Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bangkok may be crowded and polluted, but its department stores are modern oases of or-
der. They're also downright frigid, and Sunday afternoons see a significant part of
Bangkok's population crowding into the city's indoor malls to escape the heat.
SHOPPING CENTRE
MBK Center
(
www.mbk-center.com
; cnr Th Phra Ram I & Th Phayathai; 10am-10pm; National Stadium exit 4)
This co-
lossal mall has become a tourist destination in its own right. Swedish and other languages
can be heard as much as Thai, and on any given weekend half of Bangkok can be found
here combing through an inexhaustible range of small stalls and shops.
MBK is the cheapest place to buy mobile phones and accessories (4th floor) and name-
brand knock-offs (nearly every other floor). It's also one of the better places in Bangkok
to stock up on camera gear (ground floor and 5th floor), and the expansive food court
(6th floor) is one of the best in town.
Siam Square
(Th Phra Ram I; 11am-9pm; Siam exits 2, 4 & 6)
This open-air shopping zone is ground zero
for teenage culture in Bangkok. Pop music blares out of tinny speakers, and gangs of hip-
sters in various costumes ricochet between fast-food restaurant, and closet-sized
boutiques. It's a great place to pick up designs you're guaranteed not to find anywhere
else, though most outfits require a barely-there waist.
SHOPPING CENTRE
Siam Paragon
(
www.siamparagon.co.th
;
991/1 Th Phra Ram I; 10am-10pm; Siam exits 3 & 5)
The biggest and glitzi-
est of Bangkok's shopping malls, Siam Paragon is more of an urban park than a shopping
centre. Astronomically luxe brands occupy most floors, but there's also
Siam Ocean World
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.siamoceanworld.com
;
basement, Siam Paragon, 991/1 Th Phra Ram I; adult/
2129 4635;
www.paragoncineplex.com
; 5th fl, Siam Paragon, 991/1 Th Phra Ram I; Siam exits 3 & 5)
, a huge
basement-level food court, and on the 3rd floor
Kinokuniya
, Thailand's largest English-lan-
guage bookstore.
SHOPPING CENTRE
Siam Center & Siam
