The craftsmen from Chiang Rai do not go out and sell their work, they make you come for it. Tucked away in the hills and mountains, their homes are also their work studios where all the talent manifests into lovely crafts. There are also artisan communities that promote spa products, herbal teas, health food, textiles, and tribal crafts. The Doi Tung brand is known for some of the best quality crafts across Chiang Rai. Apart from these, the Night Bazaar and Saturday Walking Street are great options for an amazing shopping experience.
Central Plaza
Located in the heart of the city, this shopping mall is Chiang Rai's first eco-friendly mall. It houses over 280 retail shops, and has pledged to follow traditional Lanna lifestyle. It is the right place to visit if you want to see the rooted Thailand culture of the North.
Mae Sai Market (Tachilek Market)
Mae Sai is a quaint town located on the Thailand side of the border with Myanmar. Chinese products dominate the market here, along with several options for food. Tachilek, on the Myanmar side of the border, was a hub for shops selling a variety of good quality stones. Now, there are stores that sell synthetics and knock-offs of branded handbags alongside gem stores. Visitors are allowed to cross over to the Myanmar side of the market everyday between 6:30 am and 6 pm.
Life is not hectic when shopping in Chiang Mai. The markets are busy, but they make space for you to be busy doing nothing before you slip into your shopaholic self. Just stroll around sipping on fresh coconut water with one hand and keep the other hand free to check out the souvenirs and handicrafts on display. Chiang Mai also has malls for those who want to move on from the local shop vibe.
Walking Street
On a regular Sunday in Chiang Mai, from 4 pm until midnight, the centre of the walled city comes alive with a huge street market, which stretches the one-kilometre length of Tha Phae Gate to Ratchadamnoen Road. The buzz is all about the display of skills by the Northern Thai people, their arts and their crafts. The items on sale are great for you to take back home as pretty souvenirs and for decorations.
Central Festival
Central Festival is a polished shopping mall where you find what you didn't in the local markets. It is roomy and clean, with a vast choice in shops and products, and a food court with delectable cuisine. This mall is a great option for those who need a calm environment to make their choice of purchases.
Promenada Resort Mall
Promenada Resort Mall is more an open-air resort style retail hub than a contemporary, multi-storeyed air-conditioned mall. It has more space, more style, more choice, more fun, and more flavour than other malls. Whether it is coffee shops or banks, cinema or sports, food or wellness, supermarkets or fashion shops, this mall has it all.
Genuine brands at half their price - that is shopping in Krabi for you. It is a pleasure for the senses and the wallet, because the bargains here will probably win you some hearts. Rip-offs of top designer goods are also available on beaches if you are not sulky about authenticity. Keep an eye for out for Thailand's big value buys in handicrafts, handbags, jewellery, souvenirs, t-shirts, watches, and more.
A shopper’s paradise, the markets here feature everything from antiques to daily household materials at astonishingly low prices. And that’s not even the best part! You can lower the price further by engaging in a fun bargaining session with the shopkeepers.
ASIATIQUE
Asiatique, a large open air mall in Bangkok that has successfully combined two of the most popular shopping experiences in the city: a night bazaar and a mall. Spend the evening browsing the boutiques, shopping, eating to your heart’s content and getting entertained with a classic Thai puppets performance.
'Carry an empty suitcase', that's the sole piece of advice you get when you tell people you are visiting Thailand. The country is known to have the best shopping scene across the seven continents and Phuket definitely upholds the reputation. The country’s biggest islands bustles with weekend markets, walking markets, souvenir shops and fancy high-end malls that erase the word budget from your memory. Scratch out even carrying an empty suitcase, we say just buy one here!
Pearl Factory
While the Little Black Dress is a wardrobe essential, it is incomplete without a string of pearls! And we know just the place where you can buy them. Phuket’s Pearl factory has been winning women’s hearts for over 40 years now with their innovative and creative designs.
Jungceylon Shopping Mall
If you think walking streets and weekend markets are all that Phuket has, think again. The Jungceylon Shopping Mall in Patong is sure to impress mall lovers the world over. This two-storey building has everything from branded and local stores to fancy eateries and even a cinema hall!
Almost every turn you take on this island reveals a store worth stopping at. You have your street shops where polite bargaining ends in contentment for all, and you have your department stores which run on a fixed price system. For those of you who prefer cent percent genuine products, these stores are your best bet. But then, the thrill of shopping in Thailand lies with the all-knowing eye and the bargaining on what catches that all-knowing eye. The smaller local markets sell all kinds of products, from trainers to CDs to watches. Chaweng offers choice and Lamai has a good number of eccentric little stores, but save Nathon for the cheapest deals in town.
Chaweng Walking Street
Probably one of the best places to wear your devil-may-care attitude while shopping, Chaweng Walking Street is nothing short of Colour, Sound, and Scent meeting at a happening party. Shop for t-shirts, sunglasses, watches, beach wear, lamps, ripped jeans, copied Ralph Lauren polo shirts, sandals, bag, carved wooden souvenirs, and much more. While the food court is open daily, the stores remain closed on Friday and Saturday. The atmosphere here is laid-back, with foreigners sipping on drinks New tunes every few metres could be confusing, but you could end up combining the beats to create your own music here. New tunes every few metres could be confusing, but you could end up combining the beats to create your own music here.
Central Festival Samui
Popular for giving people a quintessential shopping experience, Central Festival Samui is chronicled as the largest lifestyle shopping complex in town. Located between Chaweng’s Beach Road and the nearby lake, Central Festival houses over 200 shops, bars, restaurants, and entertainment activities for the constantly growing number of visitors. The mall has four main zones- Chaweng Port, where two floors are dedicated solely to bars and restaurants; Bird Cage, where all fashionistas head for boutique stores; Fisherman Village, a departmental store with branded clothes and accessories, a seating area, a kid’s playground, and a Pirate Adventure Horror House; and Beach Town Market, where you’ll find an open-air food court, gaming arcades, and theatres.