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Travel bucket list idea:

Bangkok’s best shopping

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Last updated: 04 April, 2024

With its gleaming mega-malls and ramshackle riverside markets, Bangkok makes it dangerously easy to part with a whole lot of baht.

World-class shopping malls like CentralWorld and ICONSIAM house boutiques from almost every brand under the sun, while young Thai designers hawk indie fashion labels and funky home goods from stamp-sized boutiques around Pratunam and Siam Square.

And when these clock out, a slew of night markets pop up as neon-lit treasure troves with handicrafts and vintage clothes to paw through until well after midnight.

Recommendations

10

Aoon Pottery

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

row of shelves with cermaic pottery at Aoon in Bangkok

Experience

You’ll find gorgeous tactile ceramics on the shelves of this Japanese-inspired pottery shop just off Chinatown’s main drag. The owners make the vases, mugs and plates in the studio upstairs, and guests are welcome to take a look.

Good for age: 18+

  • Bangkok, Thailand

Over the past few years, forward-thinking creatives have transformed Bangkok’s riverside Bang Rak area into the city’s de-facto design district.

Here, boutique concept stores and art galleries blow new life into dilapidated shophouses, while wall-spanning street art by some of Thailand’s top artists infuses the winding alleys with a much-needed pop of colour.

Most galleries congregate around the Thailand Creative & Design Center in the Grand Postal Office, the creative hub that kick-started the artistic renaissance back in 2017, but new ones pop up almost monthly.

Highlights include Warehouse 30, a multi-use creative space in a WWII-era industrial complex; artsy concept store-meets-tea parlour Citizen Tea Canteen; and ATT19, a contemporary art gallery taking over a 120-year-old former school building.

Good for age: 18+

Central Embassy

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Luxury mall in Bangkok

Experience

Rising from the ground like a giant swirl of steel, this ultra-luxurious mall in Phloen Chit houses the typical Chanel, Hermes and Jimmy Choo, but is also an excellent spot to pick up smart (albeit pricy) souvenirs from homegrown luxury labels like Jim Thompson, Siwilai and S’uvimol.

Good for age: 18+

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Bustling market at night

Bucket List Experience

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Whether you’re after a salad bowl or a pair of vintage sneakers, you’re almost guaranteed to find it at the Chatuchak Weekend Market – in ten different colours and sizes. This is the world’s largest weekend market, and even the most determined pathfinders are bound to get lost in its labyrinth of clothing shops, massage joints, souvenir stalls and coffee corners.

While most shops lining its main path specialise in tourist tat, the thousands of stalls beyond them sell everything from antique furnishing to quirky fashion by homegrown designers.

Good for age: 13+

Duration: Weekend

When: Friday pm -Sunday

Freq: weekly

Floating Markets

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Overhead view of long tail boats with vendors selling food products

Experience

Flaming woks balancing on tiny canoes, mountains of fresh fruits – Bangkok’s floating markets are a kaleidoscope of Thai-tinged wonder. That said, their old-timey charm has long faded as souvenirs shops have replaced most noodle joints. It’s a fun day out, but no longer an authentic experience.

Good for age: 13+

Flower Markets

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Vibrant flowers in large woven baskets for sale

Experience

Heaving with jasmine, orchids and marigolds, Bangkok’s flower market is a mesmerising riot of colours, floral scents and boisterous vendors. Visit after midnight, when wholesalers drop off their wares and the market is at its liveliest.

Good for age: 18+

Nang Loeng Market

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

People shopping at a food market

Experience

Tucked away in an unassuming street snaking off Ratanakosin, the little-visited Nang Loeng Market feels frozen in time. It’s a street food hotspot, especially in the early mornings – don’t miss the crispy roasted pork at Jib Ki and the traditional Thai desserts at Nanta.

Good for age: 13+

Papaya Studio

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

A warmly lit, cosy room filled with objects and paintings

Experience

Part furniture rental studio, part cabinet of curiosities, Papaya Studio in the little-visited Lad Phrao suburb is a kooky spot to browse everything from life-sized Spiderman figures, Rococo mirrors and vintage pinball machines. Four stories filled with a million pieces of furniture and decoration.

Good for age: 13+

Siam Square

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

Brightly lit up Siam Square mall in Bangkok

Experience

Tucked behind Siam’s air-conditioned mega-malls, this labyrinth of alleys is a creative hub for artsy boutiques, trinket stores and beauty salons frequented by Bangkok’s hip young things.

Good for age: 18+

Srinagarindra Train Night Market

  • Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand

The busy night market lit up with white lights against a pitch black sky

Experience

Taking over a set of warehouses in the Prawet suburb some 30 minutes from downtown, this 2,000-stall night market is a magnet for Thai hipsters on the hunt for vintage film posters, second-hand sneakers and Japanese collectibles.

Good for age: 13+

Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: 1+ hours

Getting there & doing it

With some exception at tourist-centric mar-kets such as Asiatique and the Chatuchak Weekend Market, bargaining isn’t commonly practiced anymore.

Fake luxury goods have made way for copies of popular streetwear, expect to find NAIKE sneakers and Adidos sweatpants at some of the bigger tourist markets – but convincing dupes are harder to spot.

Generally, food at the markets is freshly prepared and of adequate quality. Vendors might insist you try a bite (as a free sample), but it rarely ends up as hassling.

When to do it

Most shops and shopping malls open all year round, seven days a week, from 10am to around 8pm.