subject: Ultimate Shopping in Bangkok [print this page] Ultimate Shopping in Bangkok Ultimate Shopping in Bangkok
In the 4th century, the city was just a small trading post interconnected with other communities along the Chao Phraya River through the various inland canals and waterways that has a total length of 4,000 kilometers. Today, Bangkok is no longer that irrelevant trading post along the river but is the effervescent capital of Thailand and ranked 17th tallest city the world over.
You can find everything in Bangkok. High end or low end. Antique or Modern. Name it and look for it. One of the tens of thousands of stores in Bangkok probably sells it. A word of warning: make sure you know how to haggle. One should buy a shopping map to avoid getting lost. It is best to book in 5-star hotels like the Dusit Thani when in Bangkok to make traveling within the city easy.
All stores and malls are open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. However, there are also nigh markets that sell inexpensive items and trinkets for tourists in a rush to buy souvenirs from Bangkok. Suan Lum Night Bazaar and Patpong Night Market are famous (or infamous?) for selling every conceivable fake items.
JJ Market or Jatujak (Chatuchak) is the biggest weekend market in the world with over 9,000 stalls built in a kilometer square area. The market is huge and it is best to plan a shopping expedition here in groups to better facilitate the shopping extravaganza. There are more than 300,000 shoppers in the area at one time and one could get overwhelmed by the crowd. When buying, try to haggle for a discount. The seller will most likely give you a discount if you ask nicely. The market is sectioned off to clothes, shoes, household goods, food, craft, furniture, antiques, plants and all other items in between including a "pet" section where one could buy a python if he chooses to.
Panthip Plaza is the best place to buy computer-related and high technology gadgets. The gadgets sold here are definitely cheaper. Make sure all items you buy have warrantees.
The Mah Boon Krong is an air-conditioned commercial building that has over 2,000 shops that sell clothes, shoes and bags, jewelries and watches, appliances, cameras, MP3s, mobile phones, furniture and everything under the Bangkok skies!
Looking for the latest pair of Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik? Hit the Siam Paragon. There are no fakes or cheap things sold in this mall. One can even buy a Porsche or a Ferrari here. If Siam Paragon is too much, the Emporium is an option for classy and branded items that will not necessarily break the bank. For the younger and "funkier" shoppers, ZEN at Central World is the top mall to shop.
