Shopping Bangkok
Shopping seems to be an obsession in Thailand and no where more so than Bangkok, a mecca for bargain hunters from across the planet everything you ever dreamed of and many things you never imagined are available in this massive market of a city. Another preconceived notion about Thailand is that all you can buy are dubious $20 Rolex’s and Tom Cruises latest movie for $1, well you can’t walk down the street without falling over vendors selling these items but Bangkok has a million other items for sale such as a real Rolex for a fraction of the cost in the west.
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There is every kind of shopping opportunity from little
market stalls selling handicrafts the huge shopping malls with all the genuine
designer labels to silk kimono’s, exotic perfumes and so much more.
Bangkok
stallholders always want to charge as much as they can and will always come down
in price if you don’t want to pay that much don’t be afraid to walk away, small
shops will also haggle, big stores will give you a discount if you buy several
items so don’t be afraid to ask even in the biggest department store if you feel
you are spending a lot of money ask to pay less or ask what they will throw in
for free.
Even relatively small stores geared to tourists will ship items home for you, they re nearly always reliable but ask for insurance to be included, if you are ordering an item, say a suit, and the store owner asks for a deposit do not be afraid to give it them they will give you a receipt and are honest and will complete your order. In the extremely unlikely event you have any problem with any store owner threaten to call the police or actually call the tourist police that will always resolve the problem. But we can’t say we have heard of anyone who has ever had to do that.
Street Stalls Everywhere, absolutely everywhere are street stalls set up to sell everything from clothes to furniture and everything in-between real bargains can be had from these sellers and also real rubbish so shop carefully and haggle, its half the fun. These stalls are limited in number during the day because of the sun but as soon as dusk falls the pavements/sidewalks come alive as thousands upon thousands of stallholders hit the streets selling their wares often late into the evening, Even then in some areas as the bars close these stalls transform into bars right there on the street staying open till the early morning, when back come the day shift to start it all over again. Only In Thailand!
Day Markets are usually set up in covered walkway areas between buildings or undercover purpose built areas; they usually open early and tend to sell food, every kind of food imaginable and many that you can’t quite figure out what they are, fresh fish, fresh meat, exotic local fruit, spices, vegetables, cut flowers, Orchid plants for 50 baht, a huge selection at very low prices, stallholders are often keen for you to try a little piece as they usually take great pride in what they sell. Some markets will also sell other goods pots and pans, utensils, bamboo goods, baskets well worth a look around even if you don’t want to buy the sights and smells are what make it worthwhile.
Just a few of many locations, Pratunam Market for clothes Chinatown in the streets (Soi’s) around Yaowarat Road Outside the big temples Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew or Wat Rakhang or the Grand Palace , Thewes Market near to Wat Indrawiharn ask at your hotel for the nearest markets.
The Worlds Most
Famous Day Market the
Floating Market Damnoen
Saduak
Floating market of Damnoen Saduak A complex of canals are transformed every day into a floating market of hundreds of ladies in traditional clothes all vying for the attention of local and tourist buyers, it’s a real spectacle of colour and sound don’t forget your camera for this truly Thai Experience. Location is an hour or so south of Bangkok, the market starts early around 06.00 and ends about10.00 before it gets to hot. Best way to visit is by organised tour easily booked at a local travel agent of your hotel, often combined with a trip to the Crocodile farm or Rose Garden this is about 75 acres of gardens combined with Thai boxing, and sword fighting. For the children’s entertainment there’s an elephant show, there is also a Spa and golf course.
Night Markets Thai’s traditionally like to do their shopping after dark so many night markets also called night bazaar’s are scattered across the city some are ‘local’ and some are local and tourist orientated. All night markets have huge numbers of hot food vendors.
Ask your hotel which are the nearest, below are some of
the better known.
Patpong a very busy tourist type
market attracts large number of foreign visitors, .Location near
Skytrain's Sala Daeng Station, and Bangkok
Metro's
Si Lom Station.
.
Khao San Road The ‘backpacker’ street of
Bangkok at night is lined with stalls great place for a bargain. open until
01.30 Noted location of the hotel in Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘The Beach’ the street
is also lined with bars and café’s catering to the young backpacker crowd. No
Skytrain or metro so best reached by taxi.
Memorial Bridge Night
Market More a local market than tourist renowned for bargain
prices ..by taxi
Pratunam Market If you just cant find
time to fit all this shopping in then there’s this market open 24 hours
every day known mostly for clothes and fabrics traders from across the world
come here to buy. Air con bus 12 or taxi.
Suan Luam Night Market
is now closed.
Shopping Malls and Department Stores
There are a lot of Malls
and Stores all over Bangkok some offering a wide variety of goods some more
specialized. Nearly all are what you would expect from a modern shopping mall,
air conditioned, huge, some themed malls, food court and so
on.
Note: Several malls are very close to each other
Siam Paragon, Siam Center, MBK Center, Platinum Fashion Mall and Pantip Plaza. Skytrain - CentralWorld
is located between Chit Lom and Siam stations.
We can start with our favourite a very specialized mall Pantip (Panthip) Plaza a giant 5 story IT mall selling everything from games to movies to computer hardware, phones, basically anything tech you can find here. Defiantly computer geek heaven Location near Ratchathewi sky train station. and air-con buses 5, 11 and 12
Siam Paragon is an upscale shopping mall in. It is one of the biggest shopping centers in Asia. It includes a wide range of stores and reastaurants as well as a multiplex movie theater (consisted of 15 large size theaters with one of the them having the biggest screen and seating capacity in Asia) and the Siam Ocean World aquarium and an exhibition hall and also an opera concert hall. It also has a large bowling alley and karaoke center. Siam Paragon has attracted large crowds since it opened.
CentralWorld is a huge shopping mall . In 2006, after three years of
design and renovation, the expanded, 550,000-square-meter mall was opened,
topping its nearby rival Siam Paragon in terms of size.
The mall is the largest
shopping center in Southeast Asia and larger than Hong Kong's
Ocean Terminal. Making it one of the largest in the world.
Location Skytrain - CentralWorld is located between Chit Lom and
Siam stations.
Details from Wikipedia Click Here
MBK Center is an enormous marble shopping mall. At eight stories high and 330 meters long, with 2,500 shops using a total selling area of 89,000 square meters. This shopping mall used to be one of the biggest malls in Asia. It is particularly well known for its many vendors of mobile phones and other electronics, as well as furniture stores. The four-story Tokyu department store is located at the northern end Location Skytrain (BTS) - National Stadium station Details from Wikipedia Click Here
The Emporium is a giant upscale 6 story shopping mall which opened in 1997. As well as The Emporium department store. All the latest international designer items of clothing can be found here as well as the latest concepts in the world of leisure and furnishings, it also contains a cinema multiplex and book, record, fashion and trinket shops, a grocery store, a food court and many restaurants Location Sukhumvit Soi 24 beside Queen's Park Phrom Phong station of the Skytrain.
Siam Discovery Center The six-story Center is positioned to serve a slightly more mature market than Siam Center. It's latest theme is "One Floor, One Concept", which groups similar stores on one floor. Among the stores is Thailand's only Diesel designer clothing store as well as Asia's only branch of the Habitat home furnishings retailer. Loft, a popular Japanese gift shop is also located there.
Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center are twin shopping malls. Siam Center was built in 1973 and was one of Bangkok's first shopping malls. It has undergone renovation several times the latest renovation features a concept of "Magical Glass Box" and gives the four-story mall a new food court and a market position as a "fashion center" for teenagers.
Location Skytrain's Siam Station, the malls are part of a large shopping district being opposite Siam Square, next to Siam Paragon and adjacent to MBK Center. A skybridge connects the fourth floor of Siam Center with Siam Discovery. A courtyard between the two malls is often host to concerts and special events. Additionally, a skybridge from the Skytrain's National Stadium station and MBK Center connects to Siam Discovery.
Erawan adjacent Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel , this is defiantly an upmarket mall only highest quality goods on offer from the many boutique stores on five levels, fine dining and a first class feel to the mall make this a must see for the more discerning shopper Location best by helicopter to the rooftop helipad, or if yours is being serviced skytrain Chidlom station.
Claiming
back V.A.T. for tourists.
You need
to have been in
Refund only applies to goods taken
out of
You need
to spend at least 2000 in any one store and the total you claim back must be
more than 5000.
