Spending your weekend at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok

Hello Guys, If you're wondering what to do on the weekend in Bangkok, you should consider Chatuchak market as your next destination to go. Well I've been there for about 3 times already since I go to bangkok almost every year. So this time I decided to blog about it.

Chatuchak market is one if the most popular weekend market in Bangkok. It is also known as Jatujak or J.J. by locals. It consists of 27 sections with more than 8000 stalls, this weekend market is a best place to get some unique items at very good prices in Bangkok. These shops are selling fabrics, furniture, foods, plants, ceramics, flowers, drinks, toys, books, antiques, household items to everything, even live animal, whatever you can imagine to use in your routine life. This is the main reason of its equal popularity among the locals as well as the tourists.

If you intend to come here, plan to spend a full day here from 10:00am since there will be plenty to see and buy too. Why you should come early? Ideally you need to come here at 10am so you can beat the bangkok heat and also the market crowd. Since this place is only open during the weekend so you can guess how crowded this place will be.

Opening Hours: The weekend market is open  for General Public on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. After 6:00 PM, the shopping stalls started shutting down, however complete shutdown takes place around 8:00 PM. The market also remains open on Fridays for wholesale business. Similarly, Plant sections are also open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Free maps are available from the information kiosks scattered throughout the market, but as a general guide here are the items you can buy, divided into 11 categories, and the sections you can buy them in:

Clothing and Accessories – sections 2-6, 10-26
Miscellaneous and Used Clothing – sections 2-6, 22, 25, 26
Pets and Pet Accessories – sections 8, 9, 11, 13
Plants and Gardening Tools – sections 3-4
Books – sections 1, 27
Art – section 7
Antiques and Collectibles – sections 1, 26
Handicrafts – sections 8-11
Ceramics – sections 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 25
Furniture and Home Décor – sections 1, 3, 4, 7, 8
Food and Beverages – sections 2-4, 23, 24, 26, 27

(*Source)

Some tips that you can have during your visit to Chatuchak Market:

• Try to arrive as early as possible. As I said this place could get more crowded if you arrive in late afternoon.
• Wear Comfortable Clothes. Why? because as I said if you're not a fan of heat you can choose to wear a more comfortable clothes otherwise you will not survive in a long period exploring this market. You can also try to avoid sleepers and go there in comfortable shoes it will make your comfort level remain higher. Your sleepers may come out in that crowd though :( unless you want to buy a new one there.

• Beware of Pickpocketing and thief: As you know since the market is crowded, there will be a higher chance to encounter thief and pickpocket. So, always mind about your belongings, money and electronic gadgets during your visit here alright?

• To make your travel more comfortable, you don't need to bring any snacks or water since you can find anything here to dehydrate you and to fill up your tummy. Oh the price is cheap as well so need to worry!

• If you like something, buy that immediately: If you like an item in the market, then buy that immediately. Don’t think that you will check the price at another shop and come back again to buy from the first shop at a better deal. If you pass onwards from one shop, chances are very less that you will again reach to that shop and find the same item. It is also a wastage of time. So, if you like something at any stall, bargain and buy that at first go.

• If you're tired, you can try massage services around the market, the price is not pulling your neck so don't worry.
• Never forget to bring more cash if you intend to shop, since it is hard to find ATM here and not many stalls are accepting your credit cards.

• Bargain Hard: Like any other street market, bargain hard and harder at Chahtuchak Market. Some items are available only at the fixed price, but mostly there is a good chance of huge bargain on almost every product. Normally, you should start from the 50% of the quoted price, if you don’t have a fair idea of the price.

• This market is home to more than 500 food stalls selling varieties of items from street foods to delicious continental as well sea foods. If you tired and hungry after a long walk around the market, you can happily throw yourself inside any food stall to enjoy the mouth-watering foods.

• During the rainy season, this market can be turned into a hell. There are not much covered space around the stalls and there are no other place to hide you during the rain. Huge Crowd in the search of a shelter during the rain makes it impossible to accommodate everyone under the sheds. It is better to avoid this market during the rain and better to enjoy shopping at many glittering shopping malls scattered all around in Bangkok like platinum and MBK where you can safely go around without worry.

There are some toilets available in the market, generally near the entry/exit gates. They are usually chargeable and fee is 5 THB. (Updated June 2017)

Exploring one of the biggest weekend market can be a wonderful experience of lifetime. So, if you are in Bangkok, try to spend a day at Chatuchak Market exploring the multiple shopping options, local cuisines, interacting with local people and enjoying the multitude of colors. This market is surely a worth visit. The price is cheap and you can find a lot of things to cover.

Thanks for visiting this post, stay tuned for my next review!