What do you expect when you hear the word “shopping mall”? I used to spend some months in a small town in Germany 10 years ago and I can simply say shopping malls are just a place filled with branded shops. You will go there just to shop for nice clothes, shoes, some household items, some cold food and back home. It is a boring place to visit and once you know how to buy those from online, you no longer have to go there anymore. But you know what. Those feelings never happen to me when I walk into a shopping mall here in Bangkok. It is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT vibe and feeling from any shopping mall in the world. No matter which shopping mall you are visiting, each of them has its own unique characteristic and selling point.
Here are 5 reasons I found why the shopping mall in Bangkok is such a great place you should pay a visit once when you travel to Bangkok.
Experience the “Thai Thai” Dining Experience
This is the part I really really like about it. As Thai people, we rarely cook food in our home, especially when you live alone in a small condominium or apartment in Bangkok. Dining out, at least a meal a day, is one of the activities everyone is doing everyday. Any shopping mall in Bangkok knows this insight and they are doing really well in this part.
The “Thai Thai” dining experience, for me it means the variety of dining choices to choose and the ability to dine together in one place. This is what you can definitely find when you decide to dine in a shopping mall.
There are tons of restaurant options for you to choose from when you visit any shopping mall in Bangkok. You will find any kind of food in any form of eating, from street food to fine dining, cheap to high price, from Thai food to many cuisines around the world, all in one place.
With such a variety of food, I will say that dining in a shopping mall is the best option if you have food preferences and lack of experiences in Thai food. You can choose any kind of cuisine you like. Most of the time, you will see Thai, Japanese, Korean restaurants anywhere as well as some “Western cuisine” restaurants like steak shops. Sometimes you can also see the Italian restaurants if you are walking in a shopping mall in the inner area of Bangkok like the Prompong area.
Each restaurant in a shopping mall also has vegetarian or high protein or options for those who are allergic to the seafood which will definitely help if you travel with your friends who have different preferences than you, so everyone can dine together in one place. As a part of Thai culture, it is very important to dine together in a group.
Tasting authentic Thai food can be one of the goals for many tourists. But I need to tell you that the authentic Thai food which Thai people eat on an everyday basis, most of the time is too spicy and you need to have some certain knowledge to understand how to properly enjoy the menu. For example, if you eat an orange curry or “Gang Som” and it is too spicy, you should eat it with rice and a crispy fish or omelet to enhance the other flavour in the dish and reduce the spiciness. But then if you also have a preference to avoid carbohydrates and fried food, then you cannot eat the whole dish. I can say that most restaurants in a shopping mall already simplified their menu and adjusted the taste to fit the local mass market. It is assured that the food is easy to consume and not too spicy, while maintaining the taste and signature of the dish so that everyone can enjoy it. If it is the example of an orange curry earlier, I am very sure any Thai restaurant in the shopping mall will simplify the dish by including pieces of omelet into the menu and the waiter will try very hard to convince you to take some rice.
Now you might wonder if this kind of standard is applied for any restaurant, even outside of the shopping mall as well? From my experience, it completely depends. Most of the time the standalone restaurants need their selling point. Whether having more choices of alcohol, or promoting the “authenticity” of the food, which is less simplified and avoids any adaptation as much as possible. So, I would still suggest dining in a shopping mall is the safest option if you have food preferences and little experience with Thai food.
Enjoy Movies
The shopping mall is probably the only place in Bangkok where you can enjoy the movies. It may sound a bit surprising and sad to say that there used to be more standalone cinemas outside of shopping malls in the past, but nowadays those places are likely to be abandoned or turn themselves into something else.
The good thing when cinemas are located in the shopping mall is you can do everything at one place. Thinking about transportation from one place to another in Bangkok is very hectic and time consuming which can ruin your blissful journey in Bangkok. If you are not an out-going kind of person or do not enjoy the nightlife of Bangkok much, I recommend you watch some movies in a cinema in any shopping mall near your hotel. You can finish your dinner in a shopping mall and enjoy a movie before going back to your hotel.
The experiences you can get from the cinema in each shopping mall can be different. Some cinemas, especially the one in Siam Paragon or EmQuartier, have a special screen technology like 4DX where you can enjoy all the motions in the movie, seat shaking, raining, the snow, etc. Or a Screen-X which gives 270 degree visuals, like you immerse yourself into the world of that movie. In my opinion, if you have visited Bangkok many times already and stay here just to relax yourself for a few days before going back to your boring job, this can be an activity I recommend, and it can be done only in a shopping mall!
Play with Your Children in a Massive Playground
If you are traveling with kids and have not decided where to go, you may consider going to a shopping mall because any shopping mall nowadays has plenty of activities for your kids.
Many shopping malls, especially inside the inner area of Bangkok where tourists are likely to be, have facilities such as Harbour Land which is a huge playground for your children filled with tons of activities. A ball house, interactive games, painting activities, etc. waiting for your kids to enjoy. You can purchase a ticket, leave your kids there for a few hours or go in and play together with your kids. Be careful to study the ticket conditions at the ticket counter. Some tickets require parents to be in as well in case your children are too young. The shopping malls with Harbour Land such as ICONSIAM, One Bangkok, Terminal 21 and EmQuartier.
Not only playgrounds, but some shopping malls on the outskirts of Bangkok also have a water park at the top! You can always rent a swimsuit, and some equipment over there and enjoy the time with your kids. I am very sure you will never find any water park on top of any shopping mall in the world except in Bangkok. If you want to experience this, I recommend going to Harbour Island at The Mall Bang Kae which is the most convenient and you can go by MRT.
Enjoy the Unique Attraction of Each Shopping Mall
Bangkok is filled with shopping malls. Many local people sometimes doubt if the city already has too many shopping malls? But let me tell you the secret, each shopping mall has their own unique selling point and attractions. You will never get bored when you jump from one shopping mall to another.
Shopping malls, especially the one inside the inner area of Bangkok such as Siam Paragon, ICONSIAM and Dusit Central Park, these have a very clear selling point. Siam Paragon, for example, is the only shopping mall in Bangkok that has an aquarium under the shopping mall, which is very unique! ICONSIAM has Sook Siam zone which is an indoor floating market experience you cannot find anywhere else. Dusit Central Park has a huge rooftop garden where you can feel like you are walking inside a huge park when you stand there.
Apart from the main attractions, you can easily determine if a shopping mall has a selling point that matches your need or not by looking at the shops and restaurants inside. Take The EmDistrict for example, there are 3 shopping malls in that area but each of them focuses on the different segments and cater to different needs. If you are looking for international high-end and premium brands, then Emporium is the best option in that area. If you are looking for nice restaurants with Michelin guide awards and high-end brands which might not exist at Emporium, then EmQuartier is the best option in that area. If you are looking for a place to eat with the ‘streetfood vibe’ and shop local stuff and souvenirs, then EmSphere is the best option in that area.
Journeybliss tips: Read through our shopping mall articles on our website and you will see the differences between each shopping mall, so you won’t feel like you are wasting time or disappointed when visiting a shopping mall in Bangkok.
Join the World Events
Did you know that when it comes to important world events like Christmas and New Year’s Countdown, most of the shopping malls in Bangkok also celebrate, and they did probably better than anywhere in the world.
Events like Christmas for example, even Thailand is the Buddhist country but believe it or not, you will definitely feel the vibe of a “White Christmas” in every shopping mall in Bangkok, more than any other shopping mall in Europe or the western countries. Venues are decorated with HUGE Christmas trees, Christmas songs are all over the places, and most importantly the sales promotions during the “seasons of giving” are more and more generous each year!
Shopping malls in Bangkok have also been chosen by many global media to broadcast the live new year’s countdown event. There are thousands of fireworks, drones arts up in the sky as well as concerts from global artists like Lisa and many K-pop stars after midnight. Many people fly in just to see the iconic fireworks from these shopping malls! Hotels nearby the main venue for countdown such as Lebua at State Tower, where you can see the ICONSIAM fireworks right from your balcony, the rooms are ALWAYS fully booked on 31st December. I highly recommend spending a night on the last day of the year for an invaluable lifetime experience. Try to search for a room in a hotel near ICONSIAM and Central World from this link, these are the world’s top countdown destinations! (contains affiliate link)
Bottom line
Shopping malls in Bangkok are able to cater to EVERY need of everyone, including the children. There are many things you can do at a shopping mall in Bangkok which are not for shopping. I highly recommend reading through our shopping mall guide list which tells you exactly which shopping mall fits your needs the most. Feel free to share and comment if you experienced something different from this guide.
Have a blissful journey in Bangkok!
