Chinatown: Shopping

Busy, bustling and hot, shopping in Chinatown is very different from your typical mall outing. Tiny alleys come crammed with a huge assortment of goods, crowded with porters manoeuvering wooden carts around customers. The main road, Yaowarat, has lots of fascinating Chinese pharmacists with containers full of strange looking herbal remedies and probably the highest concentration of goldshops in Thailand.

Take a walk down Sampeng Lane (also known as Soi Wanit), a long narrow walkway running parallel south of Yaowarat Road, and the narrow lanes directly off it. A riot of colour and noise, here you'll find garments, textiles, stationery, second-hand parts and equipment, electric goods, kitchen utensils, computer parts, antiques and even car parts, musical instruments or ancient Chinese medicine. Be sure to try some roast chestnuts!

Merchandise is generally very cheap and, often, sold wholesale. Sampeng Lane was previously infamous for the gang fighting and high numbers of murders that took place here. Nowadays, it's a very busy and predominately pedestrian street, with the main danger being the odd motorbike that tries to get past. The street is a hive of constant commercial activity, all day long.

The Thieves Market, or 'Nakhon Kasem', is slightly north of the western end of Sampeng Lane. Though legitimate today, it was so named because this was where stolen goods inevitably turned up. It's now a good area for buying Thai or Chinese antiques. Following the river heading north, Chinatown gives way to the wafting aromas of curries and the exotic spices of Pahurat.

A small but significant Indian community is located around the famous Pahurat Textile Market on the edge of Chinatown. Wholesale silk, cotton and all kinds of fabrics are traded with tough bargaining skills. It's also a good place to head for if you're desperate for some authentic Indian food. The markets are generally open throughout the day until around 18:00.

Learn More About Chinatown: Where to Stay, List of Chinatown Hotels, What to See & Do, Where to Eat, Nightlife, Getting Around

Learn More about Shopping areas: Sukhumvit, Silom, Chidlom, Siam Square, Ratchaprasong, Sathorn, Riverside, Khao San Road, Old City, Chatuchak, Pratunam, Ratchadapisek

Related Links: Markets

An option to get to Pahurat, though a bit exhausting, is to walk south along Sampeng Lane from Chinatown down to Chakraphet Road and Pahurat. Several sub-sois and shopping blocks can be explored this way, not to mention Sampeng Lane's deals on wholesale items. Wholesale goods such as flip-flops, toys, household items, and herbs can be bought here. An added feature to the area are circus-like acts of balancing and maneuvering performed by men transporting an astonishing amount of wholesale goods (sacks, boxes, etc) with small dolleys while weaving in and out of traffic - an interesting feat. To save yourself from over-exhuastion, and to explore Chinatown in a more thorough manner, try staying at nearby Chinatown hotels. Also while in the area, don't forget to visit the covered market lane between Ratchawong and Mahachak Roads.

Once crossing Chakraphek Road and entering Pahurat, stores selling formal dresses, gowns, and even (royal-like) crowns glitter and sparkle for young ladies aspiring to become hi-so princesses. Crowns aside, within these first few blocks lay Pahurat's textile selling action, so choose one of the many small alleyways and dive into the heart of it all. Within you'll find a labrynth of shops and vendors selling all kinds of colourful textiles - enough to cause a mild panic attack to those caught unprepared or already fatigued.

Making your way through one of these alleys and towards the other side of the block, shops selling posters of Hindu Gods alongside various Indian paraphernalia slowly begin to appear. A few cafes filled with Indian men chatting away, not to mention mouth-watering smells of Indian cuisine, confirm you're in 'Little India'. On the other side of the block more gastronomical delights await as cafes and a few food hawkers along Soi ATM provide delicious north Indian cuisine.

How to get there: Take the subway to MRT Hualompong station. From there, bus number 40 passes through Pahurat and Chinatown. Several taxis and tuk-tuks are also available for hire (35-40 baht).
What to buy: At Sampeng Lane, wholesale goods such as rubber items (flip-flops, baskets, etc) and herbs; at Pahurat, textiles, Indian foods and gifts.
Open: Around 09:00 - 18:00 weekdays (every day)