10 best places to shop in Bangkok, ranked by local shopping expert

While not the biggest or glitziest, Terminal 21 is many a visitor’s top choice for its design and layout. Each floor is named after a different part of the world, complete with local icons, and one can visit the Caribbean, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rome, Paris, and London merely by riding up an escalator. There are all the usual designer brand chains, as well as 44 outlets featuring local Thai designed products. There is a dazzling array of eating possibilities, from Mexican to Japanese, and the 35 baht food court has truly excellent local food. Perhaps best of all are the space age toilets, complete with bidets and heated seat covers, all the more reason to shop, eat, take in a movie, and use the privy!

Khao San Road has gone from being a hippie and backpacker haven to moving a bit more upscale. While it still remains a place for cheap lodgings and for Thais to come and check out the foreign crowd, it also is a decent spot to shop for certain items, and with plenty of food, bars, and people watching opportunities to boot, it makes for an enjoyable trip. Some of the largest collection of second hand English books can be found here, along with typical Thai souvenirs for take home such as t-shirts, embroidered pillow covers and Thai pillows, patterned sarongs and beachwear, vintage and exotic clothing, plenty of jewelry and other objects d’art, as well as the latest DVD and CD’s to name but a few, not to mention that you can get your hair braided in dreadlocks and get your body tattooed while you wait.

This acclaimed Thai designer is Bangkok’s top shop for checking out cutting edge and feminine women’s clothing. Senada combines materials like Thai silks with Indian embroidery to create fashionista ready beautiful clothing for women. Established in 1991 and winner of several design awards, Senada blends lady-couture with vintage and offers some striking results which are right at the top of Thai design. The combinations of ethnic, modern, and traditional are quite impressive, and those looking for high end and cutting edge will love shopping here. While you can find Senada products at all high-end shopping malls in Bangkok, this is their flagship store and has the widest selection. You can get custom made items as well here.

Siam Paragon is all about big. One of Asia’s biggest malls, featuring a 15 theater multiplex cinema which includes Asia’s largest screen, the Siam Ocean World, which is Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium, a bowling alley, a concert hall, and of course the gigantic multi-floor mall that is home to hundreds of luxury brand retail shops, car dealers, food court, and perhaps the best gourmet market in the kingdom. You can buy virtually any type of food here, from freshly imported seafood to gelato to fine wines from around the globe. The upstairs cinema includes an IMAX theater and stays open well past the mall closing hours.

The EmQuartier is Sukhumvit Road’s swankiest luxury shopping mall. Built as part of an expansion to the already existing Emporium, the EmDistrict features several malls, of which the EmQuartier is the latest. Hundreds of worldwide name brands in fashion and beauty can be found here, from Luis Vuitton to Issey Miyake to Diane Von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo, and much much more. At Xmas time they are having a lot of sales here, and there’s always a festive atmosphere with music playing and colorful lights flashing.

Additionally, the mall has a Helix Zone filled with every restaurant imaginable, from Mexican to New England seafood, to tons of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai options, and there is also an inexpensive food court. In addition to shopping, the mall has a luxury fitness center, a multiplex cinema and IMAX theater, a gourmet food market, and even a waterfall. The Virgin Active Fitness gym here boasts an altitude training room and the highest state of the art training facilities should you need to burn more calories after shopping. Shopaholics should be sated for years to come.

This intimate boutique tailor is where you want to come for all of your fancy wardrobe needs. Rapper Snoop Dogg had his threads done here, plenty of Thai celebrities stop in, and the customized service and fitting is the best in Bangkok. You’ll pay high prices, but you’ll get Loro Piana and other fine European fabrics for your suit. Button Up also has shops in Siam Paragon, the Emporium, and Central BangNa, but this is the original flagship store, and the cozy personalized shop and attention is the way to go.

Originally a flea market started in the 1950s by a former prime minister who wanted to put a flea market into every town in Thailand, Chatuchak, more affectionately known as JJ Market, is now the largest market in Thailand. Over 5000 stalls vie for business, selling everything from clothing to pets, antiques, plants, amulets, and plenty of food and drink. The market is now a highly touristed affair, hot, crowded, and no longer dirt cheap, yet it is still a great place to people watch, find something you don’t have to buy, and the latest addition of impromptu cafes for sipping a cappuccino or having a cold beer and watching the world go by making it worth an afternoon. Note that while there are some stalls open Thursday-Friday, you really need to come here on the weekend to see JJ at its best.

Also known as the Srinagarindra Train Market or also as Talad Dek Neaw (“hipsters” market), this market, formerly located in an old train depot, has moved across the city behind Seacon Square, and become the talk of the town. It takes place only from Thursday through Sundays, and while the shopping starts at 4 pm, it really doesn’t liven up until the evening, when hundreds of vendors set up stalls selling antiques, collectibles, and tons of retro items, currently a huge fad in Thailand. There are over 2000 stalls here, and the biggest collection of antiques to be found in Thailand. There are also lots of food stalls and impromptu tricked out VW bus bars, offering cheap cocktails and beer, and there are several fancier bars, located in antique shops, which feature live music amidst the great ambiance.

Bangkok’s latest upscale mall has to be seen to be believed. It’s truly an endless string of superlatives, with over 500,000 square meters of space and some 50 billion baht spent on creating Bangkok’s most impressive shopping space, it is an absolute mecca for shopping visitors.

The mall features a seven-story Takashimaya Japanese department store, two luxury condominium towers, an endless array of restaurants and eateries, fitness clubs, and even an indoor floating market, paying homage to the traditional Thai way of commerce. Thailand’s first Apple store can be found here, and if you tire of shopping, you can even get a dose of culture at the National Heritage Gallery museum which is also housed inside the complex! There is also a 3,000 seat cinema and concert hall, and pretty much round the clock light and fountain show outside.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anything more extravagant in Bangkok, so plan to spend the day here, it’s certainly the glitziest thing the Thonburi side of the river has ever seen.

Set along the Chao Phraya River, Asiatique should be on every traveller’s visit list. It’s a dining, shopping, and attraction hangout all in one. Boasting 50,000 square meters and 1500 shops, with parking area for over 2000 cars, everything is spacious at Asiatique. The market is housed in ten giant warehouses, each one having their own set of shops, restaurants, and bars. The warehouses are divided by districts such as the Waterfront, Factory, and Town Square, all easily navigable with large lit up maps that are conveniently placed in front of each warehouse.The theme throughout the market is retro and industrial, with plenty of giant sculptures of nuts, bolts, and gears hanging above and below. Narrow passageways run through each warehouse, with old trams, rickshaw statues, and fountains surrounded by park benches making for scenery other than boutique shops and eateries.

Aesthetics aside, not only will you find great bars, restaurants, and boutique shops at Asiatique, you’ll also find Bangkok’s biggest ferris wheel, a cabaret show, and a muay thai boxing show amongst the various forms of entertainment. You could spend hours here with all the attractions and shopping, so make an evening of it.