If you love shopping, Bangkok is the place to be. Not only do you have the big, flashy shopping malls selling designer goods and clothes, the night markets and the food markets, the boutique fashion stores, and the bargain street stalls. Bangkok has a wide variety of shopping experiences on offer. Get ready to hit the streets with some cash after reading our 10 ideas for shopping in Bangkok trips in the Thai capital.
CentralWorld/ Image via Bcow/ Flickr
1. Bangkok Shopping Malls
Your choice of Bangkok shopping mall depends on your choice of shopping experience. Do you want to pick up a bargain? Then head to MBK. If you are more into glamour and glitz, try The Emporium or Siam Paragon. If you want to go where everyone else is going, visit CentralWorld. Bangkok has a shopping mall for everyone. Malls also contain entertainment venues and food courts so that you can make a day, or a night, of it in air-conditioned comfort.
2. Siam Square
If you love fantastic, new, innovative things, Siam Square is the place to go. Siam Square is the hub of trendiness, with designers and young entrepreneurs shaping the scene. Siam Square is also home to some exclusive real estate and the Siam Paragon mall, where you can pick up an extensive range of designer goods.
3. Chatuchak Market
You can’t miss Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok if you love a great market. The vast market is famous for its sheer variety and the number of things you can buy here. Whatever you are looking for, and even if you are browsing, this is a shopping experience not to be missed. Haggling and bargaining are expected and encouraged, so see what you can do to get a reasonable price.
4. Asiatique the Riverfront
This is a classy and exciting spot on the site of a former trade port. The Asiatique boasts thousands of boutique stores and over 40 restaurants, and it successfully combines the mall and the night bazaar concept. Asiatique on the riverside is around 10 minutes from the Saphan Taksin BTS station.
5. Khao San Road After Dark
At dusk, backpacker-central Khao San Road stalls spring into life, selling everything the traveler could want, including sarongs, sandals, incense, alarm clocks, DVDs, and T-shirts. Patpong Market also comes to life after the office workers go home. If you like shopping once the sun has gone down, make a trip to Khao San and enjoy some shopping and delicious street food.
6. Or Tor Kor Food Market
If you love food, you’ll love this fresh produce market. If you love a local experience, you have to come here – the Or Tor Kor Food Market is famous for the variety and the quality of its product. If you love cooking, you’ll be amazed at the range of seafood, fruits, meat, and vegetables. You’ll also be able to pick up a fresh bargain.
7. Bangkok Flower Market
And if flowers are more your thing, take a trip to the Flower Market in Bangkok. A beautiful experience to see the fresh blooms and smell the scent of the blossoms. You’ll have to stay up late, but it’ll be worth it for this top Bangkok shopping experience.
8. Shopping in Bangkok – Pratunam
An eclectic experience, the wholesale fashion market in the fashion district of Petchburi sells practically everything you could want to be ahead of the fashion pack. From accessories to clothes, wigs to shoes, browse the stalls and wonder at the variety available.
9. Pantip Plaza for Computer Shopping
Pantip Plaza is the place to be if you want a notebook, mobile, PC, or computer part. Pantip is packed with electronic gadgets and components. Whatever you need for your IT life, you are sure to find it at this mall in Petchburi.
10. Shopping in Bangkok – Chinatown
The narrow, winding streets are packed with all manner of goods in Chinatown, from fruit and vegetables to gold jewelry and martial arts costumes. Shopping in Chinatown is all about the scents and the sounds, as well as the sights. This is a great area to walk around and a fantastic place to eat delicious street food.
Chinatown/ Image via www.david baxendale.com/ Flickr
For more information on shopping in Bangkok, visit PhuketOn. The site for Bangkok shopping, Bangkok hotels, and Bangkok restaurants, PhuketOn, has a wealth of information.
