The canal-side way of life in Amphawa takes place along the waterfront walkways of Amphawa Canal, a small tributary of the Mae Khlong River. Every weekend Thais flock to the Amphawa Floating Market, as big queues emerge along the canal's bridges and walkways. While commercially developed, the old wooden houses and shopfronts retain some of their original charm.
In the Ayutthaya Period, Amphawa was called Khwaeng Bang Chang, a small community that flourished in agriculture and trade. Sources have confirmed the existence of a market here since the reign of King Prasat Thong in the mid-seventeenth century. In 1766, King Rama II was born in Amphawa, his mother's hometown, as his father was ruling the town of Ratchaburi. At his probable birthplace is now the King Rama II Memorial Park.