If you are into shopping then Chatuchak Market will probably be one of the best shopping experiences you have ever had. However, it didn’t used to be like that. Not so long ago, Chatuchak was highly disorganized. The roads running through the market were packed with slow moving traffic and shopping was entirely hit and miss – you never new where anything was, and it was simply a matter of diving into a stall, seeing what they had, and diving out again. Today, things are better. The traffic has gone – there’s a huge car park at the back it’s pedestrians only. The stalls are organized into zones, and you can get a map to show you where you need to go. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the bargains. Chatuchak offers everything from live animals to antiques. If you wanted to cover the whole market, it could take you days. If it’s hot, stop at the regular stalls selling drinks and buy something – the last thing you want is to start feeling dehydrated in the middle of such a mass of humanity! Expect to spend a minimum of half a day at the market – planning for a full day might be better. This is really worth a visit and you should try and build it into your trip. Probably one of the biggest markets in the world.
Details: The market is only open at weekends from 07:00 to 18:00. Entrance is of course free of charge.
How to get there: Chatuchak is easy to get to. Mochit BTS leads directly to Chatuchak’s entrance and it also has its own MRT station – Chatuchak.
A taxi fare from the centre of Bangkok will cost around 80-90 Baht.
The following buses will get you there:
Air-conditioned bus: 2, 3, 8, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19, 23, 29, 34, 38, 39, 44, 77, 146
Bus number: 3, 8, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 38, 39, 44, 52, 59, 63, 77, 96, 104, 108, 112, 134, 138, 145
Contact:
Tel: 0-2272-4441, ext: 103
Hotels in the Chatuchak Market locality 
Restaurants and bars in the Chatuchak Market locality 
