Below is a selection of shopping areas which might help! Most of these are located close to the BTS (Bangkok Transport System) or "Skytrain" - a great new overhead rail system which spans most of the popular Bangkok areas. Worth noting and definitely worth using (you can get great deals on daytime travel) especially if you don't want to spend hours sitting in the Bangkok traffic!!

Suriwong/Silom Area

Although predominantly a business area, there are a few good places including a large branch of Jim Thompson's - one of the original producers of high quality silk and silk products. Specialist shops selling jewellry, gemstones, antiques, ceramics, leather goods, handicrafts, Thai silk and photographic goods are located around and along Silom Rd. In the back lanes behind Bangkok Bank building, is Soi Lalai Sap, a lunchtime market which gets going at noon and finishes about 2.00pm. Bargain for clothing accessories, leather goods and small gifts.

At night, the area opens up as Bangkok's major nightlife centre, with markets lining the streets in Silom and Patpong. Goods are cheap and not always the best quality but you can get bargains on clothing, "designer" watches, souvenirs and leather goods. Easy access by Skytrain which runs along Silom from Sathorn Road and Ratchadamri Road.

Mahesak/Silom/New Road Area

If you're interested in gemstones and jewellry - this is the place. A major jewellry manufacturing area, there are also boutiques, art galleries, department stores and shopping arcades, including the River City Complex, good for antiques, tailored clothing, and contemporary Thai & Asian paintings. Can be a little expensive so bargaining is a must. Take special care at jewellry stores to ensure certificates of authenticity are given.

Ploenchit/Pathumwan Area

Strictly for shopaholics - with one air-conditioned shopping mall after another! If your bored with shopping, need a diversion, or simply need a rest, many of the complexes have cinemas, restaurants and cafes. All the centres below can be reached by Skytrain (Get off at Chidlom)

Central Chidlom
Bordering on the Sukhumvit area along Ploenchit Road, Central Chidlom is Bangkok's original favourite department store. Renovated after a fire destroyed it in the early 1990's, it has everything you could want in a department store. Fashion clothing, furniture, household, accessories, art equipment and stationery. Marks and Spencer - the British store, also has an outlet within the store. Central Chidlom would not be a favourite with the Thais if it didn't have some great places to eat. The store has a lots of different restaurants and cafes - Thai, Japanese and International - all serving great food at very reasonable prices. You can easily spend half a day in here!

World Trade Center
One of the older shopping complexes, it can be difficult to get your bearings, with escalators leading to different Mezzanine levels, so if a shop takes your fancy, make a note of the number! As well as brand name shops, Isetan and Zen department stores, the World Trade Centre also has a number of specialist shops selling silk, fabrics, antiques, furniture (antique & modern) and paintings.

For the non-shoppers, there's also a cinema complex , restaurants, coffee shops, beauty salons and even an Ice Skating Rink! Prices are very cheap and instructors are available to give lessons!

Siam Square
An entire block of stores catering mainly to the teenage market. Lots of funky shoe and inexpensive clothing stores for teens, bookstores, music stores, restaurants and cafes, cinemas etc., In the evening, the square is buzzing with the under 20's.

Siam Center
Opposite Siam Square, caters to a wider age group but offers a similar slightly more up-market range of goods.

Siam Discovery
Next to Siam Square, this sophisticated centre has international designer stores and all the well known brand name fashion shops, selling clothes, accessories and shoes. There's also imported furniture, bookstores, gift shops, etc. Some excellent coffee shops and restaurants.

Gaysorn Plaza
Formerly packed with high fashion stores and nothing else, Gaysorn Plaza now has an interesting mix of clothing stores, home and furniture stores, galleries and almost 2 floors of small shops selling handicrafts from all over Thailand in an area known as the Thai Crafts Museum. Particularly beautiful are the range of home spun and woven Thai silks and cottons and ready to wear clothing.

Narayana Phand
Next to Gaysorn Plaza and opposite World Trade Centre, this is Bangkok's original centre for Thai handcrafts and cheap souvenir goods. Come here for your plain coloured silks, cutlery, Thai style clothing, gift cards, rice paper gift-wrap, furniture and figurines, wooden home ware, ceramics, and jewellry. Downstairs in the basement are stalls selling cheap jeans, shorts, shirts, children's clothes, leather goods and accessories. They also sell household items, cheap videos, tapes and CD's. Definitely worth a stop as prices are quite reasonable and vendors are friendlier than their jaded counterparts in Patpong and Sukhumvit areas.

Mahboonkrong
The original shopping mecca for teenagers, Mahboonkrong is a rabbit warren of small shops and stalls selling clothing, accessories, cosmetics, shoes, music, food, electronic equipment, books and more located on 5 floors between Tokyu Department store and The Pathumwan Princess Hotel. Don't go there if you're claustrophobic - do if you like to watch Bangkok's young and trendy strut their stuff.

Sukhumvit Road Area

Concentrated largely between Soi Nana (Soi 3) and Soi Asok (Soi 21), are several shops, shopping centres and department stores with a broad range of Thai and imported items. Skytrain stop - Nana and Asok.

Robinson's Department Store
A small branch found opposite Soi 8, it has a small collection of household items and clothing, plus a good supermarket well stocked with fresh food items and Japanese cooking ingredients. A food hall is in the basement.

Asia Books
Compared with many big cities, Bookshops are still thin on the ground in Bangkok, especially those selling English language publications. This branch of Asia Books probably has one of the best selections of both fiction and non-fiction, that you're likely to find. Close to Robinson's it's a good place to browse when the weather and traffic are bad. Smaller branches can be found in the Landmark Hotel on Soi 4, and in the Times Square Complex opposite Robinson's Department Store.

Emporium Shopping Center
Not for bargain hunters, the very upmarket Emporium centre has many top designer stores including Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Versace, and local designer stores, plus a range of other specialty stores including book stores, music stores, furniture and home product stores, beauty salons, etc. There's also a department store with all the usual stuff, plus food hall attached offering everything from Thai to European food, fast food, bakeries and coffee shops. A number of good restaurants are located within the complex too. Great place to browse and see where the truly wealthy population of Bangkok hang out on their weekends. There's also a cinema complex on the top floor. Located Sukhumvit Soi 24 a handy Skytrain link lets you off right at the 3rd floor of the shopping complex. (Skytrain - get off at Phrom Pong)

Alternatives
If you prefer to browse along the street, there are lots of bargains waiting. At night stalls set up with CD's, "designer" watches, T shirts and and the usual cheap clothing around Soi Nana (11)

During the day, stretching along the entire length of Sukhumvit for miles are literally hundreds of shops selling homeware, arts and crafts, beautiful upmarket clothing, lighting and rattan furniture. Around the back sois (streets) off Sukhumvit there's even more! You can spend days wandering!!

Other complexes along Sukhumvit include Times Square opposite Robinson's Department Store, and the Ploenchit Centre, next to the Marriott Hotel on Soi 2. They contain a few shops - mostly fashion stores, beauty salons, gift shops and small restaurants.

Pratunam/Petchaburi Road Area

This area is best known for cheap clothes, sold partly in a street market, where determined bargaining is required for best prices. It can get very hot, especially in the centre of the market. From World Trade Centre walk over the bridge into the Pratunam area and you will be in the thick of it - streets lined with clothing, food and accessories. Mainly a daytime market, there are still lots of stalls selling into the night similar to Patpong in Silom. Round the corner in Petchaburi Road is Pantip Plaza - the place to go for cheap electronic and computer goods, software and accessories.

Banglamphu
Close to the river, Banglamphu is the main backpackers area of Bangkok with lots of budget accommodation. The area offers inexpensive items, especially ready-made clothing, leather foods, footwear, cosmetics and curios. Bargain of course.

Other Shopping "Musts"

Chatuchak Weekend Market
One of Asia's largest outdoor markets with around 15,000 stalls along Phahonyothin Road. It's hot, sticky and crowded but worth it for the incredible range of goods. Not just clothing (lots of denim and teenage gear) but also plants, household products, handicrafts, ceramics, pets and leather goods. Great for browsing and bargain hunting but you need stamina! Easily accessible via Skytrain (get off at Mochit - the end of the line) Only open Saturdays and Sundays from around 9.00 until late in the afternoon. Usual precautions about being careful with your bag. Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok has a good breakdown of where to find products at Chatuchak (Available at Asia Books Store)

Lang Krasuang Market
Facing Khlong Lot, on Atsadang Road, between the Royal Hotel and Ministry of Interior, a row of shop houses sell moderately priced second-hand goods, including antique cameras and typewriters, musical instruments, radios and all manner of electrical goods. Bargaining essential.

Woeng Nakhon Kasem
Better known as Thieves Market, located between Yaowarat Road and New Road, near Phahurat, this area sells antiques, including Thai and Chinese objects d'art, porcelain, brassware, copperware and furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Determined bargaining essential.

Chinatown
The best place to buy fabrics (imported fabrics including cottons, synthetics and linen) sewing accessories, household items, hair accessories, gold, herbal medicines, imported fruits and Asian snack food. Chinatown is an absolute delight. Covering a large area around Yaowarat Road and Charoen Krung Road, the small streets and alleys surrounding the main roads are where all the action and interesting places are. Not for the faint hearted however - the streets are narrow and crowded and you must watch your bag carefully. If you're looking for material and clothes, start at Sampeng Lane (parallel to Yaowarat Road), and walk down to Pahurat Cloth Market You'll see a mixture of Thai, Indian, Chinese and Malaysian influences along the way. Gold shops are mainly situated along Yaowarat Road.