Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

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this will be my shopping tips of the chautuchak weekend market

Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok is the largest market in Thailand and in all of Southeast Asia as well. Chatuchak covers about 35 acres or about 11 hectares and contains upwards of 15,000 stalls. Most stalls only open on Saturdays and Sundays.Chatuchak has been segregated into areas depending on the types of goods sold, and there are maps available for the market which detail the various sections but if you are a first timer, it can be very disorienting even if you have a map due to the humidity inside. If you want to shop in an air conditioned comfort and with the same prices of the goods, then shop at the Nearby Chatuchak JJ Mall, located just beside the Market (I will have separate tips for it).

What to buy: Chatuchak always gets very hot and humid during the day that you have to buy bottled water or cool drinks often and it's far from the most comfortable shopping experience but for most people who are into budget shopping and are good at haggling, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Going early in the day when it is a bit cooler is recommended. The First Market in Bangkok was in Sanam, Luang but in 1982, it was decided that the flea market would be held at the Phahonyothin area from then on and it is later called Chatuchak Market after the nearby park under the same name.

The Chatuchak Weekend market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods, and live animals. It is offers the lowest price of goods if you know what how to haggle (but if you don't want to shop here as the place is very far from the main shopping areas of Bangkok, then just shop at the Platinum Mall or the Pratunam Market in Pratunam Area or at MBK near Siam Center as they offer virtually the same type of goods at the same type of prices).

Chatuchak is open from 08:00am - 18:00pm on weekends and Fridays (wholesale day).
Plant shops are open Wednesdays and Thursdays too from 07:00am- 18:00pm.

What to pay: It depends if you have good haggling skills or not! but if you buy many of the same items, then you would get good prices. try to knock off 100% off the price as some items are offred at 200% of the real price here.

There are a lot of beautiful home furnishings that you will find here. Unfortunately, they will not fit in your luggage. Don't worry, you will find a lot of door-to-door courier providers with stalls in the market who will weigh, pack, and ship your goods directly to you home. And their rates are very reasonable

What to buy: some native lamps...

These Thai pillows are comfortable.
The shop sells lots of thai pillows.

What to buy: pillows are cheap here.

What to pay: silk cover is more expensive than cotten ones,
more cusion, more money,
and heavier it gets.
min. 1300Baht (they told me that was wholesale price) for silk covered, 3 fold cusion pillow.
around 500Baht for cotten covered, 1 cusion fold pillow.

Met a man and his wife who sells bags at Jatujak. He is very nice and gives good prices. Most of his bags come from the North. Compared to the other shops which sell similar bags, his are of better quality for the same or better price. You can bargain especially if you're buying a few pieces. If you buy more than 5 like I did, pay 150 baht per shoulder bag.

The man speaks Chinese and his wife can speak TeoChew dialect. Both of course speak Thai.

What to buy: They sell ladies Thai-silk bags, Indian cotton bags, little items like coin purses or make-up cases as well which are quite cheap.

What to pay: Bags: 170-200baht
Small items: 20-50baht

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I ventured here twice during my time in Bangkok…the first time mostly for the novelty of being there as I had read quite a lot about it before I traveled to Thailand and SE Asia, the second time I visited I was on a mission, searching for a particular item that a friend had asked me to find for her.

This is a WEEKEND market however on Wednesdays and Thursdays you can venture here to see vendors selling plants and flowers, the majority of the other vendors won’t be open though it’s possible that SOME will be open for business.

Access is free of charge and the hours of operation are Saturday and Sunday from 0900 AM-1800 PM.

To say this market is HUGE…is probably an understatement…I’ve read and I would believe that it’s the largest market to be seen in Thailand, let alone Bangkok so if you don’t have a tolerance for crowded venues…DON’T GO HERE!! It’s been reported that on an average weekend about 200 000 people will venture throughout the many many vendors stalls that try to make a buck here!

The first visit was essentially wanderlust and had no real intent other than to have a look around and see what we could see, we bounced around from section to section marveling at the variety of goods for sale and the food that was available and the people that were on the same quest. The second visit I found what I was looking for after a bit of time and I even managed to catch a little jam session with a couple of musicians….see the attached video.

I saw some pretty exotic animals, birds, snakes and fish and even dogs and cats.

Chatuchak has been known to be a hub for trafficking illegal and endangered species, I wondered about some of the animals that I was seeing when I visited, I’ve never seen one two different kinds of them before and I still have no idea what they were. CNN has even ventured here while filming the series “Planet in Peril”, examining the impact on ecosystems in removal of species from they’re natural environment.

Some areas were proliferated with vendors selling religious carvings, some sold some heavy wooden furniture, and others sold orchids. The list just goes on and on, it seems to me that you’ll find whatever you set your little heart on if you want to shop here including handicrafts and souvenirs.
At one point the smell of nice incense on the wind brought us to quite an elaborate shrine where there were people worshipping.

The present location of this market dates to about 1982 after a series of events that required it to move from place to place starting in the late 1940’s and earns its name from a nearby park that shares the same name.

What to buy: If you really are up for a simple adventure of you’re all about shopping for some really unique gifts or mementos of your visit to Bangkok….you really need to check out Chatuchak Market…it’s a World of its own..

You just never know what you're going to find here...even some musicians jamming on the second visit I made here..see the video :o)

This market has to be seen to be believed. (It is the largest flea market that I have ever seen. It contains at least 9000, and some say as many as 15,000 stalls (depending on what’s on and who’s doing the counting) and it attracts 200,000 visitors per day. Come here for Thai handicrafts and antiques among many other delights, but do not come here on hot, humid days – pressed against all that flesh, you might faint or fade away. To get there take the skytrain to Mo Chit station or the metro to Suan Chatuchak station.

What to buy: Just about anything

What to pay: Bargaining is de riguer

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Chatuchak market is the biggest market in Bangkok and some stalls only open during weekends. There are over one thousand stalls in this market and it opens from 6am till 6pm. Make sure that you go there earlier as it will be so hot during mid afternoon as most of the stalls dont have air cond. You can get almost everything there from clothes, shoes, antiques, art, plant, local craft, plants and pets too. Some time they have some street performance as well on the street. The price over here is pretty cheap compare to Pratunam wholesale market and you need to bargain to get a great deal.

What to pay: It depands on what you want to buy.

Bangkok is known for it's cheap shopping. One of it's most popular shopping places to go to is the Chatuchak market. This place is a sprawling outdoor market open during the weekends is filled with little stalls which offers shoppers the chance to buy souvenir shirts, handicrafts, live animals just to name a few. You can literally spend hours wandering through the market looking for deals. Luckily the place is divided into sections based on what is sold so it would be advisable to get a map of the place and proceed to the place where you want to be. Be sure to remember some of the landmarks around you as it's quite easy to get lost.

What to buy: Souvenirs

What to pay: Cheap items which you can haggle to. You have a bigger chance of getting discounts if you choose to buy items in bulk.

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Chatuchak Weekend Market

Chatuchak or Jatujak Weekend Market is located near to Mo Chit BTS Station. This is one of the largest weekend markets in the world. I like to be here every time i visit Bangkok.


My Photos
First Photo: Chatuchak Weekend Market
Second photo: Chatuchak Weekend Market
Third photo: Chatuchak Weekend Market
Forth photo: BTS Skytrain station - Mo Chit
Fifth photo: The main road outside Chatuchak Weekend Market

What to buy: Find here: clothes, shoes, Thai silk, antiques, plants, food and more.....

The real answer is, everywhere! However, Sukhumvit Rd does have a lot of vendors they are a lot more expensive. Don't kow what your dates are for being in Bangkok but I would head to the Chatuchak Market or Sunday market. Fri Sat and Sun it is only open, the tube will take you directly there, it is at the end of the line. Prices are a lot cheaper and more of a selection. If you can not make it there then I would try chinatown or petchaburi markets
Good luck

What to buy: ANYTHING