Bangkok malls, explained for families

Ask a Thai family what they did on Sunday and there’s a good chance the answer is “went to the mall”. Not to shop, necessarily. To be somewhere cool, eat together, let the kids run, and let Yai sit under the air-conditioning while everybody else wanders off. The Bangkok mall is the family living room with a car park.

This is the hub: which mall is which, how to get there, and what to say once you’re inside. Last checked 20 October 2026. Shops, hours and prices change, so check before you go. New malls are announced every year; we only list opening dates when there’s a fresh official source.

Which mall for what?

ICONSIAM: the river one

On the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, ICONSIAM is the day out. On the ground floor is SookSiam, which the mall describes as bringing food, crafts and traditions from Thailand’s 77 provinces into one indoor floating-market space. For a heritage family it’s a gentle way to taste the regions: your mum can show you what her province eats without a five-hour drive. Time Out also lists the River Museum Bangkok on the eighth floor.

In the evening, the riverside water show runs at 7, 8 and 9pm, according to the mall’s visitor site. Children love it; so do most grandparents.

Getting there: by river boat from the piers, or by the BTS Gold Line to Charoen Nakhon station, which The Nation describes as linked to the ICONSIAM complex. ICONSIAM’s own page lists public boats, hotel boats and a shuttle where a fare applies, so check it on the day. How the river boats work is in getting around Bangkok.

Siam Paragon, Siam Center and MBK: the Siam cluster

Around BTS Siam, the interchange of the two BTS lines, several malls sit almost wall to wall. Siam Paragon is the luxury one, with a gourmet food hall and, underneath, SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World, open 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:00) according to its official site. Siam Center and Siam Discovery are for Thai designers and concept stores, says Time Out; MBK Center is eight floors of souvenirs, phones and luggage, the place cousins go for a phone case.

CentralWorld: the big one

Time Out calls CentralWorld Thailand’s largest shopping mall: fashion, homewares, groceries and a cinema in the Ratchaprasong area. Its nearest BTS stations are Chit Lom and Siam. It’s where many families do the serious shopping before a trip home.

Terminal 21 Asok: the cheap lunch

Every floor of Terminal 21 is themed on a different city, Tokyo, London, San Francisco and so on, which kids find hilarious. The reason families come, though, is Pier 21, the food court: Time Out puts meals at under 40 to no more than 150 baht. It sits at BTS Asok, which connects to MRT Sukhumvit. Good meeting point, good place to practise ordering.

EmQuartier and the EM District: Phrom Phong

EmQuartier, opened in 2015, connects to BTS Phrom Phong and is one of three malls in the “EM District” with Emporium and EmSphere, all run by The Mall Group (Wikipedia). It has an open-air garden on the fifth floor and a tall indoor waterfall. Benchasiri Park is right by the station if anyone needs grass; see the Bangkok parks guide.

Every BTS stop above is on one line, and the BTS Sukhumvit line, station by station page puts them in order.

If you’re going with Yai

• Decide where she’ll sit before you split up. Food courts and cafés are the easy answer. If you’re not sure a seat is free: นั่งตรงนี้ได้ไหม (nang trong nii dai mai), “can I sit here?”.
• Agree a meeting point. Big malls have several wings and a lot of identical escalators. Pick a shop name, not “the entrance”.
• Bring a cardigan. It is genuinely cold inside. Thai grandmothers know this and will bring one for you.
• Find the lifts first. With a stick or a buggy, ask for the lift before you’re halfway up an escalator, and allow time at weekends.
• Eat early. Food courts fill up at noon on weekdays with office workers, says Time Out of Terminal 21, and at weekends with everyone.

For buffets and the all-you-can-eat places that live in malls, see Bangkok buffets with family. For everyday shopping, Lotus’s vs Big C vs 7-Eleven covers the supermarkets.

What to say inside

The word everyone needs: ห้องน้ำ (horng naam), “toilet”. Say it with a questioning look to anyone in a uniform and they’ll point.

At the food court counter, one dish and the spice level:

ป้า ขอข้าวผัดจานนึง

paa, khor khaao phat jaan nueng

ป้า ขอข้าวผัดจานนึงครับ

paa, khor khaao phat jaan nueng khrap

ป้า ขอข้าวผัดจานนึงค่ะ

paa, khor khaao phat jaan nueng kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

เผ็ดน้อย

phet noi

เผ็ดน้อยครับ

phet noi khrap

เผ็ดน้อยค่ะ

phet noi kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

And when the cold drinks run out at the table:

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหม

khor naam noi dai mai

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khor naam noi dai mai khrap

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหมคะ

khor naam noi dai mai kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

If you get separated and want rescuing, there’s no shame in this one:

มารับหน่อยได้ไหม

maa rap noi dai mai

มารับหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

maa rap noi dai mai khrap

มารับหน่อยได้ไหมคะ

maa rap noi dai mai kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

Shop phrases (“which floor?”, “do you have a smaller size?”, “can I try it on?”) aren’t in our reviewed Thai yet, so we won’t print them. Pointing and a smile get you a long way.

Practise this conversation in Reply Thai

The Visiting Thailand moment in Reply Thai has ordering, “not too spicy” and “could you come and get me”, practised as replies, so they come out at the counter instead of afterwards.

Reply Thai for iPhone: coming soonEmail me at launch

Planning the rest of the trip? Start at Bangkok with your Thai family, or go somewhere older and louder with Yaowarat (Chinatown) with your Thai family.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them. Mall hours, shops and prices change: check before you go. Last checked 20 October 2026.