The Best Places to Shop in Bangkok
Bangkok is a sprawling metropolis laden with all sorts of activities to bask in along with numerous landmarks to go sightseeing at. Indisputably, Bangkok is a major travel hotspot in Thailand partly due to its massive shopping scene.
There is no greater location in Thailand that serves as a hub for buying clothing, accessories, sporting equipment, technological products and more as Bangkok is. This article will explore all the different shopping locales dotted across Bangkok’s urban landscape and what each mall’s purpose is best suited for.
Fashion and Accessories
Central World
Lauded as one of the largest shopping malls in all of Asia, Central World prides itself with its plethora of fashion goodies and attire, netting buyers the chance to pursue current fashion trends and update their wardrobe. Clothing stores are sprinkled throughout the first two floors of the building with the 3rd floor serving as a magnificent outlet for sporting gears and accessories. The mall also includes a lot of shops selling suits, watches, jewelry, and all manner of items to compliment your fashion statement. Additionally, the Central Department Store is also a part of the mall, offering an extended collection of clothing items to stock up on. Brand names play a huge role in both the mall and the attached department store, and both places are constantly promoting these to their customers.
Siam Discovery
This shopping mall has a unique design to it – all the stores are out in the open. This makes it easier for customers to identify the clothing of their choice from a distance, as well as give it a unique interior design that other malls would desire replicating. The store is spacious and not overly cluttered with hundreds and thousands of merchandise, making it less overwhelming for shoppers to handpick the clothing of their choice. Siam Discovery is centered right within the Siam area of Thailand, offering quick routes to landmarks such as the National Stadium and Siam Square. The mall even includes the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum featuring sculptures of renowned celebrities, allowing locals and foreigners to experience a unique rendition of its famous counterpart in Britain without needing to buy a flight trip to the UK.
Lifestyle and Entertainment
MBK
When it comes to sheer entertainment value, MBK is guaranteed to satiate your appetite and leave you returning for more. The top most floor exists as a vast entertainment district hosting two colossal arcades, a brand new Karaoke spot, and a cinema. This area also is well known for hosting numerous cosplay and gaming events. There are also rows and rows of stores selling action figurines, toys, and video games on pretty much every floor. MBK is famous for its cheap prices on everything entertainment related, from gaming consoles to music players, making it ideal for anyone who values affordability in their entertainment. Japanese culture enthusiasts will also be happy to learn that the mall caters to them specifically with a massive anime store on the top floor and an iconic Japanese convenience store dotting the bottom levels.
Samyan Mitrtown
Samyan is one of the newer additions to Thailand’s array of shopping ventures. This establishment includes both an indoor and an outdoor mall, each with a cascade of brand name outlets to kickstart your shopping spree. A fragment of its attraction is the inclusion of many events and venues. Bands congregate in the outdoor area to host multiple jam sessions and stalls are frequently set up to promote seasonal festivities. The area also houses the ever so popular 24/7 AIS E-Sports internet cafe aimed specifically at gamers and the extravagant House Samyan, a quaint theater exclusively showing indie and international films to satisfy film buffs.
Siam Paragon
Located adjacently to the Siam BTS Station, Siam Paragon is situated in a very popular tourist spot in Thailand. Its surrounding areas are popular for outdoor band tours and different seasonal events, depending on what time of year it is. In terms of lifestyle and entertainment, Paragon includes two massive book stores, a sprawling cinema complex on the top floor, the Blu-O bowling alley, and the Sea Life Bangkok aquarium. The mall itself is also situated by the Siam Square district, which in itself, is an outdoor entertainment playground feeling very inspired by the Akihabara and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo, Japan. As a paradigm of entertainment and lifestyle shopping, Siam Paragon truly lives up to its name.
Technology
Fortune Town
The complete overhaul of Pantip Plaza has been a loss to the IT community, as they have now lost an exemplary technological shopping beacon. Luckily for shoppers and tech enthusiasts, Fortune Town is still standing as one of the biggest IT and tech hubs out there, boasting entire levels dedicated to selling computer parts and accessories. Accompanied by cheap and affordable prices, Fortune Town is an excellent location for your technological needs, allowing you to purchase anything ranging from smartphones to computer monitors. There are multiple floors, each one flooded with stalls selling high-tech goodies, electronic appliances, smartphone attachments, and many more, all at a very affordable price tag. It is also situated right next door to Central Rama 9, which in itself, has its very own technological hub positioned in a more modernized indoor environment, and also a Big C retailer in case you’d like to go grocery shopping after.
Terminal 21
Right next door to the Asok BTS Station, Terminal 21 includes a very unique theme that pervades its very confines – every single floor is themed after a particular country. Its design scheme and accessible location are highly popular amongst foreigners hailing from all across the globe. Those interested in the latest technology on offer can find solace in this specific mall. Floor 2 and the cinema level have many stalls selling all the top-tier phones, laptops, and accessories that you can find in Thailand. Much like in Fortune Town, travelers will be pleased by the various stalls selling these goods, all at a very cheap and affordable price range. Each level is highly organized as well, making it super easy for you to locate what you want. Provided that it’s geared specifically towards foreigners, all the staff are especially fluent in English, making it an easy location to communicate your needs without feeling lost in translation.
Dining and Cuisine
Floating Market
One of the main attractions of Thailand are the Floating Markets. There are many of these cluttered all across Bangkok’s urban landscape, each with stalls selling authentic Thai cuisine and groceries for you to purchase. Affordability is a main selling point, given that foreign currency can pretty much buy anything available no matter the amount of wealth you’ve accumulated over the years. Another reason to visit one is for the enjoyable boat rides throughout the market, giving you a very exotic and scenic impression of the country. Some stalls are even positioned on rowboats and canoes, further emphasizing the authenticity of it all.
Chatchuchak Market
If you’re looking for a more traditional marketplace, Chatchuchak Market has what you’re looking for. Considered the largest marketplace in Thailand, Chatchuchak Market houses thousands of produce and cuisine, all readily prepared and of high quality. But food isn’t all the market sells either – people from all over come here to purchase antiques, furniture, clothing, and all manner of goods. The best reason to visit this market is for its authentic Thai street food, all cooked and seasoned perfectly by some of the best chefs within the Land of Smiles. Anyone looking to fall in love with Thai cuisine should put this market at the very top of their travel lists.
Category: Travel to Thailand
