The Best Night Markets in Bangkok

Our ultimate guide to Bangkok's Night Markets

Written by Team Expique
Published: January 30, 2019

Bangkok night markets should be on everyone’s hit list. Many of the night markets in Bangkok provide far more than just a shopping experience. In Thailand food is a major part of every market, but in recent years the most trendy markets have become known as full on eating and drinking destinations. Bangkok is teeming with great night markets – all over the city and on every night of the week.

This article is in the process of being updated as many of Bangkok’s night markets have been severely impacted by COVID-19. Some have shut down, while other night markets are going through changes to survive based on local customers.

The best night markets in Bangkok are those that still have a local vibe, but they come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s bound to be something for you. They’re for more than just shopping, too – at Bangkok’s best night markets, you’ll find delicious Thai street food and even bars serving up cheap beers and cocktails. Many of the markets located further out from the center of Bangkok cater mainly for a young and creative Thai audience and provide a more trendy local experience. Many more central markets have also had to re-invent themselves in the absence of tourism.

These markets are a great place to spend your evenings and while most are easy to visit by yourself, Expique does run tours that visit some of these night markets including our award winning Bangkok Night Lights tuk tuk tour, and our Midnight Markets Tour.

Talat Rot Fai Srinakarin night market in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by Talat Rot Fai Srinakarin

Talat Rot Fai Srinakarin (The Train Market)

Talat Rot Fai (the Train Night Markets) is arguably the biggest, most famous and most popular of all the Bangkok night markets. Now open for around a decade, Talat Rot Fai got its name from its original location on disused Thai state railway line in Saphan Khwai, near the popular Chatuchak weekend daytime market. After the organisers got their marching orders from that side of town, they upped sticks and set up as Srinakarin Train Market behind the Seacon Square shopping centre on Srinakarin Road in the east of Bangkok.

Why Visit: A real local hangout if you want to make the trip out from the centre, with a great selection of food and bars

Opening Times: Thursday to Sunday, 5pm-1am

How to get there: Take the BTS to Udom Suk station, then a taxi to Seacon Square (the market is directly behind and well signposted)

Jodd Fairs – NEW MARKET

Jodd Fairs is a new market opened by the owners of Talat Rot Rai Ratchada which recently closed down. Jodd Fairs is located very near the old market. More details coming soon.

Talat Rot Fai Ratchada (The Train Market) – PERMANENTLY CLOSED DOWN

Ratchada Train Market opened more recently, in a more central location behind the Esplanade shopping centre behind the Thailand Cultural Center MRT subway station. Though these days there is less emphasis on retro goods, both locations of Talat Rot Fai (the Train Night Markets) stock a wide range of street clothing and vintage-style household decorations, among much more besides, as well as plenty of options for chowing down on Thai street food. There are even Volkswagen camper vans and similar vintage vehicles doubling up as cool cocktail cars, as well as a growing number of bricks-and-mortar bars.

Why Visit: Great choice of food and bars and very easy to get to if staying in Sukhumvut area

Opening Times:Daily, 5pm-1am

How to get there:Take the MRT to Thailand Cultural Center

Klong San Night Market – PERMANENTLY CLOSED DOWN

Severely impacted by COVID-19 and many vendors are closed. The market is scheduled to shut down in Q2 of 2021

Klong San night market in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by Expique

Photo: Expique tour – Bangkok Night Lights Tuk Tuk Tour

Khlong San Night Market is one of our favourite night markets in Bangkok, on the site of a former Thai railway station, and we visit it on our Bangkok Night Lights evening tuk tuk tour. As a result of this history, there is still easy access by river boat to the pier that sits at the far end of the market. Nowadays, Khlong San Night Market is popular with young studenty types looking for the latest cheap fashion and make-up accessories, but the market has a good deal of choice to interest others too.

There is plenty of standard Thai market fare to munch on at Khlong San Night Market, while on the outer reaches of the market a number of bars have pleasant views over the Chaophraya river and make for a relaxed spot to end your evening.

Why Visit: If you are after cheap fashion accessories or simply in the area (very convenient location by the river and next to Icon Siam)

Opening Times: Daily, 7am – 9pm (busiest early evening when people are coming back from work)

How to get there: Take the cross-river ferry from Si Phraya pier (you can reach Si Phraya pier on the Chaophraya Express river boat from Sathorn pier and elsewhere)

Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market

Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market is one of the newest additions to the Bangkok night markets scene, set way out in the capital’s northern reaches, but these days easily accessible from the newly opened MRT purple line subway station at Bang Son. Even before public transport made it more convenient to get to, Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market was popular with in-the-know locals, both from the immediate area and from further afield across Bangkok.

Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market is a vintage market that has a feeling much like the original Talat Rot Fai (Train Night Market) in Saphan Khwai, which has since relocated to the Srinakarin and Ratchada areas (see above). There is also a wild-west theme going on over here at Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market, with a number of saloon-style bars getting in on the action. Other memorable drinking options include a converted school bus with tables up on the roof, and a pleasant bar with an almost reggae feel set under a cabana-style thatched palm tree shelter.

Siam Gypsy Junction Night Market itself is one long stretch of road, with classic motorbikes competing with pedestrians for right of way and the first look at a large collection of vintage clothing, furniture, household decorations and other trinkets. There are also a number of food stalls and restaurants to fulfil your hunger cravings.

Opening Times:Wednesday to Sunday, 6pm-1am

How to get there: Take the MRT subway to Bang Son

Patpong Night Market – MAINLY CLOSED

Severely impacted by COVID-19 and most vendors are closed.

Patpong night market in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by Shankar S.

Patpong Night Market is perhaps one of the most well known Bangkok night, particularly among those newly arrived in the city, is Patpong. Wedged between Silom and Surwaong roads and infamous for the nearby raucuous nightlife scene as much as its shopping possibilities, Patpong Night Market nonetheless offers the chance to pick up plenty of clothing, fashion accessories and more.

Just remember that any designer goods you snag here are unlikely to be the real thing, so come with this in mind and expect to bargain hard – this is prime territory for late-night tourist shoppers, and as a result prices start high. All the same, it’s a fun environment and there are plenty of great restaurants and lively bars and clubs in the area, where you can continue your night once you’ve had your shopping fix.

Opening Times: Daily, 6pm-1am

How to get there: Take the BTS Skytrain to Sala Daeng or the MRT subway to Si Lom

Asiatique The Riverfront Night Market

Asiatique The Riverfront open-air shopping centre and entertainment venue in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by chee.hong

Asiatique The Riverfront Night Market is entirely different from most Bangkok night markets, much less rough around the edges. Asiatique The Riverfront Night Market is a distinctly higher-class, open-air shopping centre and entertainment venue set in a number of converted warehouses at what was once an international port.

As well as countless vendors with a focus on both fashion and handicrafts, you’ll also find plenty of eating and drinking possibilities, plus cabaret and traditional Thai cultural performances; there’s even a large ferris wheel with views over the Chaophraya river and further across Bangkok. Asiatique’s shops and stalls are well organised into different zones, and there’s even a map that will help you find the one you’re looking for – this really is a different experience from most Bangkok night markets!

The market is located a few minutes downriver from the Sathorn express boat pier at Saphan Taksin BTS station; a free shuttle boat transfer is provided (until 11pm) and allows you to escape the traffic, though be aware that queues for the shuttle can get very long at peak times. Asiatique The Riverfront is open daily from 5pm to midnight.

Opening Times: Daily, 5pm-midnight

How to get there: Take the BTS Skytrain to Saphan Taksin, then take the free shuttle boat (runs until 11pm) from the adjoining Sathorn express boat pier

Talad Neon Night Market – PERMANENTLY CLOSED DOWN

Talad Neon night market in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by Chris Wotton

Talad Neon Night Market is located in the Pratunam area close to Chitlom, and is one of the newest arrivals on the Bangkok night markets scene. It’s a young-feeling market that follows the trend, initially brought to town by the ArtBox popup markets in 2016, of vendors operating from within industrial-type shipping containers.

Talad Neon Night Market is a big market, selling a wide range of everything from vintage wares to clothing and, of course, plenty of food and drink – plus, with the clue in the name, plenty of neon lighting to add a nightclub vibe. The market is apparently the work of the owners of nearby Platinum fashion mall and, while it was initially touted as a temporary market, it remains to be seen whether it will stick around.

Opening Times: Wednesday to Sunday, 4pm-midnight

How to get there: Take the BTS Skytrain to Chitlom or Ratchathewi; Talad Neon Night Market is a short walk away, on Phetchaburi Road between sois 23 and 29.

Suan Lum Ratchada Night Market

Suan Lum Ratchada Night Market fills the legendary position in Bangkok night markets history that was vacated by the original Suan Lum night market, the city’s largest ever, opposite Lumpini Park in the downtown Phloen Chit/Sathorn area. This equally huge new replacement market – complete with almost two thousand vendors and restaurants – is located over in Lat Phrao, in northern Bangkok.

If you’re planning to visit the Suan Lum Ratchada Night Market, you can expect the usual mainstay of clothing, jewellery, and retro and vintage goods. There’s also plenty of entertainment, in forms not often seen at Bangkok’s night markets, like Thai boxing and magic shows, as well as more common live music. Of course, this being one of Bangkok’s markets, there are also more than enough stalls dishing out Thai street food staples to keep your hunger sated.

Opening Times: Daily, 4pm-midnight

How to get there: Take the MRT subway to Lat Phrao; Suan Lum Ratchada Night Market is a short walk away, at the Ratchada-Lat Phrao intersection.

Chang Chui Night Market (The Plane Night Market)

Chang Chui creative venue in Bangkok, Thailand - photo by Chang Chui

Chang Chui Night Market is far more than just another market, with so much going on that it’s probably easier to talk about what it’s not. Located all the way over on Sirindhorn Road in the far reaches of Bangkok’s former-capital Thonburi district on the other side of the Chaophraya river (Chang Chui Night Market is only just on the Bangkok side of the border with neighbouring Nonthaburi province), since Chang Chui Night Market first threw open its doors in June 2017 it has perhaps been most well known among Bangkokians and the clued-up visitors alike for the attention-grabbing full-size disused aeroplane that sits at the site’s centre. In fact, the venue is already even being popularly referred to in English as the ‘plane market’.

Chang Chui Night Market is widely billed as a ‘creative hub’ rather than purely a night market, and indeed the enormous site is made up of various segments that operate exist independently of one another, with staggered openings throughout the day according to the nature of their operations before they ultimately become part of the one bigger venue of Chang Chui Night Market as a whole.

Opening Times: Thursday to Tuesday, 11am-11pm (booze-free ‘green zone’ 11am-9pm; ‘night zone’ 4-11pm)

How to get there: Take one of the 14 daily trains from Bangkok’s main Hualamphong station to Bang Bamru; Chang Chui Night Market is a 10-minute walk or two-minute motorbike taxi ride away. Alternatively, take bus number 515 or 539 from Victory Monument to Bang Kruai, or take a taxi.

Huamum Night Market

Huamum Night Market is a new opening in the northern Bangkok neighbourhood of Lat Phrao, and is a relatively off-the-radar night market with a local vibe. Yes, the goods you’ll find for sale at Huamum Night Market are along much the same lines as you’ll find at popular Bangkok night markets elsewhere – everything from clothing and shoes to homewares and cute trinkets – but that doesn’t mean they are the typical tourist tack common in some places. Indeed, the vast majority of visitors to Huamum Night Market are locals – don’t expect much in the way of English-language signage – and an additional benefit to that is that it’s likely you’ll come across some slightly cheaper prices than elsewhere.

Nothing makes Bangkok night markets more appealing to local tastes than an awesome selection of street food to graze on between shopping stints, and Huamum Night Market excels here, with an array of market staples and more, from desserts and snacks to noodles and seafood. The market has also become renowned for one (possibly not so family-friendly!) novelty shellfish restaurant in particular, Staneemeehoi, where waiters come in the form of singing, dancing hunky men scantily clad in tutus, tight vests, bath towels, and even plastic bags fashioned into dresses.

Opening Times: Daily, 5pm-1am

How to get there: Take the MRT subway to Lat Phrao, then take a taxi

Liab Duan Night Market

Liab Duan Night Market’s name translates as ‘the market beside the expressway’ (which it is). While it might not be a brand new opening, it remains new and unheard of by plenty of visitors to Bangkok. Like Huamum Night Market, the vibe at Liab Duan Night Market is about as local, down-to-earth and unassuming as you’ll find at any of the many night markets in Bangkok.

There’s an especially impressive selection of food and drink – seriously, Liab Duan Night Market does its munchies even better than most – and you’ve got a down-to-earth market that’s worth investing time in the trek to reach it. Liab Duan Night Market is also less than a 10-minute taxi ride from nearby Huamum Night Market (see above), so you could easily hit up both in the same night.

Opening Times: Daily, 5pm-2am

How to get there: Take the MRT subway to Lat Phrao or Ratchadaphisek, or the BTS Skytrain to Sanam Pao or Ari, then take a taxi

This article forms part of a series on Bangkok’s markets and for more on other markets you may also like to visit: Late-night markets | Floating markets | Fresh markets.

Let us know in the comments which of our pick of Bangkok night markets is your favourite.

Patpong Night Market photo by Shankar S.; Asiatique The Riverfront Night Market photo by chee.hong; all other photos by Expique, Chris Wotton, or respective venues.

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At Expique our mission is to help people discover the real Bangkok (and beyond) and the local cultures. We do this through a combination of offering our own award winning tours and through producing informative content.

Our range of experiences in Bangkok including our award winning Bangkok Night Lights Tuk Tuk Tour and our foodie extravaganza Evening Food & Tuk Tuk Adventure.