua Raw for the river view if you’ve still got the energy. On a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, swap in Krungsri Walking Street for the crafts and weekend atmosphere. For the temples themselves and a full day’s itinerary, see outthailand.com’s things to do in Ayutthaya guide and the Ayutthaya day trip guide, and check where to stay in Ayutthaya if you’re basing yourself near the old town for easy access to the markets. Browse what’s on for anything else happening in town while you’re there.
Sources
- Wanderlog: Ayutthaya Night Market and Bang Ian Night Market listing: location, address, food and goods sold near Wat Ratchaburana and Bang Lan/Bang Ian Road
- The Bug That Bit Me: Bang Lan Night Market, Ayutthaya and ThailandLife: Bang Lan Road Night Market: hours, food stall prices, location near Wat Mahathat
- WalkWithAJay: Ayutthaya Night Market Guide: Krungsri Walking Street location, weekend hours, food and craft stalls
- Tripadvisor: Hua Raw Night Market reviews: riverside location, dish prices, atmosphere, comparison to Bang Lan
- WebSearch summary of Chao Phrom Market hours: daytime operating hours, market winding down by evening, adjacency to Bang Lan Road night market
- Expat Exchange: Best Markets in Ayutthaya: overview of Chao Phrom and Hua Ro as traditional daytime markets