Shopping in Bangkok is an experience to thrill and delight the most discerning of shoppers – whatever it is you're looking for. From the gleaming chrome of modern, air-conditioned mega malls, to the hustle and bustle of its famously buzzing street markets, Bangkok has all kinds of places to blow your baht.

With everything from antiques to the latest pair of trainers to designer jewelery available, Bangkok has an equally exhaustive, and potentially exhausting, variety of things to peruse and purchase. Whatever you choose to buy, it’s a good idea to polish your bargaining skills and sport a big smile.

Siam Paragon: Siam Paragon is one of the most popular shopping malls in Bangkok which houses a host of international high-end fashion brands, Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium, a 16-screen Cineplex, and a comprehensive selection of world cuisine. Located prominently in front of the Siam BTS Skytrain station – the interchange of the 2 BTS lines – it’s considered by many to be the center of Bangkok.

Considering the mall contains over 250 shops, the layout is logical and fairly compact, certainly when compared to the sprawling Central World mall nearby. Even so, this mall provides mainly luxury items for well-heeled Thais and international visitors with cash to splurge. If you’re looking for something extra-special then Siam Paragon is definitely the place to find it.

The Siam Paragon experience: The emphasis of Siam Paragon is fashionable, luxury living. Remember to take your credit card along as some items come with a large price tag. For a 5% discount on most purchases, you can apply for a Tourist Discount Card at the information desk on the ground level. Paragon is larger than life and no Bangkok shopping experience is complete without a trip here.

Central world: Central World offers some 550,000 sq m of retail space in a venue that's 830,000 sq m – that’s 30% larger than most other shopping centers in central Bangkok. Its range of offerings encompasses more than 500 stores, 100 restaurants and cafés, 15 cinemas, the Kids' Zone and Learning Centre (Genius Planet Zone) and 2 anchor department stores. You can also find a trendy food court, an expansive supermarket and an outdoor square for large-scale events like Bangkok's official New Year countdown party.

The location is right in the heart of Chidlom, an area in Bangkok known for its many malls, with direct Skytrain (BTS) access and 2 famous shrines – Erawan Shrine and Trimurti Shrine – nearby. Much more than a shopping mall, Central World also caters to the lifestyles of young urbanites, families and teens. Entertainment and more dining can be found on Level 7 with the Central Food Hall and the 15-screen SF World Cinema. It's also home to The Rink, an open ice-skating rink.

Icon Siam mall- Icon Siam Mall is called the "Mother of All Malls", with 500 shops and 100 restaurants from more than 30 different countries. Developed by the same tycoons behind Siam Paragon and EmQuartier, Icon Siam offers high-end brands, an indoor floating market, an art gallery, exhibition space, and a beautiful riverside location with views of downtown Bangkok.

Located on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, you can reach Icon Siam by taking the BTS to Saphan Taksin Station and heading to the pier, where you can hop on a free river shuttle. You can also go to Krung Thon Buri Station and take a free shuttle bus (the slightly faster, but far less impressive way to reach Icon Siam). Both options drop you off in front of the mall. Icon Siam offers 6 floors of shopping. Fashion brands take up the first 3 floors, with a nice mix of casual brands like H&M and Uniqlo, as well as Thai designer outlets and international haute couture. For high-end fashion, head to the Icon Luxe section on level 1, which contains exclusive boutiques from the likes of Hermes, Dior and Louis Vuitton.  As you head up, you'll find sections dedicated to children, homeware, technology, banking, and leisure.

MBK: On the ground floor of MBK, you'll find lines of stalls selling fashion, shoes and handbags, fast food outlets and a Tops Supermarket, with an open space dedicated to sales offering prices discounted by 30% to 50%. As you move up the levels, you’ll find enclaves of products almost randomly placed. Part of the fun of MBK is exploring the long, straight paths looking out for things that take your fancy. As a rough guide, fashion is mostly on the lower floors, a mass of electronics is found on the 3rd and 4th floors, with home furnishings and souvenirs on the 5th and 6th.

The 4th floor is dedicated to mobile phones, DVDs, and all kinds of related gadgets and paraphernalia in a market-type environment, with stalls crammed into every available space. New phones, second-hand phones, starter packs, the latest (copy) movies, PC games and game consoles, MP3 players and what have you.

Terminal 21: The 9 floors at Terminal 21 house some 600 shops, a Cineplex, Gourmet Market (supermarket) and a food court with all kinds of mouthwatering Thai and international fare. The basement level (LG) has a Caribbean theme and is where you can find the Gourmet Market, takeaway food outlets, market-style food vendors as well as banks and bookstores. Take an escalator up a level and the ground floor (G) brings you to Rome, with all kinds of international and local fashion labels such as Kipling, CC:OO, Mango, Lacoste, Camel Active, Levi’s, and more.

Central embassy Bangkok: Central Embassy Bangkok has plenty of designer stores, including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Chanel, and Givenchy. You won’t have to rummage through piles of unfolded clothes or compete with bargain-hungry shoppers at everything-must-go sales.

Head up to find an impressive Vivienne Westwood store, along with Alexander McQueen and Michael Kors. The higher levels are dedicated to common high-street names like Fred Perry, Oakley, Lacoste, Uniqlo, and Zara.

Siam discovery: Siam Discovery Mall offers bespoke products from companies all over the world. Japanese boutique designer Beautiful People, Tsumori Chisato and Miharayasuhiro are some of the most popular brands for women’s fashion. The Japanese theme continues into His Lab, with Yohji Yamamoto and Dressed undressed. You can also find European and American brands, such as Paul Smith, Boss Orange and Calvin Klein.

Her Lab, or the ground floor of Siam Discovery Mall, has chic boutiques and anchor stores from Issey Miyake, Diesel and Comme des Garcons. As you head to higher floors, you’ll notice a distinct lack of shops. Goods are laid out naturally, as you’d expect to see in a home.

Siam Discovery Mall is around 250 meters west of the Siam BTS Skytrain Station. It’s also within walking distance of prominent Siam shopping malls such as Siam Center, Siam Paragon, and Siam Square One Mall.

Platinum fashion mall: Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok is like an indoor version of the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It specializes in wholesale fashion clothing and accessories, with 4 floors of shopping space, packed with some 1,300 shops. Here, haggling is part of the fun, and you’ll save more buying in larger quantities. There’s not much to the concept; it’s a wholesale shopping mall filled with small outlets, selling mostly women’s fashion and accessories. Each floor of Platinum Fashion Mall is named after famous shopping districts around the world, namely Orchard, Nathan, Ginza, Soho, Oxford and Camden. Roughly, the 4 floors of retail space are dedicated to men’s and women’s clothing, leather belts, shoes and fashion accessories.

The range of styles and what’s available is more than impressive. Find everything from children’s wear, adolescent clothing, jeans, evening dresses, underwear and oversized clothing to wigs, belts, shoes, handbags, hats and cosmetics. Specialty shops are interesting too, with fashion items imported from Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, China, India. A simple rule to saving your baht is to buy 3 pieces or more at the same shop. The price you pay will be about 10-30% lower per piece, and some shops allow you to mix different types of items, for example, purses and bags, shirts and trousers. You can also buy 1 or 2 items and pay a retail price, which isn’t bad either.

Pantip Plaza: Pantip Plaza is one of the most popular Bangkok electronics malls. It's often considered the mother of all IT shops in Thailand and has gained legendary status as the place to find new and used computers and accessories at rock-bottom prices. Occupying a grand building on Phetchaburi Road, Pantip Plaza has also gained notoriety because of the widespread practice of selling counterfeit software, DVDs… and more sordid material. Another great feature of Pantip Plaza is the bargain bins that can be found outside many stores, selling anything from cute and funky phone accessories to USB flash drives and mouse pads. Some of these bargain bins sell items for as little as 20 baht an item, so keep an eye out to grab a cheap memento.

Firstly, everything a technophile could possibly want can be found here – often several times over: laptops, tablets, software, cameras, printers, MP3 players… you name it. Pantip Plaza shopping mall is where other traders from around the country go to buy at wholesale prices so you can cut out the middleman and buy direct from one of the countless stalls to pocket some significant savings or bag some added extras. IT City on the 5th floor is the biggest IT store in Pantip Plaza, displaying and selling the latest equipment. Pleasingly, the store is well organized and less chaotic than other parts of the mall. Some of the staff speak English well and are ready to provide details of each item, so it's a good place to go if you need specific information about a particular product

Mega Bangna: Mega Bangna Shopping Mall covers 35,000 sq m of retail space, making it one of the largest malls in Southeast Asia. Located halfway between Suvarnabhumi International Airport and central Bangkok, there are free shuttles to take you to this mall from the Bangna BTS Skytrain Station. It's also home to Bangkok's first branch of the Swedish furniture brand, IKEA.

Other than the huge branch of IKEA, anchor stores include Home Pro, Big C, Robinson, together with around 450 shops occupying this oval-shaped mall. You can also find a large ice rink, a food court, a 24-lane bowling alley, and a huge major cineplex. Mega Bangna Shopping Mall serves as a lifestyle mall where families can spend the weekend. Expect to find mid-range and affordable international brands, such as Charles & Keith, Radley, Adidas, and Asics.

IKEA Bangkok: IKEA Bangkok is essentially the same as any other IKEA stores worldwide. The boxy blue-yellow warehouse fuses practicality and fun, as you can play around with all the products – sit on a sofa, lie in a bed, move furniture around, open and close the parts – before deciding on a purchase.

Seacon Square: Season Square has more than 400 specialty shops and 15 anchor stores such as Tesco Lotus, Robinson Department Store, Seacon Fashion Mall, Office Depot, and Tops Supermarket. A food court occupies the 4th floor of the mall, with around 30 kiosks serving Thai and Asian fare.

The Emporium: Emporium Bangkok is a sophisticated 6-storey shopping centre in Sukhumvit. The mall houses world-renowned designer brands, a luxurious cinema, and a state-of-the-art exhibition space, as well as an expansive supermarket and food court. Emporium Bangkok is conveniently connected to the 5-star Emporium Suites by Chatrium and Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain Station. from the doormen in crisp white uniforms and the soft jazz being played on a baby grand piano as you enter, to the haute couture brands found inside. On the ground floor, numerous international high-end labels have anchor units, such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, Cartier, and Mont Blanc, while the 1st and 2nd floors cater to the upmarket and trendy, with designer brands including Armani Exchange, Guess, Diesel, and Calvin Klein. The Emporium Department Store occupies all 6 floors of the back half of the mall. You can find familiar beauty brands such as Estee Lauder, Mac Cosmetics, Lancôme and Shiseido, an expansive shoe section, IT and electronic section, men’s and women’s apparel and accessories.

Palladium world shopping mall: Several massage parlors offering reflexology and traditional Thai massage can be found throughout the mall. You can also find several popular food outlets, such as KFC, Starbucks, and Tom & Tom Coffee Shop. If you're on the lookout for jewellery, the basement level houses The Grand Silver Jewelry, one of the best-value jewellers in Bangkok. The Palladium World Shopping Mall follows a bazaar-like layout, with long alleyways of tightly-packed stalls. You can stock up on great value basics such as shoes, T-shirts, pashminas, and beachwear at far lower prices than most Bangkok shopping malls. Bargaining is common, especially if you're buying multiple items (3 or more).

King power duty free mall: Part of Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel, this modern glass-and-steel mall offers 2 floors of exclusive duty-free shopping. Find high-quality Thai products like jewellery, fashion, art, crafts, homeware and spa products on the 1st floor. The 2nd floor features an extensive selection of world-renowned luxury brands like Cartier, Chopard, Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry and Mont Blanc, among others.

Travelers will need to present their passports, flight number, itinerary, and King Power member card at the registration point. All purchased items can be picked up at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on departure date. If you are not travelling in the near future, you can still buy duty-free items here, but only from limited categories, such as cameras, mobile phones, apparel, shoes, bags and Thai silk products.

Central Chidlom: The ground floor of Central Chidlom Department Store stocks premium international brands relating to makeup, perfumes and skincare, including Shu Umemura, SKII, MAC, L'Occitane, Urban Rittuale, Anna Sui, and Lancôme. Central Chidlom has 3 floors dedicated to upmarket fashion brands like MaxMara, Cole Haan, Kate Spade New York, and Armani Jeans. Renowned Thai designers such as Thons, Vatanika, and Vickteerut are located on the 2nd floor. The home décor department stocks kitchen appliances, glassware, utensils, bedding, and bathroom accessories. Children and teens have their own floor dedicated to toys and clothing.

Chatuchak weekend market:

Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok is the largest market in Bangkok, and largest of the world. Frequently called J.J.,it occupies upwards of 15,000 stalls. It is estimated that the market receives between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors each day. Most stalls only open on Saturdays and Sundays.

The market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods, and live animals for your shopping style at Bangkok.. 

Chatuchak market is adjacent to the Kamphaengphet station (MRT) of the Bangkok Metro, or about a 5-minute walk from the Mo Chit Skytrain (BTS) station and Suan Chatuchak(Chatuchak Park) station(MRT).

Open Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 on weekends and Fridays (wholesale day).

Plant shops are open Wednesdays and Thursdays too from 07:00 - 18:00.