Shopping In Bangkok - Where To Shop in Bangkok
Shopping In Bangkok
Bangkok Shopping Guide is your guide to shops and shopping in Bangkok. Want to know where to shop ? New to Thailand?. Follow our suggestions and you will find what you want quickly and easily. If you've never been here before, you'll want to know about where to shop and how to get there as well as the amazing department stores and shopping malls such as Siam Paragon and Central World Plaza, Learn about the best and biggest day and night markets as well as where to buy popular items such as silk products, antiques & antiquities, cameras, gems and souvenirs. We don't just tell you about the Bangkok shops, we offer advice on the best places to go and what to avoid. |
Most people will do some shopping when they come to Thailand and savings can be made. Most shops offer discounts as part of a general sale but most department stores and malls offer their own tourist discount card. Markets in and around the city provide the opportunity to bargain.
We suggest that if you are coming to Thailand, do some research and find out where to shop in Bangkok, you read through this site so you can make savings on some items you buy, but first look up the cost of buying the same item in your country so that you have a price to work from. In the instance of cameras and digital cameras, you might find that you can get the same camera in your home country for the same price as if you were to buy it in Bangkok. This is more likely to be the case for smaller, point and shoot cameras than larger, digital cameras.
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When bargaining or looking for a good price, don't only try for a lower price, see what items they will throw in for free... If you can't find the shop you are looking for, send us a request and we'll get the information to you as quickly as possible. As you've probably heard, Bangkok is a shopper's paradise. There are so many places that it's sometimes hard to know where to go first and so we try to break down the best places to go based on your requirements.
We also point out some of the shopping scams and rip offs which happen all too often, especially to the unsuspecting visitor. There is a good site for reading about some of the scams in Bangkok. But even with some of the scams, it's a very safe place to be. Just watch out for pick pockets.
About Shopping in Bangkok:
| ANTIQUES & ANTIQUITIES | |
Bangkok is a great place to pick up some quality items of antiques or antiquities. There are two complexes which cater to those looking for antiques or collectible items.The largest of these two complexes is River City which has 5 floors of shops almost all of which are dedicated to the sale of antiques or items that are at least being passed off as antiques. But beware, make sure you know your stuff before shelling out for that "rare" item from Angkor Wat. River City is next to the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. The other great place when shopping for antiques is OP Place which is small and more compact but has some very nice items. OP Place can be found next to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. |
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| CAMERAS & CAMERA EQUIPMENT |  |
Many visitors coming to Bangkok buy a camera or camera equipment in the hopes of getting a good deal and to save some money. This is certainly possible and there are plenty of places such as Foto File selling cameras and camera equipment from small stalls, and privately owned specialist shops to electrical departments at department stores and shopping malls. One of the best places to find digital cameras is at MBK shopping mall and another is Pantip Plaza. Both of which have a number of specialist camera shops, but for a simple point and shoot cameras, they are almost everywhere. |
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| COMPUTERS & COMPUTER EQUIPMENT |  |
If you want to get a laptop, desktop or even some computer items to upgrade the system you already have, you can't go wrong visiting the huge computer shopping plaza called Pantip Plaza. This is Bangkok's best known IT mall and you can pick up laptops, desktop computers, PDA's and any IT peripheral you can think of. Pantip Plaza isn't the only computer mall, there is Fortune Tower which is smaller, a lot less busy but still very good and then there's the IT section at Seacon Square. Most Bangkok department stores have an electrical department which sells computers, laptops and accessories. |
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| MOBILE PHONES & ACCESSORIES |  |
It seems as if Thailand is the mobile phone capital of the world with hundreds of mobile phone shops and outlets scattered around the city. Each department store and shopping mall has a section dedicated to mobile phones but again, MBK shopping mall is the place to go. Here you can buy new mobile phones from manufacturers such as Nokia, LG, Samsung and HTC, second hand phones, accessories as well as sell your old one. Apart from Central Chidlom, the other Central Stores have a mobile phone section on each top floor where small, privately owned stalls can be found. Pantip Plaza has a number of stalls offering mobile phones, as does Fortune Tower. Most Bangkok shopping malls have a mobile phone section. |
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| MP3 PLAYERS / iPODS |  |
Looking for an MP3 player has never been easier. Bangkok malls have shops and stalls where you can choose from a huge selection of brand and non-brand name MP3 players from manufacturers such as Samsung, Creative, Sony and a local brand called Soken. iPods are a favourite with Thais and non-Thais alike and there are dedicated Apple shops and iBeat shops selling all available versions of the iPod from the next generation Nano to the iTouch. With so many shops offering MP3 players it pays to shop around and see if the prices fluctuate but mark ups on such items are small and your best bet of a deal is to offer cash |
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| TAILORS, SUITS & DRESSES | |
Bangkok is still a destination where you can get a great suit or dress tailor made for a very reasonable price. It might not be as cheap as it used to be, especially if looking for quality, but prices are very reasonable when comparing what you might pay in your home country. Bangkok tailors are everywhere, but knowing where to go to get the best deals and reliable quality is where we come in. Bangkok tailors can be found in the tourist areas of Sukhumvit road such as Nana but you can also find a good number at Thaniya Shopping Complex just off Silom Road as well as River City next to Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. Main shopping malls such as Central World Plaza In Bangkok, tailors can be found almost anywhere but make sure you know they are reliable and don't be fooled by unrealistic offers. Our Guide to shopping in Bangkok helps you decide. |
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The shopping area is very centralised for Bangkok with almost all shops that most visitors need being in this central area. This area stretches from The Emporium (A) all the way to MBK (B) which can be seen in the map below.
Map Showing Main Shopping Area In Bangkok
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Although this looks like a long stretch to cover, the reality is that there are few shopping points close to the Emporium which is out of the way when compared to the other shopping areas. The main cluster of shops which most people go to, stretch from Central Childom to MBK and this is a walkable distance.
For anyone who has been to Hong Kong, you'll know that the shopping is scattered around and there are long stretches of road where you can walk and walk and there are shops everywhere, but in Bangkok, things have changed since the introduction of the shopping mall and department stores.
There are of course, department stores scattered around Bangkok, mainly by the Central group, but for anyone visiting Thailand and it's capital, they will only need to visit this main shopping area unless of course they are after special items such as antiques or even furniture and even then, you don't have to travel vary far from the shopping beaten track to get there.
The only place which is away from the main shopping area is Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is about a 30 minute drive away if going by the Expressway which is a toll road system that is generally faster then the regular road system.
Chatuchak market is only fully open on Saturday and Sunday and if not going by car, it can be reached by taking the Skytrain (BTS) system or the Underground (MRT) system. Although Bangkok's Chatuchak market is only fully open at weekends, certain shops, such as furniture shops are open throughout the week.
Speaking of furniture, we suggest that if you are looking for furniture to ship back home, Chatuchak has a lot to offer that you can't find elsewhere. In general, the furniture you find in department stores is very low key and not treated well at all. In many cases, what you see is what you get rather than ordering a new version of what is on display.
The furniture shops which are part of the malls and are brand names, are either names you'd find at home and thus not worth shipping or considering, or are similar to places such as IKE and again, not worth considering.
Furniture shops can be found opposite The Emporium and run down Sukhumvit road. These shops generally offer rattan furniture which is great for outdoors or conservatories. Furniture that is good for living areas, bedrooms etc can be found at MBK or Chatuchak. Other than these places, you have to travel to specific areas and specialised shops but probably nothing that can't be found at the areas we've mentioned.
Map Showing Main Cluster Of Shopping Malls In Bangkok
Below is a Google map of the main shopping areas of Bangkok. The cluster of blue tags places the main malls and department stores within Bangkok. To read more information, you can click any of the blue tags to read more, but we suggest you click View Larger Map to enlarge the map and get a better view of things. It will also make it easier for you to read the information on each Bangkok shopping mall, department store or complex.
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MBK is probably the best place to shop in Bangkok
MBK Is Great