Chatuchak market
 

I plan to visit Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. Is the Mochit Skytrain station within easy walking ditance? What time does the market open? <BR><BR>A more general question: what are some of your favorite markets and shopping centers in Bangkok? I'm interested in buying souvenirs unique to Thailand.<BR><BR><BR>

I find high quality crafts and more upscale items at River City shopping center.

The sky train stop is very close to the market. (about 2 short blocks) Just follow the people. I want to say it is a little south & west. It is very intersting, but go early it gets hot.

We just got back from Bangkok. Chatuchak Market is very good. Massive market from cloths to kitchen stuff to crafts. It's imposible to walk the whole market as it's really hot & crowded. I got a few really nice stuff there. It's well worth going & bargain all the things you buy.

The Mo Chit station is very close -- easy walking distance. I'm not sure what time the market opens, but we got there before 9am and it was already packed and hot. We bought some neat things -- a little silk, some stone carvings, a couple of small lamps, some gorgeous benjarong pottery, a pair of drawstring cotton pants, and my friend got some ridiculously inexpensive white cotton shirts. Everything was incredibly cheap. By noon the market was unbearably hot but we pushed on for another hour until I couldn't take it any more. There is more there than you could see in a whole day -- everything from live animals to plants to pottery to baskets to furniture to housewears to clothes to food. It is truly an experience and a great photo opportunity too. If I were you I would bring a pencil or pen and something to write on which will help you in bargaining. When they tell you how much something costs, if they say it in Thai and you don't understand it, you can ask them to write it down (or they will type it into their calculator and show the price to you), and you can write down your counteroffer. If you can bargain in Thai you get better prices though.<BR><BR>My favorite shopping center was River City. I got some gorgeous local crafts there -- embroidered silk pillowcases, pottery and prints. It is quite large, several floors, and as you go up higher so do the prices. Toward the top it is more high-end art and antiques.

I visited BKK after a month in Myanmar and went to the "famous" chatuchak market too. Well, pay attention. Some stuff is really there for tourists at incredible high prices (bamboo plates for instance). I found it overcrowded, very expensive on certain items and not so genuine as I believed. Paul

Ann<BR>Be there at 8:30 no later. Take the skytrain to the end station.<BR>Go to MBK to try their authentic Thai food at their food-cort. It's full of stalls of unfamiliar kind of everything. Souvenirs you'll find everywhere.

i leave tomorrow ,,,will miss market this time but have been several times in past...took sky train last time...very, very close...less than 2 blocks as noted above....it is massive...get a nancy chandler shopping map before you go...it will help and will help with other bkk areas as well...it is always hot there so go early and have an idea of what you might want...limited english, but there is always someone to help you near-by--translation...<BR><BR>river city is our favorite and most convenient to river and other transportation...alll kinds of stores there, especially on first two floors---higher floors are mostly costly antiques...fine quality however...<BR><BR>try getting the book: &quot;The treasurers and pleasurers of thailand&quot;--- Impact Books---it is a fabulous shopping guide and totally accurate...we have our second copy---wore the first one out...silom road is also a good place to shop and of course jim thompson (main store)for silk and ready made things...they have wharehouse sales several times per year at the queen sik.convention center---prices are unreal...check with them for dates...usually 2 or 3 sundays between thanksgiving and christmas...<BR><BR>THANK GOD WE MISS IT THIS YEAR AS MY WIFE DROPS $$$$ EACH TIME..