Souvenirs and What to Buy in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
The Bangkok souvenirs worth the luggage weight are the ones that get used: a bag of Chiang Rai coffee, a jar of nam prik pao, a length of hand-woven cotton, a pair of Muay Thai shorts that actually fit. Chatuchak is where most of it converges, if you can face the heat, but the SookSiam floor at ICONSIAM, the Or Tor Kor food hall across from the market, and the design shops around Thonglor and Charoenkrung cover the same ground in air conditioning.
What is worth buying
For silk, the Jim Thompson shops around Surawong give consistent quality and honest fibre content; market silk is often blended, which is fine if you know it. Benjarong and celadon ceramics travel well if wrapped properly. In the kitchen category, vacuum-packed curry pastes, dried tom yum kits, palm sugar and chilli jam from Or Tor Kor are the reliable picks. Northern Thai coffee — Doi Chaang, Akha Ama and similar — is genuinely good and much cheaper here. Thai scent and skincare houses such as Karmakamet, HARNN, Panpuri and Erb undercut their overseas prices. Fairtex and Twins gloves and shorts are sold near the stadiums.
Practicalities
Bargaining is expected at Chatuchak and street stalls and not at all in malls; open somewhat below the asking price and expect to settle near the middle without drama. VAT refunds are available on qualifying purchases above a minimum spend at participating shops — ask for the form at the till and process it at the airport before check-in, with the goods still accessible. Exporting antiques and Buddha images is restricted and can require a permit, so treat market pieces as decorative rather than collectable. Counterfeit designer goods are sold openly here and confiscated routinely at home borders. Buy ceramics last, ask for bubble wrap, and carry them on.