Bangkok shopping malls range from tiny and crowded to big and luxurious, making the city a great shopping destination.
Siam Paragon at night © KhunBhun
Bangkok is home to a huge range of shopping malls, ranging from inexpensive and crowded to luxury shopping malls. Whether you’re visiting on a shoestring budget or here to fill your suitcase, you’ll have no trouble finding great places to shop.
Shopping Malls in Ratchaprasong
Most of Bangkok’s shopping malls are found in the Ratchaprasong area – an area of high-end shopping malls stretching from Siam BTS Station to Ploenchit. Most of the biggest shopping malls in Bangkok can be found in this part of the city.
Siam Paragon
Strolling at Siam Paragon © Jason D' Great
Bangkok’s second biggest and most popular shopping mall is Siam Paragon. Located adjacent to Siam BTS Station, Paragon is home to designer brand names, technology and Hi-Fi retailers, a gourmet supermarket and even a luxury car dealership.
Although Paragon’s focus is on high-end products, it’s a great place to shop for high street fashion. Clothing brands like Uniqlo, H&M and Zara can be found on floor two and three, while a range of restaurants are located on the ground floor.
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On the top floor, you’ll find one of Bangkok’s most popular cinemas. Siam Paragon is a great place to catch a movie, offering a range of experiences from the typical movie outing to luxurious sofas and even a bookable private cinema.
MBK
MBK © Jason D' Great
Like the modern day equivalent of Aladdin’s Cave, MBK is six floors of tiny stalls packed cheek-by-jowl with one another, selling everything from mobile phones to sunglasses to tshirts to soap. At a complete contrast to the glitzy likes of Siam Paragon, MBK is where Thais come to find bargains and there is a huge host of no-name brands at cheap prices. For some, it’s a shopper’s paradise – for others, a claustrophobic nightmare.
Siam Center and Siam Discovery
Next to Siam Paragon, you’ll find Siam Center – a smaller shopping mall specialising in fashion for teens and 20-somethings. Siam Center is accessible via BTS Siam or by an underground walkway connecting it with Siam Paragon.
Siam Discovery is located next to Siam Center and is home to a range of technology and clothing brands. It’s connected to Siam Center via a sky bridge on floor four, as well as a courtyard on the ground floor connecting the two shopping malls.
Siam Square One
Surrounded by the crowded streets of Siam Square, Siam Square One is the newest shopping mall in Ratchaprasong. Equal parts Siam Centre and Siam Discovery, it’s a combination of technology, local fashion designers and high street apparel.
Easily accessible via Siam Station, Siam Square One is located directly opposite Siam Paragon. On the top floors, you’ll find a wide range of Japanese restaurants and day spas. Floors two through four are home to Bangkok’s only official Disney store.
Central World
Fountain at Central World © Adam Lai
Central World is Bangkok’s biggest shopping mall. Located between Siam and Chit Lom BTS stations, Central World is Bangkok’s most comprehensive shopping mall, with everything from high-end fashion to sportswear, tech and more on offer.
Central World is gigantic (it’s the world’s sixth-largest shopping mall) and can be divided into several different sections:
ZEN, a lifestyle and fashion department store accessible via the BTS Skywalk
Central World, the main eight-storey shopping complex
Groove @ Central World, an indoor/outdoor dining and fashion complex
Central World competes with nearby rival Siam Paragon to serve as Bangkok’s top shopping destination. The mall is easily accessible via the skywalk connecting Chit Lom and Siam BTS stations.
Gaysorn Shopping Centre
From Louis Vuitton to TAG Heuer, Gaysorn is the place to be in Ratchaprasong for high-end shopping. Bangkok’s only mall dedicated exclusively to luxury shopping, Gaysorn is located across from Central World and accessible via the skywalk.
Gaysorn specialises in luxury shopping, so if you’re on the hunt for bargains it’s not a key destination. From Swiss watches to the latest in high fashion, Gaysorn offers a huge range of brand names that will keep any high-end shopper happy.
Amarin Plaza
Easily accessible via Chit Lom BTS Station, Amarin Plaza is connected to several of the area’s luxury hotels. Its tenants include tailors, luxury brand names, jewellery stores and a range of health spas and clinics.
Amarin Plaza attracts locals, expats and tourists alike. Although this mall is less of a star attraction than nearby Central World and Siam Paragon, it’s worth a visit, if only for the excellent food court on the fourth floor.
Central Chidlom
Accessible via skywalk from Chit Lom BTS Station, Central Chidlom is a department store located one block from Gaysorn. Open since 1973 and frequently renovated, it attracts a crowd that’s equal parts affluent Thai shoppers and tourists.
Although department stores can be found in almost all of Bangkok’s shopping malls, Central Chidlom is the biggest and most popular in Ratchaprasong. Drop by the top-floor food court for a unique dining experience and great views of the city skyline.
Central Embassy
The latest mall from Central Group, Central Embassy is an ultra-modern luxury mall connected to BTS Ploenchit Station by sky bridge. It’s home to Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and other luxury brands, offering a similar range of brands to Gaysorn.
In addition to a huge range of designer brands, Central Embassy is home to several cafés and exclusive restaurants. On the top floor, you’ll find Embassy Cineplex – the most exclusive (and expensive) cinema complex in Bangkok.
Shopping Malls in Sukhumvit
Sukhumvit Road is one of Bangkok’s main roads and a popular shopping destination for Thais, expats and tourists. Thanks to its perennial traffic jams, most of the malls along Sukhumvit Road are located next to a BTS station.
Terminal 21
Terminal 21 Mall © Krista
Located next to Asok BTS Station, Terminal 21 is one of Bangkok’s most unique and interesting shopping malls. Instead of the usual brand names and chains, Terminal 21 is dedicated almost entirely to small local retailers and designer stores.
Terminal 21 covers nine floors, with each floor having a unique city theme. Step into the streets of Rome as you enter and travel through Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco and Hollywood as you make your way from one floor to the next.
Home to a large cinema complex and a great food court, Terminal 21 is one of the most popular malls in the Sukhumvit area and the easiest to reach if you’re staying near Asok or Nana BTS stations.
Emporium
Located beside Phrom Phong BTS Station, Emporium is an upmarket shopping mall offering everything from fashion to furniture. On the top floor, you’ll find one of the most popular cinemas – SFX Emporium – with a large food court one floor lower.
Emporium is the centre of high-end shopping in Sukhumvit, making it a great place to shop if you’re staying between Asok and Thong Lor stations. If you’ve visited Siam Paragon or Central Embassy already, you won’t find anything new here.
Bangkok Mediplex
Located at BTS Ekkamai Station, Mediplex is Bangkok’s only medical mall. The entire complex is dedicated to health and wellness products and services. Worth visiting if you’re interested in health products, Mediplex is otherwise not all that exciting.
Gateway Ekamai
A Japanese-themed shopping mall connected to Ekkamai BTS Station, Gateway is a great place to visit if you’re searching for Japanese brand name products or Tokyo-style cafés. Otherwise, its location makes it an inconvenient shopping destination.
Shopping Malls in Silom and Bangkok’s Riverside
Silom and Bangkok’s riverside area aren’t known for their shopping, but they’re still worth a visit if you’re looking for antiques and other products. Icon Siam, a gigantic “community mall” due to open in 2017, could make the area a shopping hotspot.
River City
Accessible by taxi or boat (take the private boat from Saphan Taksin pier) River City is Bangkok’s top antique mall. In addition to antiques, the mall is home to a range of jewellery, silk and gemstone stores offering uniquely Thai furnishings and items.
In addition to its retail shops and stands, River City hosts antique auctions and other antique-related events on a frequent basis. It’s also home to some of Bangkok’s best riverside restaurants and bars, many of which offer great views of the Chao Phraya.
Central Silom
Connected to Sala Daeng BTS Station, Central Silom (also known as Silom Complex) is a small but convenient shopping mall offering fashion, technology, lifestyle goods and more.
Although it’s far from a shopping highlight (there are bigger, better malls just a few stations away at Ratchaprasong) Central Silom is a convenient shopping mall if you are staying at one of the many hotels on Silom or Sathorn Road.
Icon Siam
Scheduled for completion in 2017, Icon Siam is currently marketing itself as being Bangkok’s “biggest community mall”. Located on the Thonburi side of the river, it’s made up of two luxury malls, a museum of treasures and a 400-metre light show.
Although it’s still under construction, Icon Siam could potentially transform a quiet section of Bangkok’s riverside area into a shopping hotspot rivalling Ratchaprasong and Sukhumvit.
