Chatuchak Market (Sunday Market)

Chatuchak Market is the Sunday (open ONLY Saturdayand Sunday) market that sells everything under the sun. It is easy to spend an entire day wandering the hundreds of aisles, selling everything from clothing to pets, housewares to food. You can get there by taking the BTS Skytrain and there are signs directing you to the market. OR, follow the crowd!

The only downfall to Chatuchak is that it can get extremely hot – the aisles are very narrow, it is outdoors (so no fans or AC), and there are tons of people. A Thai friend of mine said that he went once and he almost fainted from the heat. At the start, it can feel like a total maze, and it was easy to get frustrated, because we couldn’t find the aisles we wanted. We were walking through aisles of what looked like junk (like plastic bins, wrapping paper, slippers, cheesy Thai souvenirs, etc). Plus, we were sweating like crazy and drinking many bottles of water. However, once we figured out the map, it is a shoppers paradise!



I believe in the past, there used to be several aisles dedicated to livestock, snakes, and other animals, however, according to the map that we picked up there, they are no longer sold there. Instead, there is a "Pet and Supplies" section, where adorable puppies and kittens are dressed up in tiaras and bowties in hopes of finding a home. We walked by a kiosk where 20 bunnies in a box were looking for homes!! No snakes, however, which were supposed to be the highlight.

There are tons of tshirt vendors, but the best find, for me, were the independent designers. There were tons of young designers showcasing their wares and it was like shopping in the hippest boutique lined street in San Francisco or New York. The clothing was very affordable (I bought a reconstructed tshirt dress for just 150 Baht) and very funky! You can’t try on anything, but most of the stuff is one size, or S/M/L – if you’re of average height and size, it should fit. There are also several aisles dedicated to local artists, and walking through is like a gallery walk in Chelsea!

Other notable aisles include pottery, various local handicrafts, rugs, and silk. There are also quite a few ATMs and UPS stores to help you ship what you bought home! We also walked by some very bustling in business outdoor restaurants serving amazing ice cold glasses of iced tea and huge platters of noodles and other yummy thai dishes. So..enjoy with it..