Bang Lamphu
Bang Lamphu Situated close to the Grand Palace, Bang Lamphu has a lively market where clothing is a popular buy.

Khao San Road
Where the worlds young travellers meet.
Khao San Road is a favourite crossroads for the young travellers on a budget. It has evolved over the last two decades from just one small hostel providing low-budget accommodation become one of the worlds most well-known destinations. It has been featured in many movies and television documentaries.

During the day, Khao San Road is the scene for back-packers looking for a cheap room while others are arranging transport to their next destination in Thailand or overseas. Some will be just chatting with friends over a cup of coffee or a bowl of noodles.
At night, it turns into a lively thoroughfare lined with street stalls selling cheap clothes, handicrafts, souvenirs and thousands of other items. The lights are on at the many bars where the travellers tell tales of the days adventures and discoveries and the plans for tomorrow. Khao San Road is not just for foreign travellers, many young Thai people like to hang out there, including members of the TV and film production industries.

The location is very convenient for visiting the many tourist attractions on Rattanakosin Island. It is just a 10-minute walk to Sanam Luang and The Grand Palace.

During April when Thais celebrate the Songkran Festival, Khao San Road becomes a fun-filled battleground as everyone, Thais and foreigners indulge in splashing each other with water.
The area is also well-known for the wide variety of inexpensive food. This ranges from spicy Thai Tom Yum Gung soup to the ever-popular banana pancake.

Pak Khlong Talat
London has its Covent Garden, Paris has Les Halles, Bangkok has Pak Khlong Talat which is the biggest fresh flower market in the city.

The Thai people have a great appreciation for fresh flowers, both for the beauty and the fragrance. This is where those who have time and the florists come to buy their flowers at wholesale prices.

The variety includes roses, daisies and more exotic species such as orchids in every colour and shade imaginable.

Most of the flowers are grown in the neighbouring provinces of Nakhon Prathom, Samut Sakon and Samut Songkram although the best roses come from the cooler climate in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Unfortunately, the main activities at the market take place late at night and in the early morning but there are flower sellers there all day and in the surrounding streets.

Chatuchak Weekend Market
This is paradise for bargain hunters. Every Saturday and Sunday, 9,000 individual booths are open selling an infinite variety of goods.

It is just about impossible to go to Chatuchak Weekend Market and not buy anything. There is just about everything that bargain hunters, home makers, pet lovers or just browsers can imagine.

Handicrafts are every where including pottery, hand-made glass models of the Royal Barges, fluffy toys, colourful tropical fish, singing birds puppies of many breeds, furniture and lots of new and second hand clothing, shoes, handbags, belts. There is so much on offer that even international home decor wholesales come here to shop.

Music lovers can find unique traditional Thai musical instruments being sold direct by the artisans who have crafted them to make the pleasing sounds.

One rule for all shoppers to observe is bargain, bargain, bargain. This is part of the fun and also gets you the best prices.

Chatuchak Weekend Market has interesting products from all over Thailand as well as things from far off lands.

You should allow the best part of a whole day to explore the many stalls. You never know what you will find. But this is work that will make you thirsty and puckish, so take a break here and there to cool off with a fresh fruit juice or feast on delicious Thai dishes such as Pad Thai, barbecue chicken, noodles and sweets.

Open : Saturday and Sunday

Shopping Street - Siam Square to Chidlom Bangkok Fashion City

This is the major shopping area of Bangkok. It is very popular with tourists and Thais, particularly young, fashion-conscious Thai girls. The area started to develop around Siam Square in the late sixties when Chulalongkorn University utilized its land bank adjacent to the university.

Since then, it has continued to progress with new shopping centers being built even now. Starting from the Pathumwan junction it stretches all the way to Wireless Road.
The original development, Siam Square, is particularly popular with university students and young Thais who have just started their business careers. There is a well-used phrase on mobile phone calls Meet you at Siam. Opposite Siam Square is Siam Center which was the first western-style air-conditioned shopping complex in Thailand. Now this area has many other shopping complexes.

The next section in this area is around the Ratchadamri and Ratchaprasong intersection where there are a selection of 5-star hotels and major shopping complexes catering for the more up-market shoppers. Many of the worlds leading fashion designers have boutiques in this locale.

The Central World Plaza is the largest complex in this area and the site for Bangkoks New Year Countdown celebrations. During the cooler months of November to January, the major breweries sponsor the setting up of beer gardens on the plaza in front.
The last point on this Fashion City map is Central Chidlom, another upmarket department store. This is at the Chidlom and Lang Suan intersection. Soi Lang Suan has many condominiums and a variety of restaurants and bars catering to the more affluent members of society.

Suan Lum Night Bazaar
A fun place to shop and dine. The Suan Lum Night Bazaar is a great place for an inexpensive night out that offers fabulous shopping, restaurant or food court dining, live entertainment and a superb choice of beers.

The shopping area is well laid out with neat streets lined on both sides with shops selling clothes, handicrafts, souvenirs, and a myriad of other items. There are alleyways between the main streets, which are crammed with smaller stalls offering great bargains. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you might find here.
Spread throughout the complex, are many restaurants and bars. The range of cuisine is quite extensive including Thai and Chinese seafood, Indian, Japanese and German.

As you wander along the main street, you'll see The Joe Louis Puppet Theatre. This is truly unique. This is a puppet theatre presenting performances of the Ramakien. With three puppeteers manipulating each puppet. They are in full view of the audience and even come off the stage.

The main attraction at Suan Lum Night Bazaar is the huge beer garden and food court covering an area about the size of two football fields. On three sides there are stall selling a delicious variety of food cooked before your eyes. There are also beer stalls on the right hand side offering all the local beers, many imported brands and some local brews from micro breweries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The center piece is a large stage where the latest local and foreign hit songs are performed by a variety of singers with their back up dancers. Great entertainment for free. All the food and drink stalls operate on a coupon system so it is easy to keep track of your spending.

Sukhumvit Road
Where the foreigners live and hang out

Sukhumvit Road runs all the way from the railway crossing at Ploenchit to the Cambodian Border in Trat. But the section from the first soi to Soi 55 is the one relevant to this presentation as it has much to offer visitors and locals alike.

There are restaurants all the way along Sukhumvit Road and in just about every side street. These cover just about every cuisine known to man. The area around Soi Nana at the beginning of Sukhumvit Road has many restaurants, particularly those serving Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. This area is also well-known for its lively bar scene.
There are many hotels ranging from 5-star to cheaper establishment in the area from Soi Nana to Asoke Road. There are also a variety of international fast food restaurants as well as those serving French, Italian, Japanese and Korean in addition to Thai and Thai-Chinese meals. Another street of bars, Soi Cowboy, is just past Asoke Road.

The restaurants and hotels continue up Sukhumvit Road and all the side streets. There is a beautiful park, Benchasiri Park, just before you reach The Emporium, yet another high class shopping center.  The condominiums in this area have a high number of expatriate Japanese families residing here, so there are more Japanese restaurants and bars in this locale. Some call it Little Tokyo.
Soi 55, also known as Soi Thonglor, is another street of restaurants and shops catering to the well-to-do. Opposite the entrance to Soi Thonglor on Sukhumvit Road, is a small soi that fills up at night with a multitude of food vendors and their carts serving supper into the early morning.

Pratunam
Pratunam is one of the older shopping areas in Bangkok that has a highly-deserved reputation among bargain shoppers.

Passing through the area, you will see many shops on the main roads. But the real activity is in the market hidden behind the stalls and shops. Here youll find a huge variety of low cost clothes, fashion accessories, shoes, watches, electronic gadgets and all sorts of souvenirs. It is usually very congested as there are many eager shoppers looking for their bargains.

Pratunam is the location for Thailand's tallest building, the Baiyok Tower. This is the major wholesale center for the garment trade. It is very popular with minor and major international traders, particularly those from Africa. There is even an African restaurant nearby.

Bargain hunters looking for good deals on computers, accessories and software flock to Pantip Plaza, which is now known throughout the world for its low prices.

China Town
Chinatown is a bustling, crowded area where you can buy just about anything day or night.

The main thoroughfare through Chinatown is Yaowarat Road, which is approximately 1.5 kilometres in length. It was built during the reign of King Rama V. On each side of the road, there is a network of streets and alleys lined with shops selling all sorts of things. In many of these streets, you'll find shops side by side selling the same items.

There is an old fresh food market called Trok Isarnuphap where leading chefs from all over Bangkok shop for the finest and freshest ingredients for their restaurant menus.
The largest outside of China
Chinatown is a bustling, crowded area where you can buy just about anything day or night.

The main thoroughfare through Chinatown is Yaowarat Road, which is approximately 1.5 kilometres in length. It was built during the reign of King Rama V. On each side of the road, there is a network of streets and alleys lined with shops selling all sorts of things. In many of these streets youll find shops side by side selling the same items.

There is an old fresh food market called Trok Isarnuphap where leading chefs from all over Bangkok shop for the finest and freshest ingredients for their restaurant menus.
A visit at night will take you to a food street where you sit on stools watching your meal being prepared, then enjoying the delicious cuisine washed down by tea or a cold beer.

Phahurat Indian Market
This is the place to come to buy fabrics and to enjoy Indian cuisine. Phahurat Market is a small Indian community on the fringe of Chinatown. Most of the merchants are Indian Sikhs who are involved in the textile trade.

They have a unique way of greeting female shoppers, calling each one Khunying which is a Thai royal title similar to the English Lady. Their selection of fabrics is the best in Bangkok, particularly the Indian cottons and silk.

There are many vendors selling ready made goods including shoulder bags which are at unbelievable low prices.
 
The Indian community in Thailand shops here for the essential wedding gowns and wedding souvenirs.

In every nook and cranny there is someone doing business. This may be selling trinkets, tour packages to India, household items, spices and delicious Indian desserts.

Wander off the main streets and into the many alleyways, you could come across surprisingly good Indian food.

The Thai Sikh community has a major temple, Siri Guru Singh Sabha close to the Phahurat area.