WHERE TO SHOP IN BANGKOK • Prime 8 Buying Facilities and Malls

Bangkok is understood for a lot of issues: ornate temples, delectable meals, and vibrant nightlife. All these make the Thai capital a juggernaut on the earth of tourism. But when there’s yet one more factor you shouldn’t miss, it’s a chance to buy ’til you drop.

All all through Bangkok, you’ll discover colossal style malls and road markets, every providing a distinct procuring expertise. Whether or not you’re searching for luxurious designer labels, world manufacturers, or distinctive homegrown favorites, there’s a procuring middle for you. On this article, let’s break down a few of the metropolis’s largest and hottest procuring institutions. (This listing is in no specific order.)

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Formally opened in 1942, the Chatuchak Market is a sprawling procuring mecca that has been drawing each native and international buyers and distributors. Welcoming greater than 200,000 guests, it’s inarguably the busiest within the nation. Composed of over 15,000 stalls, manned by 11,500 distributors in a 35-acre land space, it’s dubbed as the biggest and most various weekend market on the earth.

On the market here’s a full gamut of merchandise possible, grouped into 30 sections. A market map might be normally seen on the entrance gate areas. To maximise your time right here, you’ll be able to take a photograph of the map to information you when you store. Notice that there are three entrance gates: on Kamphaeng Phet 2 (Entrance 1), on Kamphaeng Phet 3 (Entrance 2), and on Phahonyothin Street (Entrance 3).

To present you an outline, listed below are the stuff you’ll see per part:

Part 1 & 29: Antiques, Equipment, Books, Thai Devices
Part 2-4: Teen Clothings and Equipment
Part 5-6: Used Clothings and Sneakers
Part 7: Arts & Portray
Part 8: Carvings, Spa, Incense
Part Sept. 11: Handcraft & Synthetic Flowers
Part 12, 14, 21-24: Clothes, Equipment, Sneakers
Part 13: Postcards, Souvenirs, Pet/Animal Stuff
Part 15, 19-20: Tableware, Ceramic, Silver, House Decorations
Part 16-18: Clothes, Climbing Gear, Leather-based
Part 25: Ceramic & Silk
Part 26: Antiques, House Decorations, Picture Frames
Part 27-28: Handcrafts, Books, Miscellaneous, Others
Part 30: Clothes & Miscellaneous

Meals stalls are largely clustered in a single space close to Entrance 1. Others are scattered across the market hallways. So, flex your bargaining muscle tissue and store to your coronary heart’s content material!

In case you ever get hungry from all of the bargaining, there are many eating choices round, serving varied Thai dishes. However what we suggest is Moo Yang Mae Sumontha, a hidden stall inside Chatuchak Market serving moo yang (grilled pork). However its model is roasted honey glazed, which is extremely tender, succulent, and correctly cooked.

Location: Kamphaeng Phet 2 Street, Chatuchak, Bangkok
Nearest Stations: Chatuchak Park MRT Station, Chatuchak Park BTS Station, or Kamphaeng Phet MRT Station
Opening Hours:
Saturday-Sunday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM (Entire Market);
Friday, 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM (Wholesale Solely);
Wednesday-Thursday, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM (Plant Part Solely).

Pratunam Market

With retail shops unfold throughout Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi Roads in Ratchathewi District, Pratunam Market is without doubt one of the greatest wholesale garment markets within the nation. It options each indoor and outside procuring areas, touting largely garments and equipment. However different merchandise like toiletries, toys, medicines, and houseware are additionally accessible.

Though the shops usually cater to wholesalers, they nonetheless fortunately accommodate retail consumers or those that purchase in small portions. Haggling is regular, so don’t be shy to barter the value once you see one thing you actually like and really feel like you’ll be able to nonetheless get it at a a lot lower cost.

Don’t overlook to take a look at Pratunam Heart, a constructing on the coronary heart of Pratunam. If you’re extra comfy procuring exterior, simply watch out of the passing automobiles.

Location: Ratchatewi District, Bangkok
Nearest Station: Ratchathewi BTS Station
Opening Hours: The market is open 24/7, however most retailers begin working at 11:00 AM. The perfect time to buy is between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Platinum Style Mall

On the opposite aspect of Petchaburi Street and throughout the Pratunam Market space, Platinum Style Mall entices shopaholics and fashionistas from across the globe. Showcasing a plethora of style types and merchandise, it is without doubt one of the largest and most favored wholesale and retail procuring locations in Thailand.

From Thai designer collections to the most recent worldwide tendencies, it delights buyers on the hunt for garments, equipment, footwear, and leather-based items. Nearly all of the retailers caters to girls, however the whole Degree 4 is devoted to males’s put on. However on the primary three flooring, you’ll nonetheless discover males’s garments and unisex shops each dozen of stalls or so. It’s composed of greater than 2,500 retailers, housed in a multi-level air-conditioned constructing. It’s not nearly quantity, although. It’s additionally various. You’ll discover one thing for you no matter your age, gender or physique sort! You simply have to comb via every flooring.

To your procuring information, listed below are the merchandise classes per flooring/stage:

• sixth Degree (Meals Heart): Meals & Beverage, Souvenirs, Cellular Equipment
• fifth Degree (Orchard): Children, Leathers, Equipment
• 4th Degree (Camden): Males, Leather-based Merchandise
• third Degree (Nathan): Ladies, Males
• 2nd Degree (Oxford): Ladies
• 1st Degree (Soho): Ladies, Info Counter
• Basement Degree (Ginza): Denims, Style Garments, Meals & Beverage

You would possibly get misplaced within the maze-like colourful hallways that look comparable. Simply set a selected place and time to satisfy your companions after your procuring spree.

For foodies, one can find a lot of the eating locations on Degree 6 and the Basement Degree. The Meals Heart, the mall’s meals junction, and the eating places are on Degree 6, whereas the cafés and dessert locations are on the basement stage.

Location: 222 Phetchaburi Street, Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok
Nearest Station: Chit Lom BTS Station or Siam BTS Station. From both station, take the elevated R-Stroll via Gaysorn Village.
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9:00 AM-8:00 PM.

Palladium World Buying Mall

Additionally positioned within the Pratunam neighborhood, the Palladium World Buying Mall (or just Palladium) is the place to go for IT-related stuff — telephone equipment, tech devices, electronics, printing, cameras, and the like. However in fact, style gadgets and equipment additionally abound right here: the most recent types, classic garments, textiles, costumes, and even faculty uniforms!

Palladium’s basement additionally beckons blingholics and gemmaphiles who’re looking for their subsequent treasured jewellery — silver, gold, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and extra! Therapeutic massage providers and eating locations are additionally accessible.

Location: 555 Ratchaprarop Street, Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok
Nearest Station: Chit Lom BTS Station, Siam BTS Station or Ratchaprarop Station
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10:00 AM-8:00 PM.

Siam Sq.

Positioned within the Siam neighborhood, Siam Sq. is a procuring and leisure vacation spot, immortalized in popular culture because the setting of the movie The Love of Siam. With over 400,000 individuals passing via this space every day, additionally it is typically thought to be the center of procuring within the metropolis.

Combining large fashionable malls with humble road vendor stalls, it caters to each younger and previous and every kind of buyers, from cut price hunters to luxurious chasers. The leisure and procuring space spans from Phayathai Street to Henri Dunant and from Rama I Street to the Chulalongkorn Campus. A skywalk hyperlinks it to close by procuring facilities and the Ratchaprasong procuring district.

Listed below are a few of the malls which can be ready for you across the Siam Space:

• Siam Paragon, largely mid-range to high-end manufacturers
• Siam Heart
• Siam Discovery
• CentralwOrld
• MBK Heart

The flagship retailer of GENTLEWOMAN, a Thai model, can also be inside Siam Sq..

Location: 388 Rama I Street, Pathum Wan, Bangkok
Nearest Station: Siam BTS Station
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10:00 AM-10:00 PM.

iconSIAM

IconSIAM is a part of the multi-awarded mixed-use growth property on the west financial institution of the Chao Phraya River. Since its opening in November 2018, it has already amassed a number of design awards. Overlaying an in depth retail area space of 525,000 sq. meters, it’s hailed as one of many largest procuring malls in Asia. A lot of the eating places, retail manufacturers, and retailers listed below are on the posh or high-end aspect.

Listed below are a few of the points of interest ready for you at iconSIAM:

• Siam Takashimaya, the primary Takashimaya in Thailand. This iconic Japanese division retailer carries greater than 500 trusted manufacturers, round 170 of that are Japanese.
• Sook Siam, an indoor floating market with greater than 3,000 native companies from all around the nation have been introduced right here to showcase the cultural roots of Thailand via their merchandise — crafts, meals, and extra — whereas paying tribute to the floating markets in neighboring provinces.
• Sights Corridor, positioned on IconSiam’s sixth flooring, which hosts varied occasions and displays. The final time we visited, DA VINCI ALIVE BANGKOK takes the spot. It options all of Da Vinci’s genius and legacy multi function place. Right here, you’ll get to marvel at replicas of and be taught an awesome deal about his masterpieces!
• Cruise Pier, the leap off level for a lot of boat cruises. IconSiam is located on the west financial institution of the Chao Phraya.

IconSIAM additionally takes delight in its general look and aesthetic. Since its opening in November 2018, it has already amassed a number of design awards. Its interiors are additionally dressed relying on the event. Our final go to was firstly of #PrideMonth so rainbow decors and promos are in all places!

Location: 299 Charoen Nakhon Street, Khlong Ton Sai, Khlong San, Bangkok
Nearest Station: Charoennakorn Station (Sky Prepare Gold Line by way of Krung Thon Buri BTS Station) or Saphan Taksin BTS Station (then ferry from Sathorn Pier to IconSIAM)
Opening Hours: Every day, 10:00 AM-10:00 PM.

Union Mall

If you wish to steer clear of the gang, head over to Union Mall, positioned on the Lat Phrao junction in Bangkok’s northern aspect. Union Mall is an eight-story retail middle, house to over 1200 retailers and kiosks. However it’s nonetheless fairly spacious. A lot of the outfitters are on the primary two ranges, however a few of the prime flooring should not absolutely occupied, which make for a extra relaxed procuring expertise.

You see, whereas most vacationers congregate in Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market, Union Mall is extra frequented by locals. Once we final visited, it was a wet weekday afternoon, and there have been many occasions after we have been the one clients alongside a full procuring alley! And after we discovered ourselves in the identical retailer as different buyers, they have been Thai.

The good majority of retailers are geared towards girls, however there’s an honest variety of males’s put on on the higher flooring. In truth, Vins was in a position to buy a few lovely graphic males’s jackets! He was additionally in a position to haggle a bit.

However like Platinum Mall, the sheer range of choices right here is sort of spectacular. You’ll discover a retailer for males, girls, children, grownups, skinny and plus-size!

Location: 54 ซอย ลาดพร้าว 1 Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Nearest Station: Phahon Yothin (MRT Blue Line)
Opening Hours: Every day, 11:00 AM-10:00 PM.

Siam Shops Mall

Siam Premium Shops is Thailand’s first luxurious outlet mall. It’s operated by the Siam Piwat Simon Co., the identical retail and growth company behind Siam Paragon, Siam Heart, Siam Discovery, and IconSIAM.

It takes delight in its assortment of 145 premium style heavyweights together with designer luxurious labels, worldwide ready-to-wear staples, and native manufacturers, organized in a flat, outdoor-mall setup. However the very best half: you’ll be able to count on an enormous SALE at any time of the 12 months. Which shops and the way a lot low cost is up for grabs differ per season, however there are promos year-round.

Once we visited, we have been greeted by these reductions for choose gadgets:

• Calvin Klein – as much as 80% OFF
• Michael Kors – as much as 70% OFF
• Havaianas – as much as 60% OFF
• Puma – as much as 50% OFF
• Below Armour – as much as 50% OFF
• American Eagle – as much as 50% OFF
• Adidas – as much as 40% OFF
• Coach – as much as 30% OFF

Some shops additionally supply further reductions if you are going to buy a number of gadgets directly. Sure, these are on prime of the printed promos.

You’ll additionally discover the next luxurious manufacturers at Siam Premium Shops:

• Balenciaga
• Burberry
• Versace
• Ferragamo
• Boss
• Marc Jacobs
• Karl Lagerfeld

Additionally scattered across the website are a number of photograph spots, normally following the season’s most important event. Once we final visited, they have been celebrating #BangkokPride Month so rainbow decors have been throughout. They have been additionally freely giving free rainbow umbrellas to those that add images taken at these spots.

Right here’s the catch, although. Though it’s named Siam Premium Shops Bangkok, it’s truly positioned in Samutprakarn Province, simply exterior town. It’s near Suvarnabhumi Airport, so you might do your last-minute procuring right here, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly out of the way in which.

Nonetheless, there are direct shuttle buses at Siam Paragon that may take you to Siam Premium Shops.

The right way to Get to Siam Premium Shops Bangkok: Take the BTS to Siam Station and head to Siam Paragon. Catch a shuttle bus to Siam Premium Shops. Fare: THB 150 per particular person.
Location: 989 moo 14, Tambon Bang Sao Thong, Amphur Bang Sao Thong, Samutprakarn Province 10570, Thailand
Opening Hours: Every day, 10:00 AM-10:00 PM.

What’s the finest procuring spot in Bangkok?

Nicely, that will depend on your preferences. Primarily based on my commentary, amongst all these, the Chatuchak Weekend Market is essentially the most budget-friendly and the workers entertain haggling extra, particularly in case you’re buying a number of gadgets. Chatuchak is touted as essentially the most various market this aspect of the world, and it’s most likely true since you’ll discover different gadgets aside from clothes. However in the case of simply attire and equipment, lots of the stalls promote comparable merchandise. You’ll discover a number of institutions promoting the very same shirts, attire or baggage. Plus, timing is essential right here as most shops are open solely on weekends.

In case you’re thinking about clothes, the Pratunam space is nice as a result of it has extra various choices. Platinum Style Mall alone, whereas usually barely dearer than Chatuchak, is house to a variety of distinctive and quirky designs. The adjoining markets additionally promote extra reasonably priced gadgets.

However in case you’re after branded and extra premium gadgets, it’s between Siam Paragon and iconSIAM. Siam Premium Shops Bangkok has a variety of promos, which is nice in case you’re cut price searching. However as a result of it’s a must to exit of your strategy to attain it, be certain they carry your goal manufacturers earlier than going.

What’s the Finest Space to Keep in Bangkok for Buyers?

It’s a toss between Siam and Pratunam. Siam is surrounded by big procuring malls, whereas Pratunam is a cut price retail paradise. The perfect half, these two areas lie aspect by aspect and are inside strolling distance of one another. It’s an extended stroll, maybe 15-25 minutes, but it surely’s not that dangerous.

That mentioned, Siam space is rather more well-connected than Pratunam by way of prepare traces.

Listed below are a few of the prime accommodations in these two areas as reviewed by Agoda customers.

Prime Accommodations in Siam Space

Prime Accommodations in Pratunam

Seek for extra Bangkok Accommodations!

Essential Ideas when Buying in Bangkok

• Watch out for pickpockets, particularly within the Pratunam space together with Pratunam Market and Platinum Style Corridor. At all times control your valuables.
• Get greater reductions in case you’re shopping for as a bunch. Though haggling isn’t practiced at most Siam-managed malls like iconSIAM and Siam Premium Shops, it is rather a lot welcome at Pratunam institutions and Chatuchak Weekend Market. And also you’re gonna have rather more bargaining energy in case you’re shopping for a number of gadgets directly. So in case you’re a part of a bunch, store and haggle collectively.
• Agree to satisfy at a selected place and time. These procuring facilities are like an enormous maze. The alleys crisscrossing Chatuchak Market, Platinum Style Mall, and Pratunam Market are slim and crowded. It’s straightforward to get misplaced and confused. In case you’re a part of a bunch, select a meetup spot and time in case you get separated or in case you resolve to go on separate methods.
• Convey your passport and avail of VAT Refund. Most shops at Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Heart, CentralwOrld, iconSIAM and Siam Premium Shops are a part of the tax refund program so make the most of it for additional financial savings!

Written by: Yosh Dimen & Asta Alvarez