Shopping in Bangkok

Love it or hate it, a bit like marmite - but this city is guaranteed not to leave a bitter taste. This city really is larger than life, buzzing with exotic and fascinating charm and is home to some of the best places to shop in the world. Cure the shopaholic in you with the perfect antidote...shopping!

Chic Boutique to High Street:

Low prices, high fashion - Bangkok really is a shopper’s paradise. Enclosed in the city's incredibly urbanised cityscape are amazing shopping malls and vast department stores such as the ultra-chic and trendy Emporium or Central Chitlom- where the store guides read like a who’s who of designer labels. 

If you’re feeling super stylish you might want to explore what the mega malls, MBK and Seacon Square, have to offer; which is pretty much anything and everything. The MBK shopping mall is Bangkok’s most legendary mall, with eight floors packed with 2,000 shops that sell everything from clothing, fashion accessories, handbags to cameras and electrical goods. The most chaotic time to take on the frenzied shopping in this frantic city is at weekends, which produce a beehive of activity. It seems like the whole of the city converges to the shops looking for bargains - but be assured, if it’s a bargain you’re looking for there are plenty to be found here.

You may want to take a break, but have more than just a Kit Kat to fill your hunger after a morning of frantic retail therapy - which might leave you needing actual therapy. So why not dine at one of the many excellent on-site restaurants situated within the malls, which are geared up to keep hungry shoppers energized at any time of the day or night. With options like Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian and a variety of vegetarian choices you will be spoilt for choice and are guaranteed to find something to tempt your tase buds.

But the shopping in Bangkok doesn’t stop there: no trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to the colossal Chatuchak weekend market, in which you can pick up your ideal holiday souvenirs at knock down prices. And there are countless other markets and gatherings of street stalls all over Bangkok, meaning that bargain hunters will have an abundance of choice when shopping in Bangkok.

If you don’t fancy singing in the rain you should visit Bangkok between November and March, during the dry season, so you only have to worry about getting some great designer bargains, not getting rained on. During the rainy season, humidity is very high and the downpours are short but violent and the streets of Bangkok often flood - if you don’t want your trip to be a wash out then make sure you come when you know the sun will be shining, lighting up the streets for you to shop till you drop.

Booming Bangkok:

For some, the frantic pace, heat, traffic and lack of personal space can be overpowering and are good reasons to pass through the city as quickly as possible but, for many others, the sheer energy is intoxicating. With a curious blend of the traditional East with the modern West, Bangkok's every street has a surprise in hold for the visitor. Ramshackle buildings crouch next to exotic temples surrounded by delightful gardens, which are in turn overlooked by modern hotels and offices.

After a hectic day of bargain buying and over-indulging in the delights of the local cuisine you may wish to have a relaxing evening in one of the small bars spread through the city- or you might wish to experience the wild and rowdy nightlife that this city boasts. Rapidly establishing itself as Asia’s capital of cool, the diverse nightlife scene offers live music, jazz clubs and ultra cool bars and trendy clubs.

When the sun goes down the city gets a second lease of life, with areas such as Sukhumvit, Khao San Road, Silom and Ratchadapisek coming to life. So put on your new shoes and your best chic outfit and hit the town for a night to remember in this exciting, ever-evolving cosmopolitan city.

- K.J.N -