Best places to shop in Bangkok

Bangkok is known to be the shopaholics' paradise. After visiting Bangkok for several times, we've decided that the TOP 3 places to shop are the famous PLATINUM MALL, CHATUCHAK and ASIATIQUE. If you are planning to look for cheap and nice clothings, accessories and bags, these two places will be best for you.

1. PLATINUM MALL (2000++ shops)

Clothes in Platinum Mall

What you can find : Clothes, clothes and more clothes. There are Superdry t-shirts knock-offs which are of similar quality to the authentic ones! You can also find plenty of bags sold at zone 3, level 3. The price range in Platinum for clothes is about 250 Baht to 400 Baht. Get your clothes at wholesale prices when you buy 2 or more pieces and it is not necessary to get the same designs. The wholesale prices are fixed as long as you buy 2 pieces and above, so you might get a black face from the shop owner if you try to haggle more. There are also shops selling korean quality fashion and hair accessories, ranging from 100 Baht to 200 Baht on the whole of 5th floor. We were also surprised to find knock-off makeup brushes (MAC, Sigma etc) of good quality for about 150 Baht here as well. These are sold at stalls next to the escalators and not in the proper shop units.

How to get there : The most convenient way is of course, to take the taxi. Taxi fares in Bangkok is pretty cheap compared to other countries especially if you are going in a group. It would be more worth it to take a taxi and split the fare among yourselves, but remember to insist to have the fare calculated by meter.  To avoid traffic jams, take the BTS and stop at Chit Lom. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the Chit Lom BTS station to the mall. You can also stop at Ratchathewi, which is about 10-15 mins walk to the mall.

Opening hours : SAT, SUN, WED : 08.00 - 20.00 ; MON, TUE, THU, FRI : 09.00 - 20.00


2. CHATUCHAK

Entrance to Chatuchak Market

What you can find : Nice phone covers for less than 69-89 Baht. High-waisted shorts for 80 Baht. You will also see a couple of stalls by the road selling coconut ice creams but we found a cute small shop with wooden tables and chairs at Section 15 that sells awesome coconut ice cream with various toppings you can choose from! Don't forget to try their fresh orange juice with no added sugar when you're at Chatuchak! If you find haggling fun, this is the place for you! We always get summer dresses here for only 150 Baht, after haggling. Shop owners here are friendly and very willing to give lower prices if you buy more.

chatuchak orange juice

Coconut ice cream at Chatuchak

How to get there : Take the BTS and stop at Mo Chit station (Terminal Station). You will see many stalls set up along the road on the way to the market. It's just a fair 5 mins walking distance from the station to the market. There are many food stalls here so you do not necessarily need to eat before you go!

Opening hours : 6.00 a.m - 2.00 a.m (Weekends only)

3. ASIATIQUE

Asiatique night view

What can you buy : Local designer clothes, tribal-style clothes and handcrafted stuff. The clothes style is rather vintage-y here! However, the prices are slightly higher compared to Platinum Mall and Chatuchak. (Price range : 250 - 600 Baht).  You can haggle here as well but they usually give only 20-30% discounts. There are many restaurants that are decorated beautifully over here and the food is not too expensive.This place will also be great for couples who want to have a romantic dinner after shopping!

How to get there : There are a couple of ways to get to Asiatique. What we love to do is to take the BTS (again) and stop at the Saphan Taksin station. We then take a free Asiatique shuttle boat from the Central Pier (5 minutes walk from BTS station) to Asiatique. Click here for the complete guide of how to get there on their own website.

Opening hours : 4.00 p.m - 11.00 p.m


Places that are not recommended for cheap fashion shopping: Chinatown and MBK mall. But if you want to buy cheap lower quality accessories and hair ties, Chinatown would be great for you. However, most of the stalls there require you to buy a minimum of 6 pieces. Meanwhile, if you are interested to tailor make your clothes and to get fake branded tees at a low price (about 250 Baht), MBK mall (6th Floor) would be suitable for you. There is also a departmental store called Tokyu in the mall which sells pretty clothes but the prices are at the higher end (800 Baht and above).