The Best Shopping In Bangkok

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Thais love shopping, and the sheer variety of items on offer can be as overwhelming as it is exhilarating. Clothes and textiles, jewellery, electronic hardware and DVDs (not all of them above board) are among the things you'll find.

Downtown Bangkok, especially the area around Chitlom, Siam Square and Pratunam, offers unrivalled shopping, from bargain clothes and designer sunglasses to hi-tech gadgets and local souvenirs. Try gigantic MBK, which contains countless independent outlets and bargains, or the upmarket Siam Paragon with its luxury-car showrooms and huge basement aquarium. ICONSIAM, Bangkok's newest supermall on the banks of the Chao Praya river, is home to more than 7,000 shops. Also interesting are the Patpong Night Market for bootleg luxury items and Banglamphoo, Bangkok's backpacker quarter, great for trendy clothes and jewellery. Panthip Plaza offers five floors of computer equipment. For more idiosyncratic stores and markets, try the following. And don't forget to haggle for bargains.

One of the world's largest open-air markets, so huge that an electric train (free of charge) whisks visitors about. Some 15,000 stalls sell furniture, ceramics, plants, trendy clothes, souvenirs, traditional medicine, books, animals and much more. Prices are pretty reasonable and it's a great place for people watching, with thousands of Thais and foreigners clogging the lanes between the stalls. In recent years, young Thai designers have set up shop to sell interesting paintings, jewellery and other unique handicrafts. Plenty of small eateries and drinks stalls save marathon shoppers from exhaustion.

Located behind a shopping mall a little way out of town, this huge night market, also known as Srinagarindra Train Night Market, specialises in antiques and antique-style items, but also offers all the stuff that can usually found at night markets (which is pretty much anything). That said, the items for sale are generally more interesting than those found at other markets, whether they are handmade curios or vintage cars. Almost a universe of its own, this expanse of multi-colored tents, along with countless eateries and bars, is a great place to browse an evening away.