What is Mahachai Samut Sakhon Like?

Mahachai Samut Sakhon, also spelled Maha Chai, is located along the Tha Chin River.

Samut Sakhon province is known for its fish market. If you hop on the ferry that goes from Mahachai to Tha Chalom, you can head to the famous Maeklong Railway Market.

Since I lived and taught English in Mahachai for a while, I got pretty familiar with the area. My apartment was on the corner of Ekachai and Setthakij 1 Road. It’s the apartment complex near/on top of Pizza Hut.

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The main road in Mahachai is called Ekachai Road. In Mahachai, you have hospitals, restaurants, malls, schools, and just about everything else you’ll need. There will be a 7/11 everywhere you look too.

At most of the corners on the main road, you will come across a motorbike stop. You can just tell them where you were going and hop on. If you can’t tell them, take out your translator or map app, and usually, they will name a price and you’ll be on your way.

I walked everywhere and all of my friends thought I was crazy. I couldn’t have made it without these wonderful walking shoes.

How Far is Samut Sakhon From Bangkok?

Mueang Samut Sakhon district is located 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Bangkok.

If you drive to Bangkok from Mahachai, it will take about 40 minutes to an hour, and taking the train or a van will take around one hour.

From Samut Sakhon to Bangkok

Traveling between the two cities is easy enough and is very affordable.

You can take a Grab (taxi), van, car, motorbike, or the cheapest option would be to take the train.

If you have never been to Thailand/SE Asia, I recommend downloading the Grab app. It is a taxi app and can come in pretty handy at times. You can even hook up your credit card to it.

Check out some other apps for Thailand.

The Mahachai train station runs multiple times throughout the day and goes from Mahachai to Wongwian Yai in Bangkok.

From Wongwian Yai, you can walk across the walking bridge to the BTS.

Wongwian Yai is located on a side street that is pretty easy to miss so keep a lookout. You will see vendors and people hanging all along the road.

At both stations, you will be able to see the different times the train leaves and you can buy your ticket for the cheap price of THB 10 (USD .03).

Things to Do/Places to Go in Mahachai

In the city of Mahachai, you can find all different types of things to do. And if you can’t, you can head to Bangkok by train and spend the day there!

• Go shopping at Central Plaza Maha Chai
• Visit Landmark
• Walk around the Mahachai Market
• Eat dinner at the Mahachai Railway Night Market
• Walk through Munkong Market at Mahachai
• Go shopping and eat at Nampu Plaza
• Porto Chino
• Take a walk around Tesco Lotus
• Take the ferry to Tha Chalom
• Get a Thai massage

Central Plaza Mahachai has Robinsons, Uniqlo, Starbucks, beauty stores, phone stores, and multiple other stores. Sometimes you can catch a movie at SF Cinema in English. Most of the movies there are dubbed in Thai so always be sure to double-check before you buy your ticket.

Taking a Grab/taxi to Central Plaza can take about only about fifteen minutes from Samut Sakhon Hospital on Ekkachai Road.

If you’re looking for more stores and to watch a movie in English, you can head to Central Rama 2. There, you will find Major Cineplex Central Rama II where they will have movies in English or at least movies with subtitles in English. You will also find many other stores and restaurants. It takes less than an hour to get to Central Rama 2 from Mahachai.

Don’t forget to stand when they play the national anthem!

Landmark is a local shopping mall that has a Max Value supermarket, Starbucks, Pizza Company, some small stores, and a whole bunch of vacant spots.

At night, Landmark will have countless street food vendors and even live music. After that, sometimes you will see people drinking beer and hanging out. Landmark was the spot that my friends and I would frequent on a weekend night.

At the Mahachai Market, you will find loads of fresh and dried seafood and fish. In fact, that is all you will be able to smell too. There are other types of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts amongst other things.

The Mahachai Railway Night Market is open 5 days a week from 4 to 11 pm. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. You will find local food for a cheap price and other random street vendors as you walk through the market. Usually, you can listen to some live music as you sit and eat.

As you can tell, Mahachai has several markets within the city. Munkong Market at Mahachai is another one of those markets that have fresh food for an inexpensive price. This market is open daily from around 2 (sometimes later) to 8 pm.

On the first floor of Nampu Plaza, you will find a KFC, Dairy Queen, and small phone repair shops, the second floor is the food court, the third floor is Mr. DIY (it’s cheap too!) and the fourth floor has a karaoke room, kids indoor playground, a passport photo booth, and some other small stores.

Porto Chino is a shopping mall that is located on Rama II Road and it is across the street from Central Plaza Mahachai. You will find McDonald’s, Starbucks, MK Restaurant, and a Foodland supermarket inside. You will find other stores on the second floor and all throughout the open-air mall.

Tesco Lotus, also called Lotus’s is a huge store with restaurants, small stores, and even a small kids’ playground. There is also an Index Living Mall inside, which sells a bunch of home supplies from appliances to couches. On the first floor, you will find Dunkin Donuts, KFC, and a few other eateries. On the second floor is Tesco where you can buy your groceries for the week.

The tiny town of Tha Chalom is the gateway to Maeklong Railway Market. However, this small part of Samut Sakhon has tasty street food and friendly locals that will help you if you get lost on your way to the railway market.

You can’t live in Thailand and never get a Thai massage! เรือนนวด เฌอฌมา (I don’t know the English name) is cheap and you will walk out of there feeling like a new person.

Restaurants/Bars in Mahachai

• Baantoon Coffee
• Cafe’ n Garden
• Gen Sushi
• Haven Outdoorism
• KFC
• Let’s Bar & Bistro
• Mahachai Jaidee
• Number 8
• Nutty Cake
• Ruean Panya Restaurant
• Saan D Me Bar
• The LOFT Eatery&Bar
• The White Oven
• Three Girls And A Boy
• Two Ladies
• Whaz

There are loads of restaurants in the area, including local Thai food and western food and some of them are a combination of both.

Baantoon is a nice coffee shop with AC and free wifi. Their drunken noodles with egg are amazing and they will usually have some tasty desserts on display.

Cafe’ n Garden has some good breakfast, including my favorite: bagels. They don’t have cream cheese though but their egg and cheese on a bagel are scrumptious. The owner is very kind and speaks English. I would still try to order in Thai most of the time though.

Gen Sushi is heading towards Mahachai Hospital. Their food is fairly priced and some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. Try the engawa sushi and thank me later.

Haven Outdoorism is a cute spot. You can sit outside or inside. It is located on Ekachai Road. They have camping gear and yummy Pad Thai.

KFC is well, KFC. Nothing special here. There’s one located in Nampu Plaza and Tesco.

Let’s Bar & Bistro is packed, especially on the weekends. Grab a chilly beer and listen to the live music as you make your way through the crowd.

If you are looking for a refreshing smoothie or a flavorful mojito, head to this bar where the owner is friendly and the guests are welcoming! Mahachai Jaidee is a great place to go to grab some food and sip on a Singha.

Number 8 (ร้านข้าวต้มเทศบาล 8 in Google Maps) is a local restaurant. They have seafood, vegetables, meat, and many other types of Thai dishes.

If you’re craving some dessert, you’ll find places all around Mahachai to satisfy that sweet tooth. Nutty Cake has cake, ice cream, and other delectable desserts.

Ruean Panya Restaurant is a Michelin Star restaurant located in Mahachai. It wasn’t the best Thai food I’ve ever had, especially for the price that I paid. Regardless, the place was nicely set up and each room was well decorated.

Saan D Me Bar has pitchers of beer and sometimes live music. You can sit inside with the AC or enjoy the cool nights that Mahachai (sometimes) offers.

Another outdoor bar that has good music is The LOFT Eatery&Bar. It is located on Norarat Uthit Road.

The White Oven is where you can go if you are missing western food. Although it is expensive, the ambiance and food are worth it.

Three Girls And A Boy has a mixture of Thai food and American food. The pancakes were my favorite. They have an English menu so you don’t have to reach for your Google Translate app. The staff was always hesitant when serving my friends and me because our Thai was horrendous.

Two Ladies was not actually the real name of the place but two ladies worked there so that’s how it got its name. Their papaya salad and water spinach are delicious.

Whaz is an outdoor bar that has live music and cold beers. Sometimes, you’ll see dogs sniffing their way around the place.