Shoppers in Bangkok have a wide choice of areas in which to pursue their search for bargains, most of them located within walking distance of major hotels. One such area, for example, is along Silom and Suriwongse Roads in the vicinity of the Dusit Thani, Montien, and Tawana Hotels. This includes Robinson's Department Store, Central Department Store, the Charn Issara Shopping Centre, dozens of silk shops, antique and decorative reproduction shops, boutiques of ready-to-wear women's clothes, men's tailors and shops selling leatherwear and other goods.

From the Rajprasong intersection, near the Meridien President Hotel, it is but a short walk to the Amarin Plaza Shopping Centre and Central Department Store in one direction, to Rajadamri Arcade and Narayanaphand Store in another which is in opposite to World Trade Center, and to the Peninsula Arcade and Galleries Lafayette in a third. Shoppers should not overlook Bangkok's many department stores, which offer locally-made goods and feature alluring sales. Air-conditioned shopping centers outside areas previously mentioned include the Oriental Plaza, in an atmospheric old building that has been remodelled; the River City Shopping Complex, adjacent to the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, where two floors are devoted to shops selling antiques and decorative items; Siam Centre, near the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, which contains numerous fashionable boutiques; and Mah Boon Krong, a teeming emporium that contains hundreds of shops as well as the Tokyu Department Store and that is a particular favourite with younger Thais. As comfortable as these centres are, any serious shopper will also want to explore some of the city's markets for their colourful atmosphere and generally lower prices. Pratunam, near the Indra Hotel, specialises in ready-to-wear clothing of all kinds.

In the older section of town, at the corner of Pahurat and Chakraphet, is the Pahurat Cloth Market, where locals go for textile bargains, while Sarnpheng Lane and Yaowarat, both in Chinatown, have countless shops selling gold, jewellery, cooking utensils, and other items. The biggest market of all, and the most fascinating, is the Chatuchak Weekend Market, held on Saturday and Sunday at Chatuchak Park, not far from the Central Plaza Hotel. Here just about everything Thailand makes or grows is on sale, from blue-and-white porcelain to hybrid orchids, and huge crowds come to buy or just to enjoy the ambience.

Outside Bangkok, the main city for shopping is Chiang Mai, the unquestioned center of traditional Thai handicrafts. The Night Bazaar, is a good place to sample the full range of local products such as cotton. lacquerware, silver, hilltribe clothing, Burmese tapestries, painted umbrellas, and woodcarvings. While in Chiang Mai, make a point of going to some of the factories that offer demonstrations of how these goods - - particularly lacquer, silk, silver, and paper umbrellas- -are actually made. Pattaya also has many shops selling Thai goods and a particularly wide selection of precious and semi-precious stones since the popular resort lies near Chanthaburi, where numerous gem mines are located.