Best shopping in Bangkok
There are a absolutely tonnes of shopping malls in Bangkok, all with varying styles and price ranges. In fact there is too much choice for shopping in Bangkok if you are short on time. Welcome to the second part of my Bangkok shopping guide to help you find the right malls, department stores and markets to buy your style of fashion on your level of budget. Alternatively, for cheap shopping in Bangkok, see part one of my shopping guide on where to buy cheap clothes in Bangkok.
This part of my Bangkok shopping guide however, is dedicated to the more fashionable and (mostly) better quality shopping malls in Bangkok, starting from lowest price first.
There is plenty of choice in styles at Terminal 21 Bangkok. On the upper levels of the mall, Terminal 21 has numerous, unique little shopping boutiques set out like a market but with some interesting décor to keep things interesting. Each level represents a county and is decorated accordingly. It’s one of the more interesting shopping malls in Bangkok to just simply hangout at.
It doesn’t just consist of indie fashion shops though, the ground floor and first floor of Terminal 21 both consist of designer and big brand shops such as Quicksilver and Superdry. The floor above this is women’s clothing, then shoes and accessories and lastly men’s clothing. Terminal 21 has is a nice mixture of designer and indie shops and is nicely laid out to find what you want. Plus it’s one of the more quiet and pleasant Bangkok shopping malls to browse around. 
The prices at Terminal 21 are not bad for a shopping mall in Bangkok either – expect clothing to cost from 250 baht (at the very minimum, mind) and shoes from 800 baht. It’s all good quality stuff though, great for people who dislike the cheap, maybe not so stylish fashions in markets and on the streets. Of all the shopping malls in Bangkok, Terminal 21 is my favourite so far. But then, I’m not really into designer brand shopping myself – For more designer brand shopping, maybe check out Siam Paragon or Central Chitlom.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Good quality, pretty/ girly styles and dresses. Quiet and nicely decorated. Dining.
Price range at Terminal 21: Medium 250 baht – 3000 baht
How to get to Terminal 21: Follow signs from Asoke BTS station
Emporium shopping mall Bangkok
From skateboards, smellies and trinkets to pianos and home appliances, the Emporium shopping mall has a huge variety of shops. Among the designer brand shops you can find DKNY, Gucci and Dior; and sports brands such as Northface, Adiddas and Ripcurl. I’m not really into designer shopping in Bangkok myself, but I will point out for any likeminded people that there is also a nice selection of skater sneakers and nice Reef flip flops for 960 baht – the most comfortable flip flops I have ever seen!
This Bangkok shopping mall is a place for the wealthy though, if money isn’t an issue for you and you need some essentials and homely decorations to go in your new condo, Emporium Bangkok has loads of choice.
The top floor of Emporium Bangkok has an abundance of textiles, trinkets and home wares – all very tasteful and characterful. I noticed cushions costing between 1000 and 9400 baht… just an example of some prices at Emporium! Emporium top floor has nice shabby chic styled furniture, high quality toiletries and skin care products and a host of incense, candles and sets.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Designer brands and tasteful home decor
Average price range at Emporium: High; clothing from 1500 baht upwards
How to get to the Emporium: Located at BTS Prom Phong
MBK Bangkok is an absolutely huge shopping mall full of cheap clothing, shoes, electronics and even an arcade and cinema too. If you love a bargain and a cheap knockoff, then make sure you stop by the MBK mall in Bangkok. On the bottom floor of the MBK mall alone, there are thousands of shoes to choose from all starting from around 199 baht a pair. Not recommended shopping in Bangkok if you choose quality above quantity though. Personally I find some of the clothing at MBK Mall to be a little tacky, nothing special and poor quality too.
MBK Shopping Mall
I also find the mall itself to be soulless and lacking in charm – too mall-y for me! Shopping at the MBK reminds me of being in an airport… an airport if you messed it up with a load of cheap tat ;p Nonetheless, you can still find some nice stuff at Bangkok MBK Mall if you look hard enough, just avoid shopping at the MBK if you are of a fussy taste maybe.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Electronics and gadgets. T-shirts, polo shirts and knock-off Armani and Billabong clothing
Average price range at MBK: Low, 299 – 499 baht for shoes, 150 – 300 baht most clothing
How to get to MBK: Take the BTS Silom line to the National Stadium. Follow signs to MBK from the BTS National Stadium station.
Siam Center shopping mall Bangkok
Siam Center is located directly next to the unmissable Siam Paragon in central Bangkok. Notably, the selection of shoe shops is something I find most impressive about Siam Center. Shoes are not cheap at Siam Center but they are just so unique, quirky and cool. In particular, Siam Center has some very glamourous yet unusual designer, uber high heel shoes with intricate patterns and unconventional shapes; highly recommended shopping for the ultra-fashionable individual. Shoes at Siam Center range from around 1000 baht to 7000 baht.
Siam Centre
I would also recommend Siam Center Bangkok for sunglasses. Similarly as with it’s selection of shoes, there are also some highly unique and individual styles of sunglasses like nowhere else I have seen before. They are seriously some of the coolest sunglasses I have ever seen in my life, however the cost of these can hit as high as 30000 baht from what I have seen so far in Siam Center. Aside from the expensive and trendy fashions to be found in Siam Centre, I find it is also to be a fantastic place to come merely to admire the scenery of sculptures, abstract decorations and educational insights scattered throughout it’s many shopping floors.
Superdry Store at Siam Centre
The décor of Siam Centre is somewhat atypical of your standard shopping mall or shopping centre. With it’s dark and industrial, ultra modern theme which runs uniformly throughout and it’s many individual shop’s artistic and innovative embellishments and styles; strolling through Siam Center makes for a pleasant Bangkok shopping experience in itself. Not to mention the many elegant and distinctive cafes and restaurants which line the glass-roofed, airy top floor… damn I love Siam Center… if only I had more monies.
Although the food is actually still quite reasonably priced considering – from around 100 baht for a delectable looking meal, complete with the charming surroundings that come with it.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Ultra cool high heels shoes, sunglasses… or just as a trendy and interesting hangout in Bangkok
Average price range in Siam Center: Medium/ high. Clothing starts from 400 to 5000 baht
How to get Siam Center: Next door to Siam Paragon at BTS Siam
‘Mr Jones’ Teddy Bear Orphanage’ – Just one of the many interesting cafes Siam Centre has to offer
Located in Siam Bangkok, right next to Siam Paragon and in close range of Pratunam. Central World is another of one of Bangkok’s gigantuan shopping malls complete with it’s own cinema on the top floor. For around 1000 baht, you can purchase a luxury cinema ticket and watch your favourite movie on the big screen snuggled up on a 1st class, squishy bed! Central World shopping mall has a huge range of high quality restaurants to dine in too for added non-shopping related entertainment.
Central World Bangkok has a whole range of global brands of fashion available and it’s a great mall for shopping in Bangkok if you are more accustomed to western styles of fashion as opposed to asian fashions. I think as a tourist or a new arrival in Thailand, some of us can be easily swept up and excited by how affordable the clothes are in the main Thai markets. We see the qualities of these goods through rose-tinted glasses, blinded by our love of bargains, but when you look a little more closely you might realise that many of the clothes from the Bangkok markets just aren’t very good quality after all.
Central World Bangkok
After living in Bangkok for a just a couple of months, I began to miss more fashionable, high quality clothing and Thai fashions just didn’t appeal to my tastes. Central World is ideal for people in this situation, struggling to adapt to the frilly, ribbon adorned Thai fashion. It is however proportionally expensive compared to the cost of living in Thailand – the clothing is no cheaper than you would buy it in the west, maybe in some cases even more expensive. The Zen department regularly have sales so you can still find some reasonably priced fashions in Central World if you look hard enough.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Global fashions and huge choice of shops
Average price range at Central World: Mid/ High, average 2000 baht per item of clothing.
How to get to Central World: You can take the BTS to Chit Lom and from here follow signs to Central World. The walkway from the station will take you straight there. You can also get there from Siam Centre BTS station, although it is very slightly further away than Chit Lom.
Siam Paragon
Again, as with Central World, Siam Paragon is a Bangkok shopping mall catered for global fashions at expensive prices. Siam Paragon is slightly more expensive than Central World and doesn’t tend to have sales as often. Siam Paragon also has a grand cinema on it’s top floor.
Best shopping in Bangkok for: Designer brands
Average price range: High
How to get there: Follow signs from BTS Siam station
Check out my other shopping blog guides for more tips on buying clothes, shoes and gadgets in Bangkok
