Shopping In Bangkok

Whenever I travel Thailand shopping in Bangkok is a ‘must do'. Shopaholics will spend weeks here darting between all the different shopping malls on offer and I can tell you there's a lot on offer!

One of the best things about all these malls is that they are connected with a good transport system, the BTS or Skytrain. If you plan your shopping day right you can stay out of the hot sticky air of Bangkok and go from one air conditioned mall to another using air conditioned skytrains or taxi's.

If you get saturated with all the malls you don't have to stop shopping! Bangkok has a plethora of markets offering the shopping tourist many more ways to spend their cash. I have read somewhere that Chatuchak Weekend Market is the biggest outdoor market in the world and has over 15,000 stalls. I didn't count them but I'm sure we went to each and every one on the day me and my wife went there.

After the sun sets you have all the night markets such as the in-famous Patpong, which in my opinion is best avoided. The goods on offer are not worth subjecting yourself to the place! If you have shopped your self out in Bangkok you can do day trips to markets on the outskirts of Bangkok were you can visit the famous floating market at Damnoen Saduak.

With so much shopping to do in such a short time it's a good idea to be prepared before you get to Bangkok. Plan your shopping trip like a military operation, know what time the shops open and close, and know how you will get from one shopping mall to another. If you are planning to go to some markets remember the weather is hottest around mid-day plan for some indoor activity for this time. Make sure you know what you want to buy; Bangkok shops are not for browsing!

Haggling is an acceptable form of trade at market stalls indeed its expected at most but please don't embarrass yourself and try this in the malls. In the big malls ask about a Tourist Discount Card or VAT refunds at the airport this is often a good way to get discounts! Remember the first price you get from a stall vendor will be over inflated and it's up to you to get the best price by haggling. No one can teach you how to haggle so my advice is to watch what others do and learn from them. Some will be really poor at haggling and others will be experts but for me the number one piece of advice I can give is to smile, be polite and have some fun with the stall vendor. If you cannot agree a price thank them and move on don't start arguing with them.

These are just some of my tips on how to make shopping in Bangkok a little easier. One thing I should say here is if you are on holiday to Thailand with children none of these tips will help easy the pain. Shopping with children in any location is something that should be avoided, for me children have now become my escape from shopping trips but I still love to visit Bangkok.