Bangkok is full of shopping malls and street markets of all types, especially in the Sukhumvit area; see the section for details. Prices can be cheap by Western standards, especially for locally produced items such as clothes, although bargaining is expected and required. Dump a teenager in Siam Center, Siam Square, Siam Paragon, MBK or The Emporium with a few thousand baht and they'll stay occupied for the rest of the week! Most malls tend to have excellent food courts.

Fixed prices are the norm in department stores and a number of shops in Bangkok, but at most other places bargaining is acceptable and expected. Generally, shopping in Thailand is easy, fun and very rewarding, but the following advice is useful especially when making gem and jewelry purchases.

Shopping in Bangkok is not limited to one or two major streets. There are many areas throughout Bangkok affording ample choices and easy access. The following is just a selection of some of the principal shopping areas.

Ploenchit-Ratchaprasong
Top department stores and luxury shopping malls are concentrated in the area, namely Central, Gaysorn Plaza, Isetan, Zen, Erawan Bangkok, Peninsula Plaza, all of which together make the largest shopping promenade in Bangkok. Furthermore, Central World Plaza and Narayana Phand Pavilion, host the official handicraft centre selling items from all parts of the country. Ratchaprasong intersection is the gateway to several shopping areas such as Phloenchit-Sukhumvit, Siam Square-Mahboonkrong, Silom and Pratunam-Phetchaburi.

Silom-Surawong-Patpong
Silom Road is the main artery of Bangkok’s commercial heart and is paralleled by Surawong Road, while Patpong Road runs crosswise between the two. In addition to housing dozens of specialist shops and boutiques representing all the major buys, this area also boasts many branches of well-known retailers , Tailors and several shopping plazas.Montien Plaza being the most famous and Excelsior tailors. Street stalls also abound, most notably at Patpong’s famous night market.

Silom-Mahesak-Charoenkrung Road
Silom leads into Charoen Krung Road which parallels the Chao Phraya River, and notable shopping opportunities include gems and jewelry stores (Mahesak Road is a gem trading centre), Oriental Plaza and River City shopping complex.

Sukhumvit
Like Silom, Sukhumvit is one of Bangkok’s main thoroughfares, and the long road is lined with shops, boutiques and modern shopping plazas ranging from Soi 3 (Nana Nua) up to Soi 63 (Ekkamai). Most shops and restaurants are concentrated between Soi 3 and Soi 21 (Asok) and along shortcuts between Asok and Ekkamai. Sombat Permpoon Gallery at Sukhumvit Soi 1 sells both paintings and sculptures by established artists and those of the new generation.

Chinatown
In the center of Yaowarat Road and Sampheng Lane, Bangkok’s Chinatown offers a profusion of gold shops as well as several nearby traditional shopping places such as Ban Mo Jewelry Street, Phahurat Cloth Market and the Old Siam Plaza.