Shopping at Chatuchak (JJ Market)

If you are interested in shopping then a day at Chatuchak (JJ) Market will probably be one of the most unique shopping experiences you've ever had. However, it didn’t used to be so easy. Not that long ago, Chatuchak was very disorganized. The small roads crossing through the market were completely packed with slow moving traffic and shopping was entirely hit and miss, as you never new where anything was, and it was simply a matter of diving in, seeing what they had, and diving out again. Today, things are much much better. The traffic jams have been solved, and there is now a huge car park at the back which is pedestrians only. The stalls are organized into zones, and you can get a map (available for free) to guide you where you wish to go. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the diverse array of products and the bargin prices. Chatuchak offers everything from live animals, ceramics, wood crafts and food to antiques. If you want to cover the whole market, it could take you days. If it’s hot, stop at the regular stalls selling drinks and buy something to drink as the last thing you want is to get dehydrated, which is rather easy with Thailand temperatures.  Expect to spend a minimum of half a day at the market, but planning for a full day might be better.

Chatuchak is really a perfect place to buy holiday gifts and presents for sending home while on your trip.  Many people will visit the market before leaving to purchase gifts to take home.  This is made easy as there are a number of DHL and post office like shops which will manage all of the packaging, boxing, stuffing, packing and shipping for you.  All you need to really do is arrive, shop, and ship.  They offer very reasonable shipping prices and options which make this market ideal for a final weekend in Thailand.

This is really worth a visit and you should try and build it into your trip. Guinness Book of World Records named Chatuchak as the biggest open market in the world, and no trip to  Bangkok would be complete without experiencing it first hand.  The market is only open at weekends from 7 AM to 6 PM, entrance is free of charge.

For more information on the market itself, please visit here!