Culture: it's busy, stay patient (cool heart) some sections are high rooftop (good circulation) with aircon shops with open doors allowing cool air flowing into the narrow Soi, but other sections are low roof flanked by "stalls", it's humid but lower prices. Ideally you should 1st make a discovery tour to collect intel and prices then make a return visit and catch the prizes.

Flight path: Map image below 

The Western end is Pahurat, the Indian market.

At the beginning of Sampeng Lane (East) you'll find mainly shoe shops, almost all are wholesale (meaning you have to buy at least 3 x).

Even though the majority of the people are locals, there is no lack of foreign tourists who walk along with wide eyes, wondering about the thousands and thousands upon items for sale.

In between all the madness there are lots of food sellers, bring your appetite and try them. Not all will be to your taste but for such a small price you'll never know what's really fabulous unless you try!

Also, if you see someone selling freshly-squeezed pomegranata juice, go for it, the price is a fraction of the cost of Western prices.

"Game land" at the Western end there is another Soi that leads into a small narrow Soi (or maze) full of every possible electronic game (software) that you could imagine, it's incredible cheap, the Soi is narrow and humidity may well be at sweating zone but for those that have a passion will endure the heat.

The sights, sounds and smells of Chinatown are an assault to the senses so visitors should be prepared, but for anyone with a sense of adventure a day lost among the many market alleys and street food vendors can be the most memorable of any spent in Bangkok. 

There is no better time to check out this fascinating and unmistakable area of Bangkok than around the time of a traditional Chinese festival and the biggest of them all is Chinese New Year. Celebrated according to the Lunar Calendar, the date of Chinese New Year changes slightly but it is usually in the first two weeks of February.

Bookings