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Chatuchak | Phayathai | Rajathewi | Siam Square | Chitlom | Phloenchit | Nana | Asoke | Phromphong | Ekamai (all Sukhumvit Line) | Saladaeng (Silom Line)
Getting around Bangkok's central area has become much more convenient since the skytrain became operational about 5 years ago. The skytrain has its shortcomings. The main one is that its total length is only about 20 km, consisting of just two lines interchanging at Siam Square. There was a poor conception of the stations, and even at this late date, escalators are being built so users of the trains can avoid having to climb 6 flights of stairs to get to the platforms. For foreigners at least the fares are low, starting at 15 baht and going up to a maximum of about 40 baht. There are also tourist day cards available at 100 baht with unlimited use (on one day)
There are two lines, the longest one called 'Sukhumvit' line, and the shorter one 'Silom' line. The Sukhumvit line runs from the northern part of Bangkok (Chatuchak market) up to Sukhumvit Soi 71, and seems to be the most important one, nothwithstanding that Silom is part of the 'business' center of Bangkok. Intersection of the two lines occurs at Siam Square, and the station there can be busy at times, and you see the rather unusual view of Thai people spontaneously forming queues to board the carriages.
You can find maps of the routes and further info here.
What sites, shopping centers are present close to the main skytrain stations? (and thus easy to reach) We will not cover them all, but mainly the centrally located ones.
Chatuchak (Jatujak) station is conveniently located close to the Chatuchak weekend market. This used to be a 90 minutes trip in the old days from central Bangkok, but now you can reach it within less than 30 minutes. The weekend market itself is rather busy at most times, it can be really hot out there and with the ever present crowd, you better prepare yourself with comfortable light clothes and some water supply. For foreigners, the main attraction of Chatuchak, is the availability of all kinds of Thai artefacts and handicrafts at reasonable prices. There are also lots of food stalls, animals for sale, clothes, furniture, plants, flowers etc. This definitively is a place where you should not forget to bargain.
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The Lacquer Pavillion at Suan Pakkad. Suan Pakkad also houses exhibits from Ban Chiang culture. |
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Coming down from Chatuchak, we could take a stop at Phayathai station. Closeby is Suan Pakkad residence, a (once) private home with large garden, converted into and interesting medium sized museum. Take exit 4 at the station, turn right into Sri Ayutthaya Road and you will find the museum after about 300 meters. Visit their website first, to be sure about the opening hours.
The next station may be of good use to computer users. Panthip Plaza, the main computer center in Bangkok, is within walking distance from Rajathewi station. Panthip Plaza used to be rather infamous for all the pirated software available. A few years ago one could find quite expensive software at rockbottom prices. These days are gone, but on occasion pirated software reemerges. However, in the old days, it looked like buying it was the 'normal' thing to do, and we guess most people did. Nowadays it more looks like a semi-criminal activity. Games might also be available, but we surely recommend buying the ones made for the Thai market. Recent games can usually be found at 400-600 baht, about one third of the price of the same games in Europe or U.S. They do come with a Thai manual however (but in our opinion one can usually do without the manual, as long as the games are moving along in English, which is the case)
Besides software, there are of course lots of computer shops where you can find all imaginable accessories, or have your computer assembled. While there are lots of smaller shops, we particularly recommend I.T. City, which occupies the top floor, and seems to have all kinds of hardware (including digital cameras) under one roof.
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Siam Paragon (at Siam main BTS station) is open and running since the beginning of December 2005.
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Siam Square is next, and is the interchange station if you want to take the Silom line. Around Siam Square (and especially when walking further down to the Rajadamri intersection), you are close to Bangkok's upmarket central shopping area. Siam Square proper consists of many little shops, mostly selling apparel and fashion items. It is very popular with Thai teenagers, who like to just strut around in the area. Thai girls seem to want to try out how far they can go without being improperly dressed in this area. In front of the skytrain station, a huge new complex (shopping center/hotel/movie theaters), called Siam Paragon has opened in December 2005.
Pathumwan Princess Hotel (at MBK-Center) and Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square are located nearby.
Chitlom station (next) is closest to the major present shopping centers in the area. The station itself connects with a bridge to Central Chitlom, one of the more upmarket department stores in Bangkok. The Central department stores in general are a good place if you are looking for fashion brands. The ground flood is almost completely occupied by perfumes and toiletries.
Within walking distance from Chitlom station, you also have the Central Plaza Center (formerly World Trade Center), the upmarket Gaysorn Plaza, a large handicrafts store (Naraiphan), and a Big C (mini)hyperstore. The Hyatt Erawan hotel is also very closeby.
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is located close to Chitlom station [from around 175US$]
Phloenchit station is located somehow between the shopping areas of Chitlom, Rajadamri road, and round Siam Square, and the 'tourist' area of lower Sukhumvit road. By itself there is not that much to find around this station, except for those who are looking for home improvement. Home Pro has a large 'do it yourself' store located at Wave building, and connected with a skybridge to the Phloenchit skytrain station. The ground flood of Wave building also has a store selling all kinds of medical equipments, worth checking out if you need something like that.
Nana station further east, is at the start of busy lower Sukhumvit road. At Nana soi 4, about 100 meters from main Sukhumvit road, you will find the rather (in)famous Nana (Entertainment) Plaza, where in the evening hours hundreds of dancing a-go-go girls and thousands of foreign tourists can be found enjoying the Bangkok nightlife. It is of interest to note that all Bangkok's nightlife centers (Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy, Patpong) , catering to foreigners, are located on the skytrain routes. These entertainment centers are there for foreign residents and tourists. By law or simple worth of mouth (we honestly do not know) these venues are not visited by Thai people, who have their own similar (and other) entertainment venues. This is most peculiar in a way, it is like having an area in Paris where only Americans can enjoy the scene, but local Parisians are not allowed!
On the opposite site of Sukhumvit road, soi 3 houses a variety of Arab, Indian and Pakistani restaurants. This area could be called 'Arab town', since nowadays there are really a lot of Arab visitors staying there. They do not seem to venture out very far from soi 3. In the area around Nana Plaza you will also find the Landmark hotel, a convenient Foodland supermarket at soi 5, Boulevard Amari hotel in soi 5, Starbucks and Subway outlets.
Landmark hotel and Amari Boulevard hotel are located very close to Nana station. Ambassador hotel is in between Nana station and Asoke station.
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| View to the North from Asoke Station |
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Asoke station has become even more important than it was before, since from this station you can interconnect with the Bangkok subway, at present operated by a separate company, and just running since the middle of 2004. Unfortunately, you have to buy separate tickets to use both transport systems. Asoke station is located just west of busy Sukhumvit Road/Asoke road intersection. It is a hazard to cross this intersection on foot, but nowadays you can consider walking underneath the street (the subway has station entrances on both sides of the road)
Close to Asoke station is a Robinson department store with Tops supermarket. Robinson department store occupies the lower floors of a building housing the Westin Hotel. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is also right at the station. Walking north you will find the Siam Society after about 500 meters. For anyone staying longer than a few weeks in Bangkok, we hardly recommend to check out this culturally oriented society, under Royal patronage, that has both foreign and Thai members.. Regularly lectures (usually on thursday evenings) are scheduled, and trips around Bangkok, Thailand, and even other Asian countries are organized, with knowledgeable guides. Crossing Asoke road to the east, you can spot Soi Cowboy, a 300 meters long soi, running paralled to Sukhumvit road, and housing about 20-30 bars. Soi Cowboy is reputedly more laidback, and more popular with (more sedate) longterm foreign residents.
Phrom Phong station is connected to Emporium, consisting of a large department store, and many shopping outlets. Lots of fashion, beauty shops here (upmarket!). A supermarket is also located on the upper floor. Emporium also houses SF Cinema City multiplex movie theaters. Close to the station we also find the original Villa Market. There are now a few usually larger Villa Market supermarkets around town (there is one also located in between Nana and Phloenchit skytrain stations), but this smaller outlet has been around for a longer while. The supermarket caters really to foreign residents, with somewhat higher prices, but you will find certain items here that are not easily found elsewhere. Also large collection of wines on the second floor.
For those who really like shopping, Emporium Suites is located at Emporium shopping center.
Ekamai station is the one to take to get to the Ekamai Eastern Bus Station (to Pattaya and further east). Major Cineplex (movie theaters) Sukhumvit-Ekkamai is also located closeby. We did not elaborate much on this, but movie theaters in Bangkok are really 'plush'. Tickets for regular (really good) seats are usually at 120 baht, which is a real bargain. If only the programming was a bit better. But in any case, you can see most Hollywood blockbusters here, and those are released really soon after, or even simultaneous with their release in U.S.A.
Saladaeng Station (BTS skytrain), Silom Station (MRT subway)
Silom Road can be reached by both the skytrain (Saladaeng station) and the subway (Silom Station). The subway station is right at the Rama IV entrance to Silom Road, opposite the Dusit Thani Hotel. Saladaeng Station (skytrain) is a few hundred meters down the road. Both station are connected by a walk way (above street level).
Silom Road (together with closeby Sathorn Road) is sometimes referred to as part of the Central Business District of Bangkok. A lot of offices and embassies are located in this era. On the other hand, while there are the obligatory number of street vendors (there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, because of all the people working there), Silom Road is not exactly a shopping paradise. Personally, we would suggest you stick to the area around Siam Square (Siam Paragon, CentralWorld) or go further along Sukhumvit Road to the Emporium Shopping complex.
The subway station of the MRT system is actually very close to Robinson Department Store. However the Robinson Store here, though having five floors, does not exactly offer an upgrade experience. You will actually have to figure out first where the entrances are. One entrance (on Rama IV road) is well hidden behind some street vendors. To reach the other entrance, you have to walk into and through the Starbucks at ground level. The store is apparently one of the first Robinson Department Stores in Bangkok and is very crowded with merchandise (but not with people, only old hands would manage to find the way to enter the store).
A better choice for upmarket shopping is the Central Department Store, which can be reached from the Saladaeng skytrain station. It is one of the older Central Department Stores in Bangkok, and not really big by present standards.
I would want to narrate one of my more pleasant 'Thailand' experiences. In October 2007 I was shopping there for some bedding materials. In the process I forgot some other things I had bought before entering Central. When home, I realized I had lost some small items, could not remember where, and forgot about the whole thing. Two months later I went back to the same section of the department store to buy some more pillows and cushions. Then the staff remembered I left some stuff there before, they had locked it away, and actually knew what I had forgotten. So after 2 months, I recovered the things I had left behind in the store.
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