Shopping Centers in Bangkok
MBK Shopping Center
Mah Boon Krong is a 8 storey shopping mall packed with… well, EVERYTHING! Mobile phones (fake and real), clothing, fashion & accessories, cameras, DVDs, electronics, jeans, shoes, barber shops, restaurants, souvenirs, cosmetic shops, massage salons, skincare centers, dentists, furniture… the list is really endless and you can not just spend a whole day exploring the MBK shopping center but literally a whole week if you wanted to.
There’s also a huge (Japanese) Tokyu department store “built into” the MBK building that I personally like to go to if I want to buy stationary in Bangkok.
Even though it’s all modern and fancy, MBK is a very chaotic place to go shopping in Bangkok, but it’s worth visiting!
Platinum Fashion Mall
If you are looking for cheap clothing in Bangkok - this is the place to be. Pratunam is the place where people from all over the world go to find wholesale clothing in Bangkok to import it to their countries. But most sellers also cater to the end-customer, so you can actually go there and get a piece of clothing for a still really cheap price (although it will not be the wholesale price). Many shops have a “three piece minimum buy policy” and sometimes you can’t try the clothes on. But you don’t need to buy three pieces of the same item – you can buy a shirt, a belt and a hat if you want to.
Six floors full of clothes, skirts, shoes, bags, jeans, t-shirts, underwear, hats, traditional clothing, towels, belts and more – budget fashion shopaholics paradise! And other than the Pratunam market it is actually air-conditioned!
It’s open 7 days a week from 10:00 – 22:00, but many shops aren’t opened at all these times. Best time to go is on the weekend around 13:00 to 16:00 – at that time most shops will be open.
Public Transportation: Ploenchit BTS station (skytrain) or river taxi station Pratunam (not the Chao Praya river, but the small klong river).
Central World Shopping Plaza
CentralWorld Shopping Plaza just recently (re-)opened it’s doors and it truly is a “new and improved” shopping mall. It’s not just the biggest shopping mall in Bangkok – it’s the biggest shopping mall in all of South East Asia (SEA). 550 thousand square meters of shopping space and sandwiched between two department stores (Isetan and Zen). There are 500+ stores currently that have all kinds of wares. Before it became the gigantic “Central World Shopping Plaza” it was actually called the “World Trade Center” but relaunched in 2006. Want to see the movies? 21 cinemas welcome you to watch all kinds of international movies in top quality and several languages. 50 restaurants, a kids zone, entertainment and amusement, Asias largest supermarket and much more.
Emporium
The Emporium shopping mall in Bangkok is made for luxury shoppers. No cheap imitation, no discounts, no budget: highest quality from international brands. She who likes to shop here better has a fully charged credit card. You can still find bargains here, but you’ll have to be lucky to find the right promotions.
High class jewelry, gems, high-end fashion, premium leathers and much more. There is also a great Japanese bookstore (has a bigger selection of English books than any Asia Books I know of in Bangkok).
First and second floor is purely dedicated to fashion. On the third floor it’s all about boy’s toys: golfing equipment, digital cameras, flatscreen TVs, iPod gadgets, etc.
On the fifth floor it’s all restaurants, a deluxe food court, fast food and a supermarket + the new design exposition.
The 6th floor is about entertainment: a cinema complex that got completely refurbished in 2003 and shows lots of English movies.
Right next to it there is the queen’s mark (Benja Siri)
This is the hi-so (high-society) shopping mall of Bangkok.
Address: The Emporium Department Store, 622 Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bangkok 10110 Tel : 66 (0)2 664-8000
Opening Hours: 10.00am – 10.00pm
Pantip Plaza (Computer Shopping Mall)
Pantip Plaza is a computer geek and technology freak mekka. Digital cameras, laptops, computers, laptop accessories (like suitcases etc.), computer parts, iPods, MP3 players, repair centers, DVD players, flatscreen TVs, stereo systems, and lots of pirated computer software and pirated music CDs. If you need anything digital – Pantip Plaza is the place to go shopping in Bangkok for you!
Market in Bangkok
Jatujak market is the biggest weekend market of the world – a great place for treasure and bargain hunters to go shopping in Bangkok. Every Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm stalls are opened showcasing just about anything that anybody would want to buy on a market. It’s a really nice market, huge and if you go there for the first time getting lost is guaranteed. It’s a great place to buy clothes, fashion accessories, home decor, furniture, pets, leather, ceramics, art, wood carvings, kitchen supplies, cookware, antiques, jewelry and much more.
