Bangkok has some of the best and biggest markets in the world that is the reason why tourists love the “City of Angels” so much. Paying a visit to a market should be part of any trip to here! If you want to shop like a local or even just soak up the atmosphere of shopping, then you should head to Pratunam Morning Market.
Pratunam Morning Market, which is around the area of Baiyoke Sky, is famous for shopping and street food. There are so many wholesale malls, whereas the most popular one is Platinum Fashion Mall that you can shop in comfort under air- conditioner. They are opened from 4am to 9am every day. This market is not a shopping mall or department store, but a fascinating outdoor area that features hundreds of small stalls selling mostly clothing, along with silver, jewelry, and other fashion accessories at highly discounted prices. Moreover, full of food vendors and street sellers will bring the quintessential Asian street market experience.
It is really for females as we could not find anything for males. Enter the small alleys and you will find yourself in the middle of a clothes-maze. The section closer to Petchaburi Road has a large display of fancy dresses and embroidered costumes. Small shops and stalls selling a huge variety of garments appear every passageway. If you go inside those shops which are located opposite the pink color sign board ‘Tuang Sun Plaza’, you can find casual fashionable clothes here.
On Ratchaprarop Road near Baiyoke Sky Hotel and Indra Square, there are a lot of interesting stalls that sell hand-crafted items. Deeper in, closer to Baiyoke Tower I, the collection becomes less trendy but more suitable for daily dressing such as jeans, bikinis, T-shirts and safari pants which are found in the aisles just opposite the entrance of Baiyoke Suite Hotel.
Various kinds of traditional food in Pratunam Morning Market
Some wholesalers and retailers sell one piece at full price but the price will be lower about 10-30% if you buy three pieces and above. Bargaining is acceptable so prepare yourself a few Thai words in order to get the best deals, but you need to know items are already very cheap. Some rules are compulsory to comply are no exchange, no trying on and no refund. Remember the products targets on lower to middle-income buyers so the price reflects quality.
Besides the main Pratunam Morning Market on Ratchaprarop Road, there are a number of other shopping centres situated around the market that are also worth checking out, namely Shibuya, Krung Thong Plaza, City Complex, Maruay Plaza, Indra Square and more. On the opposite side of the road, you can see Pantip Plaza (IT mall) and the popular Platinum Fashion Mall too. The heart of Pratunam shopping lies within the perimeter of these malls and it can take you at least two days to visit through the thousands of shops.
Colorful clothes in the morning market
More than a shopping experience, Pratunam Morning Market offers an immersion in the local way of life. Here can you see vendors working with their sewing machines, packing orders, carting trolleys and gossiping with each other. To approach this market, you can take the BTS Sky Train to Chit Lom station or catch the Saen Saep Canal Express Boat then walk to the intersection of Ratchaprop road and Petchburi road.
If you are a shopping-lover, Pratunam Moring Market will be exactly where you need to go, no matter how deep or shallow your pocket maybe!