Mega-malls and floating markets: how Bangkok shops, the back story

About Mega-malls and floating markets: how Bangkok shops, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Bangkok Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Bangkok shops on a heroic scale. The Ratchaprasong and Siam junction gathers Siam Paragon, Central Embassy, Gaysorn Village and centralwOrld within a skywalk of each other; ICONSIAM rises on the Thonburi bank; and on weekends, Chatuchak becomes a city of stalls.

Ratchaprasong and Siam

Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery cluster at the BTS interchange at Siam; a skywalk leads east to centralwOrld, Gaysorn Village and Central Chidlom, and on to Central Embassy at Phloen Chit.

The river

ICONSIAM, at 299 Charoen Nakhon Road on the Thonburi bank, has ICONLUXE for its luxury houses and SookSiam, an indoor recreation of a floating market; it has its own piers on the river.

Use the BTS and the skywalks between the malls; shop the markets early.

Sukhumvit

The EM District at Phrom Phong, Emporium, EmQuartier and Emsphere, runs along Sukhumvit, around Benjakitti Park.

Markets

Chatuchak Weekend Market on Kamphaeng Phet Road is the great weekend market; Asiatique on the river and the Jodd Fairs night market come alive after dark (TAT).

Thai silk and craft

Jim Thompson’s flagship is on Surawong Road; River City Bangkok gathers antiques and art; and Narai Phand sells Thai handicrafts (TAT).

Our advice: do the malls in the heat of the day and the markets in the cool of the morning or evening.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mega-malls and floating markets: how Bangkok shops, the back story before you go.