Bangkok - Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi (PDF Chapter)

This is the Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bangkok guidebook.

Siam Sq, Pratunam and Phloen Chit combine to form the de facto geographical and commer-cial centre of modern Bangkok. Huge malls, towering hotels and open-air shopping centres dominate the area – if you’re serious about shopping, you’ve come to the right place.

• visit Jim Thompson House, the teak mansion that put Thai style on the map before its ex-spy owner disappeared off that map
• maps
• shop at Mbk Center and the other mega-malls, department stores and shops that practically engulf Siam Sq
• transport
• explore the pencil-thin lanes of the canal-side Muslim village of Baan Khrua, where Jim Thompson first encountered Thai silk
• restaurants & bars

Coverage includes: Neighbourhood Top Five, Local Life, Getting There & Away, Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.