Bangkok: Shopping

By Kay McMahon, 6 April 2010

There’s a fantastic amount of choice in Bangkok for the shopper. At the top end there are the shopping malls like Siam Paragon, Emporium and Gaysorn Plaza, full of the most exclusive brand names. Then you’ve got dozens of department stores along the main business drags, such as Silom and Sukhumvit. If you fancy a more “authentic” Thai shopping experience there’s the weekend market at Chatuchak and the floating market. Last of all, but certainly not least, you won’t be able to avoid the street stalls and all their trinkets, gadgets, souvenirs and cheap clothing. And that’s to say nothing of the everyday shops along the streets!

Here are just a few of our favourites:

Traditional markets

Chatuchak weekend market

Mo Chit BTS/Chatuchak Park MRTA

Chatuchak is the dog’s wotsits for buying stuff. They’ve got everything there: glassware, livestock, clothes, you name it. There’s even a nice little beer bar if you can find it in the maze. The great news is that you can cut out all the traffic and go right there by Skytrain (take the Sukhumvit line to Mo Chit, then follow the signs). Wow.

Shopping Malls

Central World Plaza

Erawan junction Ratchadamri/Ploenchit Road (Chidlom BTS)

Formerly the World Trade Center, Central World underwent an uplift that was completed in 2008 – as if it wasn’t big enough already! Two department stores and a host of other shops, boutiques and restaurants spread over seven floors. It’s also got a cinema.

Gaysorn Plaza

Erawan junction Ratchadamri/Ploenchit Road (Chidlom BTS)

This is opposite the Central World Plaza. Most of this is just expensive boutiques but right at the top, you’ll find an Aladdin’s cave of local produce: clothes and crafts, etc. It’s well worth a visit.

A crop of street stalls has sprung up just outside Gaysorn Plaza, selling unusual and attractive things.

Pantip Plaza

Petchaburi Road

Pantip Plaza, a few hundred metres to the west of Petchaburi Road’s junction with Ratchadamri Road, is the place to go for all your computer needs – hardware and software.

Siam Paragon

Siam Square (Siam BTS)

A relatively new and very shiny mall, with dealerships for top-of-the-range sports cars among other things. Nice for a look around, even if you can’t necessarily afford to buy anything! The household goods section in the Paragon department store is well worth a look – some lovely (and less horrifyingly priced) stuff in there.

Emporium

Sukhumvit Road, near Soi 24 (Phrom Phong BTS)

Another glossy shopping mall, pitched about halfway between the likes of Gaysorn and Paragon on one hand and the more mass-market Central World Plaza on the other.