Fifteen markets, from Chatuchak and the flower market to floating markets, night markets and Pratunam's wholesale lanes. The days and hours on each card come from the market's Google listing.
Chatuchak leads this list, with the flower market at Pak Khlong Talat close behind. Each card carries the market's days and hours from its Google listing.
The days matter more than the order. Chatuchak is a weekend market, Taling Chan opens only on Saturday and Sunday, the Srinagarindra train market runs Thursday to Sunday, and Amphawa's floating market is Friday to Sunday. Pak Khlong Talat and Khlong Toei trade around the clock, and the rest open every day.
Two are day trips rather than city markets. Damnoen Saduak is about 90 minutes from Bangkok and Amphawa is in Samut Songkhram, so most people see them on one tour with the Maeklong Railway Market. Jodd Fairs, Patpong, Asiatique, ChangChui and the train market are evening markets, and the rest are best in the morning.
Thailand's biggest market, 27 numbered sections of clothes, crafts, homeware, plants and vintage around a clock tower. The full market trades Saturday and Sunday from about 09:00, so plan a weekend morning, navigate by section number, and cross the road to Or Tor Kor when the heat gets to you.
Bangkok's flower market by Memorial Bridge trades 24 hours a day, with marigold garlands, orchids and lotus buds sold by the sack. It's free to wander, it's most alive after midnight, and it pairs well with an evening in Chinatown.
The original Rot Fai train market, a sprawl of food stalls, vintage cars and antique warehouses on Srinagarindra Road, open Thursday to Sunday from 17:00 to 01:00. It's far out east, so give it two hours or more and go after 7 pm on a Friday or Saturday.
Where to stay
My pick at each price level in Bangkok, going by Google's hotel class. Hotels from my ranked list of the 10 best come first, then the best-reviewed. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#1Luxury · 5-star
Millennium Hilton Bangkok4.6 (12,976 reviews)
Upscale riverside hotel on the Chao Phraya with strong service and sweeping river views.
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#8Mid-range · 4-star
Centara Watergate Pavilion Hotel Bangkok4.5 (4,456 reviews)
Sleek Bangkok hotel with spacious rooms, rooftop bar, spa, and an unbeatable location near top shopping.
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The floating market on the postcards, boats of fruit and noodles on a canal about 90 minutes from Bangkok, open every day from 07:00 to 13:00. It's built around tour boats now, so get there early, ahead of the coaches.
Bangkok's most popular night market for food, three minutes from MRT Thailand Cultural Centre Exit 4, open every night from 17:00 to 01:00. Come for the volcano pork ribs and grilled squid, cheap cocktails and a young Thai crowd, and bring cash.
A riverside bazaar in old warehouses, with shops, restaurants and the Asiatique Sky wheel, open every day until midnight. The free shuttle boat from Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin is the way to arrive.
Bangkok's biggest fresh market, open around the clock, with meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables at prices well below the rest of the city. It's a working wet market, busiest in the hours after dawn, so come early and expect wet floors.
A creative park in Bang Phlat built around a retired airliner turned restaurant and bar, with indie boutiques, vintage stalls and live music, open every day from 11:00 to 23:00. Come after 7 pm, when everything is open, rather than in the afternoon.
The Silom night market for souvenirs, T-shirts and copy watches, open every night from 18:00 to 01:00 on the street between the go-go bars. First prices are set for tourists, so bargain.
A food-first daytime market by Wang Lang pier on the Thonburi bank, with noodle shops, cheap clothes and household goods, open every day from 09:00 to 18:00. Mornings are best, and the river ferry from Tha Phra Chan crosses in a few minutes.
An evening floating market in Samut Songkhram, about 90 minutes from Bangkok, where seafood is grilled to order along the canal. It runs Friday to Sunday from 14:00 to 21:00, so go then and pair it with the Maeklong Railway Market.
Thailand's biggest clothing market, wholesale lanes around Phetchaburi and Ratchaprarop roads, open every day from about 09:00. Prices drop when you buy three or more pieces, and most stalls don't allow trying on or returns.
Covered riverside alleys beside Wat Mahathat where dealers sell Buddhist amulets and charms to a mostly Thai crowd, every day from about 09:00 to 17:00. It's free to walk and a few minutes from the Grand Palace.
A Saturday and Sunday market on a Thonburi canal, open from about 08:00 to late afternoon, where you pick a fish, have it grilled for around 200 baht and eat it on a platform over the water. It's a land market with a canal beside it, busy with Thai families.
One of the world's great fresh markets, across the road from Chatuchak and open every day from 06:00 to 18:00, with immaculate fruit, southern curries and ready meals under one roof. It's the lunch stop after a Chatuchak morning.
Chatuchak Weekend Market. It's Thailand's biggest market, with 27 numbered sections around a clock tower. The full market trades on Saturday and Sunday.
No. Google lists it from Tuesday to Sunday because a few sections trade midweek, but most stalls open only on Saturday and Sunday, so go at the weekend from about 09:00. It's closed on Mondays. Or Tor Kor, the fresh market across the road, is open every day.
Chatuchak is bigger and broader, with crafts, homeware, plants and vintage, but it's a weekend market. Pratunam is almost all clothing at wholesale prices and opens every day, so it's the better pick on a weekday or when you're buying in quantity.
For clothes, Pratunam Market and Platinum Fashion Mall next to it, where most stalls drop the price when you buy three or more pieces. For accessories, toys and household goods, Sampheng Lane in Chinatown is the wholesale street, open from about 09:00 to 17:00. At the weekend, Chatuchak has the widest range.
Pratunam, Or Tor Kor, Wang Lang, the Amulet Market and Damnoen Saduak open every day in the daytime, and Pak Khlong Talat and Khlong Toei never close. In the evening, Jodd Fairs, Patpong, Asiatique and ChangChui open every night.
