Have you ever heard of Bangkok’s weekend market? Chatuchak market is a huge one where many tourists come to buy souvenirs before returning home, and, although we didn’t dare to visit it until our last stay in the capital of Thailand, it is a visit that we recommend.
Below we show you a few photos of our walk through its shelves, and we will tell you what you can buy.
Chatuchak Market is one that only opens on weekends, and where you will see both Thai people and tourists from all over the world because the variety of products sold there is endless. And it is not surprising that you can find everything, because there are thousands of stalls.
On its shelves you will see traditional clothing and counterfeits, souvenirs, natural hygiene products, accessories, jewelry, decoration… Almost everything you can think of, I bet you can find it at Chatuchak Market.
If you have been tempted to buy that elephant figure you like so much throughout your trip but you didn’t want to carry it in your backpack, now that you have returned to the capital it is time to get it.
In the decoration and souvenir shops you can get an elephant of any size and shape, because pachyderms are the favorite figure for necklaces, bracelets, t-shirts, key chains or fabric prints.
But even if you have no intention of buying anything, we recommend that you visit Chatuchak Market, if only to get lost for a while in its narrow corridors.
Twenty-seven sections divide up this huge market, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every day, so if you go at rush hour, be prepared to bump into people in the aisles.
We recommend avoiding the hottest hours, especially if you are going to visit the covered area, because it can be stifling and the fans inside the tents are not enough to dissipate the heat.
And to finish the visit to this labyrinth of shops, the best thing to do is to go through the food area, where there are local dishes at good prices and quite good, although there are also fast food areas with the typical hamburgers or hot dogs.
Many of these stalls have tables and chairs outside, so you can eat it right there.
Fruit and ice cream are other things you will find to eat, like this coconut ice cream served in its own shell, that couldn’t be better.
We at conmochila have recommended visiting the markets of the towns and cities you visit countless times, especially in Asia, as this is where most people do their shopping and it is a nice way to discover local culture.
Walking through the bazaars, you can talk to local people, learn a few words in their language, discover the typical food…
In Thailand, almost every town has several open-air markets, and a good example of this is Chiang Mai, where there are markets selling different types of merchandise spread throughout the city.
As you can see, Bangkok is not far behind, as it has shopping centers with markets of all sizes and for all tastes, some of which are only frequented by the city’s inhabitants and others that are more touristy, such as the popular Khaosan and Rhambutri stalls.
There are several ways to get to Chatuchak Market, but the easiest and quickest way is by metro (MRT) or BTS. The nearest metro stop is Chatuchak Park, although Kamphaeng Phet is also close by, and the skyline stop is Mo Chit (on the Sukhumvit line).
Taxi or tuk tuk are also an option, but traffic is horrible in Bangkok, and having to argue with drivers to turn on the meter can be exhausting.
On the other hand, you can book the Chatuchak Weekend Market and Floating Market tour that will take you to these two popular markets in the city.
Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m, and Fridays from 6:00 p.m to 00:00 a.m
At Chatuchak Market there are pet shops selling pet food and accessories, as well as pets. As for dogs, cats and rabbits, I have no idea where these animals come from and I have never even seen the stalls, but if the famous “puppy farms” in Europe are real hells, I can’t even imagine the breeding farms in Thailand.
Anyway, even if they came from the best breeders, you know, friends are not bought, and adopting is saving a life, and, if not, just ask Songkran, the cat we rescued in Malaysia 🙂
As far as wildlife is concerned, which is apparently sold or has been sold illegally in puppy shops, in most cases to obtain young specimens of any species you have to kill the mother so that she releases the babies from her arms…
Some of these animals, which are lucky enough to survive, will end up in the hands of some heartless person who will use them so that tourists can take photos with them. You can find more information about this in the article gibbons and tourism in Thailand, don’t be fooled.
