If you plan for shopping in Bangkok, then you’ll LOVE this trip story.

I spent 3 days shopping in Bangkok last month. I’ve never done this, but still I shop til I drop! So, I wrote about it here with some tips and guides on how not to drop too hard like I did 😀

How could I shop til I Drop?

I’ve heard a lot of my friend saying, “I’m going to Thailand for Bangkok shopping” and that “You can find the cheapest shopping in Bangkok“. While I was thinking, what a waste of money to go overseas just for shopping. I’ve heard this for so many years and only until last month, I know why they like shopping in Bangkok. I am not a typical traveler who shops a lot during my trip. So even I’ve visited Bangkok twice, I’ve never been here for shopping only. Thus, I, myself, never had a shopping experience like in Bangkok, where I shopped til I dropped.

So how could this happen to me now?
It is my third visit to Bangkok and this is the story.

Bangkok Shopping Trip

Before you read any further, these are what you can find in this trip story:

• Shopping Trip Itinerary
• Shopping Mall
  • – Siam Paragon
  • – Platinum Fashion Mall
  • – MBK Center Bangkok
  • – Passing through: CenterWorld Bangkok, Big C Supercenter, Gaysorn Village Mall
• Travel Tips
• Shopping Tips
• Shopping Prices List
• Transportation cost and other expenses
• Map of the Trip
• My Adventure with Food in Bangkok
• Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World – next post

So, here we go…

Shopping Trip Itinerary

My trip itinerary goes like this:

Day 1 / Saturday

• – Leaving Jakarta for Bangkok
• – Lunch in Siam Paragon
• – Shopping in Platinum Mall
• – Dinner from the nearest 7-eleven. Too tired to find other places.

Day 2 / Sunday

• – Lunch in MBK Center
• – Shopping in MBK Center
• – Shopping in Platinum Mall
• – Dinner in Nana Square
• – Check out Nana Plaza
• – Late snack at local Food Market

Day 3 / Monday

• – Lunch in Centralworld Mall
• – Shopping in MBK Center
• – Dinner in Siam Paragon
• – Visiting Sea Life Bangkok

Day 4 / Tuesday

• Breakfast in Airport
• Shopping in Airport’s custom duty shops
• Leaving Bangkok for Jakarta

The map for this Bangkok Shopping Trip is in the end of this post.

Arriving in Dong Muang International Airport

I left Jakarta on Air Asia first flight and arrived in Don Muang International Airport. It was rainy November in Jakarta and someone said it was sunny November in Thailand. Well, it turned out wrong. It was still raining in Bangkok on November. The rain weather made it feel cold inside Don Muang airport.

Not many people were queuing for immigration that morning. But it won’t stop me for getting nervous every time I pass immigration check. Yeah… I watch too many tv series about scary crazy immigration check in airport or how people got trick to have something prohibit in their luggage, etc… etc…

A Surprise from Thailand Immigration

Then it was my turn and the officer put the stamp on my passport, and he asked me to wait… OMG! I got nervous, thinking something is wrong with my passport etc. My brain starts playing all the time when I was passing all the immigration, especially on my Thailand Trip. But I cannot find anything wrong. I just try to hold my nervous and 10 minutes later, the officer came to me with a lady and give me this card.

Oh my God! It turned out to be a Happy Birthday card from the immigration office. I was surprised and relieved in the same time. Then the lady officer explained it to me. They wished me happy birthday and took a picture, me and the officer. I wish I had that photo, but I was too shock with the experience and all I do is to leave the immigration soon LoL. Although so, I do appreciate this nice gesture though from Thailand Immigration.

 

 

SIM Card & Rupiah Exchange Rate

Then I head to the ground floor, buying AIS 3 days tourist package (unlimited 4G data) for 150 bath.

#TravelGuide: Make sure you have a working data package during your trip. You will need it to access the map or translation app. 

I also exchange IDR500,000 for small money in Kasikorn Bank’s Money Exchange Counter. The rate was 0.0013 bath so I exchanged Rp500,000 for Rp650 bath. I thought that was okay. After I received the money, I tried to calculate the rate and geez, it was like 178% from the rate in Jakarta. Maybe my foot were not in the ground yet. I was still happy (or shock) with the immigration experience.

So a lesson learned here. 

#TravelGuide: Always calculate your money with a cool head and use calculator when traveling. Then compare the rate in the money changer with your country, before agreeing on their offer.  

Unless, you want to spend the rest of your day regretting it (like me) hahaha.

On the way to the hotel

My hotel is in Sukhumvit area. It was about 40 minutes ride from airport due to the rain. The cost was 520 bath including airport charge, toll, and tips.

The hotel, Chateau de Bangkok, is not far from BTS Phloen Chit. The room is big for a studio apartment. It has rooftop pool.

Bangkok Shopping Mall 

Siam Paragon

Siam area is the first place to go. I remember from my last visit that Siam Paragon mall has nice food court in ground floor and I needed some energy. So, I went to Siam Paragon for lunch and my memory is right. There are many delicious food and cake. They look nicer now than back then. I was in an ‘awe’ only by looking at the food displays. This time, there were street food vendors. It’s probably a street food festival. Lucky me. All are tasty! I am a foodie and I feel like I want to try them all.

I went to eat (lunch, dinner, snacks) few times  in this mall. They have so many food options in the ground floor. I will cover the story on my next post about the food I ate in Bangkok.

Apart from the food, this mall also sells branded items, clothes, etc. You can check it in this Siam Paragon Directory page.

How to get to Siam Paragon: the easiest way is to take BTS and get off at BTS Siam. Then look for the exit appointed to this mall.

 

The Platinum Fashion Mall

It is a huge mall and the most important thing, Platinum Mall is one of the cheapest shopping malls in Bangkok.

Outside the mall, there are truck foods selling local foods. Nice! That week was some sort of a street food festival week. Well, the mall and its surrounding look like this from outside.

 

Ow, there is this river boat which dock is across the mall. I would love to try it but my schedule was pretty tight. Even my curiosity was pretty high that time, I  tell myself I can do it next time. Because now is time to check the mall.

On the road near the river, I found a socks vendor that sells these socks for 100 bath per 6 pieces. They come in sizes and colors (cream, grey white, and black). So cheap! I bought it on my last day! 

The inside of this mall is HUGE!! Apparently, there are 3 separate buildings. They sell clothes in all the buildings but jewelry, shoes, children’s clothes in certain floor/separate building. Unfortunately, it is not allowed to take pictures inside the mall. Even though I sneaked out to take few of this.

I started exploring the mall from top floor.

#ShoppingTips: Always starts shopping from the top floor. It won’t be tiring to go down the stairs than going up. 

 

 

#ShoppingTips: Sometimes you find the nicest and cheapest one in the top floor or in the corner shop.  

 

What I did here was just going around without any guidance that eventually made me exhausted. So, by the end of the shopping, my foot hurt a lot!!  It feels like I’ve been walking the whole day. It was underscribable.

 #ShoppingTips: When shopping in Platinum Fashion Mall Bangkok, try to learn which building you are now as well as where are the other building sign. Then take a look at their directory and see in which floor and which building they sell what you want. 

It took me 2 days to figure out this mall, the items sold here, and what to buy. First day was more to explore the mall and second day to find what I was looking for. Yes, again, the place is HUGE! So, when you go shopping in Bangkok for clothes and find the one you want, buy it straight away. The chances are very low for you to find the same shop again.

#ShoppingTips: When you find the clothes you want in Platinum Mall Bangkok, buy it straight away or you won’t find that shop again.  

 

My favorite thing about shopping in Platinum Mall:

• They have crazy bling bling jewelry shops. There is one shop with all gold theme. I also see other shops that sell jewelry, earrings, watch for like 100 bath.
• There is a place that sells jeans short pants for 50 bath.

My least favorite thing about shopping in Platinum Mall:

• You have to check your item carefully. I got one blouse that has holes within the seaming, so I lost 250 bath for it.
• Most cheap shops don’t allow you to try on the clothes.
• Taking photo is prohibited.

#ShoppingTips: always check the items you bought before paying for it.  

How to get to Platinum Fashion Mall:

• The easiest way is to get off at BTS Chitlom, find exit gate sign “Ratchaprasong R WALK”. Then you walk through Gaysorn Village Mall, taking Ratchaprasong bridge to North Walk. Continue your walk passing BigC Supercenter until the end of the bridge at Pratunam Intersection.
• You can also walk for like 20 minutes from Siam Paragon.
• If you fancy for a long walk, you can also walk from BTS Siam. I should warn you that it is a long walk. You walk through the bridge that connecting BTS Siam with Centralworld Mall. I would advise you exit the bridge in the Ratchaprasong where you go down the pedestrian walk. Then continue walking until you see another bridge in front of iSetan Mall. Take that bridge until the end where there is Pratunam Intersection.

MBK Center Bangkok

Again, I remember from my visit in Bangkok that MBK Center sells cheap Thailand’s souvenirs. So, I went here to check it and it still does sell cheap souvenirs. There are 3 floors where you can find the souvenirs shops. They are in ground floor, 5^th floor, and 6^th floor. They sell Tshirt and shoulder cloth bag for only 99 bath. You can also find cheap summer dress for 250 bath and nice man shirt for 350 bath.

In this mall, you can also find nice food court to eat (MBK Food island in 6^th floor), cheap places to buy mobile phone and its accessories (5^th floor) , as well as pharmacy (ground floor). I bought a boxing liniment oil here for 120 bath. I used to apply it for sore muscle after Muay Thai class and still using it now.

How to get to MBK Center:

• The easiest way to reach this mall is from BTS National Stadium. It’s only a short walk from this BTS stop.
• You can also walk from Siam Paragon Mall. It takes about 15-20 minutes.

Other Places I’ve Been (or passed by) on this Bangkok Trip

Centralworld

I passed this shopping mall many times when going to Platinum or back to my hotel. The view at night around this mall is amazing. Not to mention the Christmas theme. Lovely!

Inside this mall is huge. I saw only a glimpse of it when going to the food court for lunch. I can see that the items sold here are pricey. While what I am looking for is the cheapest shopping mall in Bangkok. So I pass checking out this mall.

How to get to Centralworld Bangkok:

– The easiest way is from BTS Chitlom. You walk through Ratchaprasong bridge and take the exit to Centralworld. It’s about 10 minutes.

– You can also walk from Siam Paragon, about 15-20 minutes.

– You can also walk from BTS Siam through Ratchaprasong bridge and take the exit to Centralworld. It’s about 15-20 minutes.

Siam Square One

This mall is located across Siam Paragon. I was here to take massage on my last day in Bangkok but it was pricey. It is around 600 bath for 1 hour. So I canceled the plan and headed to Siam Paragon where I found Sea Life Bangkok. Although so, I got the chance to look around. I see many restaurants here and most of them are Japanese food. In fact, almost all I see are restaurants.

How to get to Siam Square One: the easiest way is to take BTS and get off at BTS Siam. Then look for the exit appointed to this mall.

Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World

I am so happy that I found this place. It’s in the basement of Siam Paragon Mall.  Here you can enjoy amazing view of underwater. I will also cover this place on separate post. Meanwhile, you can see how great their aquarium in my Youtube below:

Thai Massage Place

Besides shopping, I also had a nice massage at The T0uch Massage near Chateau de Bangkok Hotel

Bangkok Shopping Trip Expenses 

Shopping Prices

My main purpose is to do shopping for clothes in Bangkok. Then in order to buy only what I need, I made this list of things to buy in Bangkok:

– office clothes (a suit): 2 pieces

– dress: 2 pieces

– shoes: 1 pair

– jewelry (I love feather earrings): 2 pieces

– for my family: clothes, tshirt, teenager’s jeans pants/jacket – 5 pieces

I also made my shopping budget:

– shopping for clothes and shoes = max. 200 bath per item

– shopping for souvenir (Tshirt, etc) = max. 100 bath per item

– shopping for accessory (earrings, etc) = max. 100 bath per item

Can I stick to this shopping list and budget by the end of the day?

Well… At the end of my shopping trip, my shopping list and prices turned out to way out of that list and budget. Here are my shopping prices list for your shopping reference:

• – pink blazer @ 280 bath
• – women blouse @ 200 bath
• – woman sleeveless blouse @ 280 bath
• – a pair of high heels sandals @ 200 bath
• – a pair of sneakers @200 bath
• – cloth bag @99 bath
• – Thailand Tshirts @99 bath
• – accessories (earrings, necklace) @100 bath
• – summer dress @250 bath

Yes, the price is more than my budget but still cheaper than Jakarta.

#ShoppingTips: In Platinum Fashion Mall Bangkok, the more you buy the same type of clothes, the cheaper you get! 

I saw people dragging their shopping bag, just like dragging a garbage bag. It was a big bag and I know they are Indonesian from their language. So now I know where those shops in Jakarta buy their items from.

Transportation cost in Bangkok

 Taxi

• Dong Muang Airport to Hotel in Ploenchit, Sukhumvit = 500 bath (50 bath for airport charge + 50 bath for toll + 341 bath for taxi fare + tips for the remaining)
• Hotel to Dong Muang Airport = 340 bath (90 bath for toll and 250 bath for taxi fare)

BTS is 13 bath per stop

• – BTS Ploen Chit (Sukhumvit) to/from BTW Siam (Siam Paragon, Siam Center) = 26 bath | to/from BTS Chitlom (Centerworld, Platinum) = 13 bath | to/from BTS National Stadium (MBK Center) = 39 bath

Other expenses

• Phone SIM Card (AIS) = 150 bath for 3 days unlimited data
• Rupiah to Bath exchange rate = I would suggest to buy in Indonesia or withdraw from ATM. But if you really need it then it was 0,0013 per Rp1.
• ATM withdrawal fee = 220 bath per withdrawal
• Food: check it on my next post about the food in Bangkok

 

 

 

MAP OF THE PLACES I’VE BEEN DURING BANGKOK SHOPPING TRIP

 

 

This shopping trip turned out to be exciting. I’ve made planned for my next visit. I want to visit other cheap shopping places in Bangkok, such as Pratunam Market or Chatuchak Market.

Like & Comment

How about you?

Which shopping mall in Bangkok do you like to visit? Which shopping mall in Bangkok do you plan to visit next? 

Any other Bangkok Shopping Tips? Please let us know in the comment below. I would love to hear it!

Lastly, if you LIKE this Bangkok Shopping journal, don’t forget to write YES in the comment below. Or Click To Tweet it!

 

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