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Siam Square (Siam BTS Station) would like to be the Times Square of Bangkok, and it does a pretty good job. Despite the name this is in fact a warren of small sois filled with tiny shops and restaurants, mostly catering to upper class Thais, shopping-spree Malaysians, and working ex-pats (as opposed to your usual lay-about ex-pats). If you're not up for a trip to the Gap or a USD3 pink martini, it's still worth a visit just to see Bangkok-of-the-Future. The four movie theaters in the area a good night out. Less than USD4 gets you a few hours in a plush old fashion theater house - complete with air-con and assigned seats. Hollywood and Asian blockbusters are featured nightly, all with the required standing ovation to the king.
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Jim Thompson House Soi Kasemsan 2 (near National Stadium BTS Station) . Full of silk and mystery as well as a good dose of Thai history. The infamous OSS/CIA operative and father of the modern Thai silk industry had this house assembled from six traditional Thai-style houses. The tour costs 100 baht a head, but it's the only way to see the complex. Open 09:00-17:00 daily, get there early to beat the heat.
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Erawan Shrine is at the intersection of Ploenchit and Ratchaprarop. Built to appease the spirits after a series of construction accidents occurred when the nearby Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel was being built, it's a small but photogenic and perennially packed shrine dedicated to Brahma (Phra Phrom) and named after his elephant, teak models of which are a popular donation. During the day you can see traditional Thai dancing.
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Ganesha shrines - in front on the Central World Plaza shopping center - are not nearly as impressive as the Erawan shrine.
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BODY Tune, Sukhumvit Soi 24 (10 mins walk from Phrom Pong BTS Station) and 56 Yada Building, Silom Road (next to Sala Daeng BTS Station) is a well-respected small chain offering an excellent traditional Thai massage for 350 baht/hour.
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Praiphana, Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55) Soi 7 and 9, tel. +66-2-392-6518, offers traditional Thai massage, oil massage and aromatherapy, nail care, no funny stuff or happy endings here. 15 minute neck and shoulder massage just 50 baht. Open 10:00-23:00 daily.
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Sukhumvit and nearby areas are the place to shop in Bangkok.
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Central World Plaza, corner of Rama I and Ratchaprarop (Chidlom BTS Station) [3]. Formerly the World Trade Center, this reopened in 2006 after a massive expansion and renovation, and is now probably the only mall in Bangkok that can give the Paragon a run for the money in both swank and size. Ice skating rink and a multiplex on the top floor, and contains large Isetan and Zen department stores
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Emporium Shopping Center , Sukhumvit Soi 24 (Phrom Phong BTS Station) is the top competitor to Gaysorn Plaza, with lower floors dedicated to brands like Louis Vuitton and Rolex, but (unlike Gaysorn) it has more affordably priced goods on the upper levels. Emporium also has a popular food court and a good selection of restaurants on the 5th floor.
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Gaysorn Plaza, corner of Phloen Chit Road and Ratchadamri Road (Chidlom BTS Station) [4] positions itself as Bangkok's premier luxury shopping mall: this is where you can get your fill of Armani, Gucci and Tiffany. The top floors have a good selection of antiques and Thai handicrafts, of high quality but fairly high prices too.
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Mahboonkrong, or just MBK (National Stadium BTS Station) [5] is a vast and always packed mall full of tiny stalls (2500 of them, to be exact) selling, well, everything. There's a heavy emphasis on clothing, especially the cheap and trendy teen type, but the floor devoted to electronics is Bangkok's best place to buy a mobile phone. Gold, furniture and Thai food are also well represented, and a section of the 6th floor has been dedicated to handicrafts and souvenirs. The top floor has movie theatres and restaurants, and there's a large Tokyu department store bolted on the north side facing the BTS station. It's just across the street from Siam Square and connecting walkway through the perennially crowded Bonanza Center offers more of the same.
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Narayana Phand, 127 Ratchadamri Road, between Gaysorn Plaza and Big C. A Thai handicraft center run by the government, offering a wide array of traditional crafts. Prices are fairly high and not negotiable, but clearly marked - this is a good place to see what's on offer and find out baseline prices before hitting the markets. Open daily 10:00-21:00.
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Pantip Plaza, 604/3 Phetchaburi Road. A six-floor shopping mall devoted to computer gear, and infamous for its pirated media (although after repeated crackdowns the bootleg trade is much more low-key than it used to be). Closes at 20:00.
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Siam Center (Siam BTS Station) is one of the older malls in these parts, and has a good range of eating options.
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Siam Discovery Center (National Stadium BTS Station) is a newer, more upmarket addition to Siam Center.
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Loft (on the 3rd floor) is a large and quirky Japanese home decoration store, with among many other things, an array of bizarre plush toys on offer. Worth a browse.
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Siam Paragon (Siam BTS Station) . Incredibly massive shopping mall right at the heart of Bangkok, anchored by the Paragon department store and also featuring the Siam Ocean World aquarium, the largest in South-East Asia. The fourth floor has a very good (if pricy) selection of modern Thai arts and crafts, as well as a large Kinokuniya bookstore. Great eating options in the basement, including a gourmet supermarket, two food courts and a canal-lined strip of fancy restaurants.
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| Department stores |
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Central Chidlom (Chit Lom BTS Station). Upmarket department store, with good selections of pricy watches, cosmetics and clothes. Numerous eating options too.
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Robinson's Department Store, Sukhumvit Soi 19.
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Playground!, Thong Lo (Sukhumvit Soi 55) Soi 18, . So hip it hurts, this cool black three-level cube calls itself an "inspiration store" and has artsy clothes, records, books, furniture, restaurants and (of course) a Starbucks. Note that it's a fair hike (15-20 min) from Thong Lo BTS Station, so consider a cab or the red bus for 6 baht during the day or the Free electric Red Limo in the evening.
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| Markets |
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Pratunam Wholesale Garment District. (corner of Phetchaburi and Ratchadamri). An amazing place to shop for clothes. Although it is geared towards exporters, anyone can shop there. Everything is cheap but cheaper still if you buy 3 or more. Finding it is tricky, it is more a section of alleys all selling clothes than a real market area. Start at the North-West corner of Phetchaburi Road and Ratchadamri Road. Then walk west on Phetchaburi, you will see some clothing stores just go inside and start wandering, instead of exiting the way you came in, exit to the left and you should be in one of the alleys. You can also start at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel and wander south and east. The stores start closing around 17:00-18:00. The shiny new Pratunam center on the East side of Ratchadamri Road is too new and mostly unoccupied.
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Street market on Sukhumvit offers many of the same items as the Patpong night market (although usually at somewhat better prices). Haggling is generally expected. Also, many tailor shops can be found here.
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Foodland supermarket, Sukhumvit Soi 5 (Nana BTS Station, opposite Amari Boulevard) has everything you'd expect to find in a supermarket at reasonable prices - and best of all, it's open 24 hours a day.
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Fuji Supermarket, Sukhumvit Sois 33 & 39, is a Japanese supermarket specialising in imported foods and snacks that cannot be found in other supermarkets. Also has a small baker, Sushi restaurant, photo shop, and Takoyaki stand.
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