Bangkok: Shopping
Shopping is one of Bangkok's major attractions. Favourite purchases include Thai silks and cottons, modern and traditional jewellery , silverware, nielloware, pewterware, bronzeware, ceramics and any of the one thousand and one items produced by skilled Thai artisans.
Bangkok is one of the most competitively priced cities in Asia. Friendly bargaining in most stores and markets ensure favourable prices and service.
Shopping in Bangkok is not limited to one or two major streets, but offers many areas throughout the city affording ample choise and easy access. The following is just a selection of some of the principal shopping districts.
Silom - Surawong - Patpong
Silom Road is the main artery of Bangkok’s commercial heart and is paralleled by Surawong Road, while Patpong runs crosswise between the two. In addition to housing dozens of specialist shops and boutiques representing all the major buys, this area also boasts many branches of well-known retailers and several shopping plazas. Street stalls also abound, most notably at Patpong’s famous night market.
Major hotels include the Montien and The Dusit Thani.
Silom - Mahesak - New Road
Silom leads into New Road which parallels the Chao Phraya River, and notable shopping opportunities include gems and jewellery stores (Mahesak Road is a gem trading centre), Oriental Plaza and River City shopping complex.
Principal hotels include the Shangri-la, Oriental and Sheraton Royal Orchid.
Phloen Chit - Pathumwan Area
Top department stores and luxury shopping malls are concentrated in the area, namely Central, Sogo, Gaysorn Plaza, lsetan, Zen, Amarin Plaza, Peninsula Plaza, all of which together make the largest shopping promenade in Bangkok. Furthermore, the World Trade Center and Narayana Phand Pavilion, host the official handicraft centre selling items from all parts of the country. Ratchaprasong intersection is the gateway to several shopping areas such as Ploenchit-Sukhumvit, Siam Square-Mahboonkrong, Silom and Pratunam.
Thailand's principal duty-free shopping outlet is located on the 7th floor of the World Trade Center.
Principal hotels include Intercontinental Bangkok, the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Arnoma, Imperial Queen's Park and Siam Intercontinental.
Sukhumvit Area
Like Silom, Sukhumvit is one of Bangkok’s main thoroughfares, and the long road is lined with shops, boutiques and modern shopping plazas ranging from Soi 3 (Nana Nua) up to Soi 63 (Ekamai). Most shops and restaurants are concentrated between Soi 3 and Soi 21 (Asoke) and along shortcuts between Asoke and Ekamai.
Principal hotels include the Landmark, Ambassador and Sheraton Grande.
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Chatuchak Weekend Market,located adjacent to Chatuchak Park, is where people buy and sell thousands of local products.The trade items may range from rare exotic things to essential popular ones like books, fresh fruits, flowers, pets, handicrafts, furniture, dress materials and many more.
The Weekend Market is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm
China Town
Bangkok’s China Town is an old business centre covering a large area around Yaowarat Road and Charoen Krung Road. There are many small streets and alleys full of shops selling all types of goods. The area is always lively and market stalls abound. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese since they were moved from their old site some 200 years ago. Nearby is Phahurat Market, one of the city’s renowned cloth centres.
Principal hotels include the Grand China Princess and White Orchid.
Sam Pheng
Sam Pheng, located on Sum pheng Alley, in the area of China Town, is one of the most famous and biggest wholesale and retail markets for not only ready-made clothes and jewelry, but also cloth, souvenirs, gifts and the like.
Pratu Nam
The area is best known for its inexpensive ready-made clothing, which is sold partly in a street market, where determined bargaining is required for best prices.
Principal hotels include the Amari Watergate and Indra regent.
Banglamphu
This riverine section of Bangkok is favoured by back-packers for its budget accommodation. The area offers various inexpensive items, especially ready-made clothing, handbags, men's and ladies' shoes, cosmetics and curios. Bargaining is recommended. The area called Kao Sarn Road is most well-known among foreigners as the hub of cheapest-rates guesthouses in town.
Bo Bae
Bo Bae is the other one of the most famous and biggest wholesale and retail markets for ready-made clothes, dresses, jewelry and so on in bangkok. It is located on Krung Kasem Road near Padoong Krung Kasem Canal and Bangkok Rialway Station.
Lang Krasuang & Woeng Nakhon Kasem
For moderately priced, second-hand goods, there is no other place in Bangkok better than these two markets.The one is Lang Krasuang on Atsadang Road.The other is Woeng Nakhon Kasem off New Road near China town. Visitors will get a better bargain if they take along a Thai friend to haggle over the price of goods in the markets.The goods available in both of the markets are from pawn shops such as musical instruments, electrical goods, various type of uniform, camping equipment and so on.
| Related Articles |
Shopping
Thailand is a paradise for shoppers. Regular shoppers to Asia know that, in many ways...
|
|
|
