Shopping in Chinatown

Shopping Chinatown is the antithesis to the high-end brand shopping you would find in downtown Bangkok. Chinatown is like one big flea market – what you will find here are traditional Chinese medicine shops selling fascinating remedies, while small alleys and streets between Yaowarat Road and the Chao Phraya River are crammed with market stalls and wooden shophouses jostling to sell just about everything imaginable.

Cross Chakraphek Road to find Pahurat, where inexpensive goods such as flip-flops, toys, household items, and herbs are plentiful. Within these first few blocks, you’ll find a labyrinth of shops and vendors selling all kinds of colourful textiles. Try your luck at bargaining, an act inextricably linked with Chinese consumer culture. A simple phrase of “Tuk kwa nee dai mai?” (Can I pay less?) ought to start the ball rolling.