Khlong Toei Market

Sprawling along Rama IV Road since the mid-20th century, Khlong Toei is Bangkok's largest fresh market and the wholesale source many of the city's restaurants and street-food carts rely on for produce, meat and seafood. It runs 24 hours a day, though the real action is before dawn, when boats and trucks unload the night's catch and vendors haggle in narrow, covered lanes. There's little for tourists here — no signage in English, no seating — just a working market where Bangkok actually shops.