Thailand Shopping Guide

Thailand is regarded as a haven for shoppers, especially the affluent ones, and with good reason. There’s a lot to buy in Thailand- from silks and jewels (Thailand is a major exporter of gemstones) - to handicrafts such as wicker ware, rattan, Thai dolls, nielloware, flowers, particularly orchids, furniture and ceramics. Vast department stores and shopping malls lure the hungry shopper in larger towns and cities, but even in villages and small towns, you’ll invariably find local bazaars and marts, which have something interesting to offer. Bangkok is generally considered the best place to shop in, but Chiang Mai too is pretty good, especially for handicrafts. A word of advice: prices are usually not fixed, especially in the markets- bargaining is the done thing, so haggle all you can!

    Another convenient place to shop is the TDFS- the Thailand Duty Free Shops. They’ve got a good selection of stuff, and provided you do your shopping at least 12 hours before your departure from Thailand, they’ll send your purchases to the airport for you to pick up.