Chatuchak Weekend Market
Summary:
4.2
Opening Days: Saturday and Sunday
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Chatuchak Market is a weekend market and used to be popular only with traders and wholesalers. The market has an area of 35 acres and it is all on the ground. There are no 2 storied or 3 storied structures. The size of Chatuchak Market and the diversity in collections of merchandise makes it one of the must-visit touristic place in the capital city of Thailand. The market has more than 6,000 stalls, which attract more than 200,000 visitors on a regular weekend.
Antiques, books, plant & gardening tools, food & beverage, furniture & home decoration, ceramics, handicrafts, clothing & accessories, etc. are some of the goods-categories that are found in Chatuchak Market. You need to have some bargaining skills.
Finding as vast and diverse a collection at one place is difficult. That is another reason why people come to the market. If the deal cannot be struck as intended at one stall, one can simply walkout and find the same merchandise elsewhere in the market.
The best way to get to Chatuchak Market is via MRT. Upon exiting Kamphaeng Phet MRT station, you’ll find yourself at Soi 38 of the big market. If you are going via BTS, Mo Chit is the nearest station. But you have to walk 5 mins to get to the market.
If you want to take a look at Bangkok’s biggest park, Chatuchak Park before going to the market, exit at Chatuchak Park station instead. The weekend market is about 5 mins from the station.
With over 6000 shops, the market is divided into 27 sections grouped according to the types of products. You can find virtually anything from clothing, handicrafts, souvenirs to home furniture, gardening equipment and pet supplies.
Be sure to take a picture of the map so you know which section and soi(lane) you are at and where you will be heading to.
All the road signs have 3 numbers. The leftmost number indicates the section you are in. The number in the middle shows the soi while the last number is the path that lies at 90 degree with the soi. Ability to read the road sign allows you to find your actually location on the map.
Traversing the vast expanse of Chatuchak Market is not easy for the first time visitors. However, navigation becomes easy after you understand the system of alleys. There is 1 main walkway that encircles the whole market and branches off into alleyways, which are numbered. Each alley is grouped into sections. The sections are not intended to house specific categories of products on sale. Various types of goods can be found in a section and one type of good can be found in various sections. Therefore, this system is helpful only in exploration of the market and location of specific spots.
The clock tower is located right in the center of the market. If you are getting a bit lost, this landmark can be a good road guide.
Feeling thirsty and hungry after a long walk? No worry. Food shops, drink stalls and mobile salad stalls are easily available.
Adjacent north to the Chatuchak Market is the Chatuchak Plaza. The size is about 1/4 of the market. Still it is huge. The picture above shows just 25% of the whole plaza area. You can find bigger items such as furniture and buddha sculpture here.
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