Asiatique is a good place to spend a leisurely evening strolling on the breezy boardwalk near the river. Browse through some of the shops housed in the historic warehouses that once belonged to the East Asiatic Company. Here you can find everything from Thai handicrafts to mass-produced souvenirs. For dinner, consider Baan Khanita which serves Royal Thai cuisine in an elegant...

BACC opened its doors in 2010 in the Siam neighborhood, and since then, small galleries, arts organizations, designer shops, and cafés have filled the storefronts of this swirling, multi-level structure. BKK Art House curates installations and talks by Thai contemporary artists that attract students and creative types. The established nonprofit Thai Film Foundation also has a shop where they sell...

Is it Chatuchak, or Jatujak? The Weekend Market? JJ? It’s all of those; it just depends on which sign you’re reading, or whom you’re talking to. Whatever its name, the market is a colossal, fun, and chaotic destination. JJ also lends new meaning to the term “hot and crowded,” and this sprawling mammoth of stalls sells just about everything under...

Roj Siam Ruay repurposes cool old Thai designs and letters and prints them on messenger bags, notebooks, t-shirt, and more. Then they sell them at this lovely little shop just north of Banglampoo. They also carry crafts on the micro label Poom Din, which has a stall at Jatujak, Section 4 Soi (3) 51/2 No. 279. Recent gems here were...

American GI turned Thai silk expert and entrepreneur Jim Thompson introduced the world to Thai textiles and crafts and revolutionized the industry. He was a connoisseur of Southeast Asian art and culture, and visitors to his home, a little group of houses he purchased from different parts of Thailand and reassembled beside a canal in Bangkok, can see the Thai...

Karmakamet’s essential oils are all natural and come in over 40 different scents, including uncommon ones like Cajeput and West Indian Lime. They have a couple of shops at Jatujak Market, and they also sell their candles, colognes, essential oils, and teas at Central World, next door to their tea and pastry shop. The scentology empire is expanding, and they...

Opposite Wat Po and the Museum of Siam, you’ll find this cozy little bookshop stocked with titles of regional interest, as well as a few other items including postcards and Thai handicrafts. River Books is in the publishing business because they love what they do: producing beautiful coffee table books in English (and occasionally in Thai) that focus on the...

The front of this shop doesn’t have a word of English on it and that’s probably why it gets overlooked by a lot of foreigners. It has Thai snacks and desserts that you see here and there on the streets of Bangkok, but all together under one roof. Spicy sweet dried tamarind, rice cakes with caramel on them, coconut jellies,...