The Best Markets in Bangkok

See Also

• Quality Lodging Alternatives in Bangkok
• Best Accommodations for Families in Bangkok
• Where to Lodge in Bangkok

What are the best markets for shopping in Bangkok?

• Chatuchak Weekend Market

  Time: Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 6pm
  BTS: Mo Chit Station (Exit 1)
  MRT: Kamphaeng Phet (Exit 1), Chatuchak Park (Exit 1)
  Public transport: 36 (from Sukhumvit) / 524 (from Si Lom)

  Chatuchak is Thailand’s most substantial market, and Asia’s biggest weekend market. In its tight passages (sois) you can locate a bewildering range of products like garments, extras, trinkets, family unit things, decorative things, antiques (genuine and phony), Thai handiworks, and live creatures (including imperiled species).The best time to go by the market is 9am, when it opens, as the stuffy sois get hot, stuffy, and loaded in the afternoon. The greater part of shops will not acknowledge charge cards, so keep money close by. Bottled water, backpacks/collapsible convey sacks, and helpful strolling shoes are a necessity, as is keeping an eye out for pickpockets. There are little havens all through the market that serve chilled light refreshments and lager, light snacks, frozen treats, and steaming hot Thai sustenance. The clock tower in the core of the market makes a decent landmarks and gathering place on the off chance that you get isolated from your companions. In 2008, a blanket smoking boycott was authorized on the entire market, with a THB 2,000 punishment for offenders.

• Phat Pong Night Market – Silom

  Time: Everyday 6pm to 1am
  BTS: Sala Daeng Station (Exit 1. The 2nd lane to your right called Thanon Phat Pong.)
  MRT: Si Lom (Take the Si Lom exit, follow the overhead BTS tracks and cross the road. Thanon Phat Pong will be a narrow lane crammed with tourists, after the Burger King.)
  Bus: 4, 45, 46, 47, 109, 524

  The ideal time to explore Phat Pong is after 9pm. It is world renowned (or notoriously known) as Bangkok`s red light district with its plethora of “Go-Go Bars”, “Ladyboy” performances, strip clubs, and pornographic and pirated DVD vendors. It has recently improved its image to some extent, but visitors are still bombarded with scantily clad ladyboys loudly exclaiming, “Can you help me?” and touts waving pictures of unclothed women directly in your face, all the while asking you, “Sex? DVD? Massage?”. If genuinely uninterested in acquiring a product, do not debate with a vendor, as it could lead to an outburst of strongly worded language. Phat Pong is also famous for its counterfeit goods – from Patek Philippe watches, to Mont Blanc pens, to Louis Vuitton bags. Vendors will display you catalogs of the brand you wish to obtain, and when you point to a model and agree on the price, someone will hurriedly enter some alley and return 5 minutes later with the replica. You can also find vendors selling local Thai handicrafts, crude t-shirts, clothes, shoes, accessories, and most notably, beautifully hand-crafted soap ornaments which the vendors make on the spot.

• Pratunam Market

  Hours: General market open 24 hours daily, retail stores from 10am to 9pm.

  BTS: Chit Lom Station (Exit 1. Walk toward Central World, take right on Phloen Chit Road, and walk straight toward the tall Baiyoke Tower – about 10 minutes.)
  Bus: 140, 183, 513

  Pratunam Market is considered by many to be Bangkok’s best and most affordable retail clothing location. The pricing model is straightforward – the more items purchased, the lower the cost per unit. Situated directly beneath Thailand’s tallest building, the Baiyoke Tower II, it operates 24 hours a day, though dynamics vary throughout. Most retail shops within are open from 10am to 9pm. In addition to clothing, you can find lots of Thai souvenirs and handicrafts. It’s common for foreigners to buy clothing in bulk from vendors to sell in their home countries. Purchasing 3 or more of the same item qualifies as bulk buying, allowing for ‘wholesale’ rates and some flexibility in negotiating. The only stipulations are no trying items on, no returns, and no exchanges. If heat becomes an issue, step into the air-conditioned Baiyoke Tower mall for relief.

• Khlong Toei Market

  Time: Everyday 6am to 2am
  MRT: Khlong Toei Station (Take the Rama IV exit, walk for 10 minutes on Rama IV till you come to the big intersection with Narong.)
  Bus: 45, 46, 72, 102, 107

  Khlong Toei is Bangkok’s biggest wet market. It’s a fascinating hidden area amidst the concrete and glass structures of the city. This location is not aimed at tourists, and you will rarely see Westerners here. However, walking through this market, particularly after 23:00, will open your eyes to how the markets function in Bangkok. You can find everything from fresh vegetables and fruits to butchers selling various types of meat. Many small vendors and shops purchase from Khlong Toei at wholesale rates and resell the products in commercial and residential districts at higher costs. One should be warned though, it is not the most hygienic or aesthetically pleasing place to walk through. Witnessing the freshly butchered meat being classified into different cuts for different customers requires a strong stomach. The smell and sight of blood can be overpowering. If you are truly daring, check out the vendors selling deceased rats, and all sorts of roasted or grilled critters like cockroaches, bugs, scorpions, and grasshoppers.

• Amphawa Floating Market

  Time: Fri-Sun 12 noon to 8pm
  Getting there: Taking a taxi or tour is likely the best way to visit the market.

  Amphawa is the second largest floating market in Thailand after Damnoen Saduak, though it is half the distance (50 km) from the city. While the market begins early, the real activity starts in the afternoon. It is not as crowded or picturesque as Damnoen Saduak, but at the same time, it seems a bit more authentic. One will find Thai tourists enjoying time with their families and friends instead of Europeans buying souvenirs, hence the `authentic` label. Some residences are within the market, many advertising homestays. Many boats have pulley systems connected to the riverbank used to lift wares in baskets and accept money from customers. There are numerous Thai food options. About 100m from the river is a temple completely surrounded by the roots of an immense banyan tree. The scene is straight from an Indiana Jones movie.

• Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad)

  Timeframe: Open 24 hours daily, but more popular at night
  MRT: Hua Lamphong Station (Take taxi or tuk-tuk from here).

  The Chatuchak Weekend Market is located near the Memorial Bridge in Bangkok. It is the largest wholesale and retail flower marketplace. One can find countless types of flowers and plant-related goods usually sold in packs of 50 and 100 at very affordable prices. It does not take much time to explore the market. Tourists mainly visit due to the exotic and colorful nature of the products, which are extremely photogenic. It is best to stand back and observe during peak times like before dawn as vendors can have little patience. The prices of goods fluctuate throughout the year based on demand or particular varieties during festivals and important holidays.

• MBK Center

  Time: Everyday 10am to 10pm
  BTS: National Stadium Station (Exit 4 goes straight into MBK)
  MRT: Sam Yan Station (Take the Thanon Phaya Thai exit, and catch a tuk-tuk or taxi for a short 5-minute ride to MBK.)
  Bus: 15, 47, 48, 73, 204, 508

  MBK could be considered as one of Bangkok`s most popular shopping destinations. It has aspects of both a shopping mall and a marketplace, as its eight floors full of air-conditioned retail outlets, dining options and entertainment spaces give it the feel of a “mall”, while the tiny shops and crowded passages and alleyways create a sense of being in a “market”. Visitors to MBK can easily spend an entire day without leaving, since there are facilities like a movie theatre and bowling alley on the top floor along with well-known restaurants (one of my favorite sushi places in Bangkok is located here) and fast-food joints (Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Dairy Queen). The remaining floors are filled with thousands of vendors selling items like bags, shoes, accessories, clothing, handicrafts, souvenirs, perfumes, electronics, food and even furniture and bathroom fittings. Bargaining is permitted unless stated otherwise, even though the prices are already very low. The hidden gem of MBK is the fourth floor, which is entirely covered in hundreds of kiosks selling, purchasing, trading, repairing and even manufacturing mobile phones of all brands and models. It`s quite an experience to walk around the entire floor and see the workers busy at their tasks.

  There are currency exchange locations as well as ATMs throughout the shopping center where foreign money can be changed and cash withdrawn.

• Talad Bo Bae (Bo Bae Market)

  Time: Everyday 6am to 6pm
  BTS: National Stadium Station (Exit onto the roadway and take a tuk-tuk or taxi across the canal or “klong” – about 10 minutes away.)
  Bus: 53

  Bo Bae marketplace is one of Bangkok’s oldest and biggest wholesale clothing centers. You realize you are near Bo Bae when you see tuk-tuks stuffed with huge bags of clothing forcing their way through traffic, almost doing wheelies. Vendors from all over the globe come here to place bulk orders for apparel. The stall owners at this market even provide all the facilities to export the goods. Purchasing only 3 identical pieces of clothing will earn you wholesale rates. In addition to branded western and traditional Thai clothing, you can also discover fresh fruits and vegetables, Muslim (halal) food, and fashion/costume jewelry at very affordable prices.

• Pantip Plaza

  Time: Everyday 10am to 9pm
  BTS: Chit Lom Station (Same directions as Pratunam Market. Take a left at the junction of Pratunam onto Soi Petchaburi and walk for 5 minutes. Pantip will be on your left.) or Ratchathewi Station (Exit 4. Turn right toward Soi Petchaburi and walk for 10 minutes toward Baiyoke Tower. Pantip will be on your right). It would be best to take a taxi or tuk-tuk from either of these stations.
  Bus: 113, 512

  Pantip Plaza is a structure that somewhat resembles a shopping complex. Within this building is Thailand’s largest marketplace for electronics selling a variety of items like computers, laptops, accessories, electronics, cameras, software, CDs, DVDs, movies and more at wholesale prices. The full five levels have many small and large shops busy with buying, selling, trading, building and taking apart computers. There are two major retail outlets here, IT City and Hardware House. You can find deals, discounts and lowered prices on nearly everything in Pantip. The undesirable part of the market is counterfeit goods and pirated software/movies are also sold, and some try to get male foreigners into secluded areas attempting to sell “adult DVDs”. This is a great place to find $10-$100 bargains, but spending $700 on a laptop or camera from a store here requires careful consideration.

• Yaowarat and Phahurat (Sampeng Market)

  Time: Everyday 10am to 9pm
  MRT: Hua Lamphong (It’s a 15-minute stroll to Chinatown, or a 5-minute taxi-ride from here.)
  Bus: 48, 204

  The Yaowarat district (known as Chinatown) and Phahurat (Little India) are located side by side in this old part of Bangkok, with the famous Sampeng Market positioned directly between them. The region is renowned as the textile and gold center of Bangkok. It constitutes one of the most vibrant and chaotic sections of the city. Brilliant red-colored Chinese shops selling gold by the pound dot the main road as visitors enter Chinatown. Phahurat, on the other hand, mainly consists of the Indian Sikh community that deals in wholesale textile imports and exports. The grand Sikh Gurudwara (place of worship) deserves a visit. Sampeng Market is famous for trinkets, souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing, accessories and costume jewelry. The area is full of roadside food stalls selling Thai, Chinese, and Indian cuisine, as well as fresh fruits and desserts. One dessert not to miss is “Thap Thim”, which essentially contains crushed ice in a bowl, covered in sweet condensed milk, with a wide array of toppings like coconut, water chestnuts, fresh fruits, jelly, and bean curd. It is the best refreshment during a sweltering hot shopping spree.