Siam Square, like the city in which it’s located, is an area of contrasts. In essence, it’s the hub of all things cool, an individual expression point where styles both surface and shape, then resurface. This same area also holds claim to being the most expensive place to rent land in Bangkok.
Siam Square itself is something of an open-air shopping complex that radiates a feeling of creativity. It’s surely worth a visit if you’re looking to do some shopping or to just stroll about and take in the atmosphere. New malls have been taking the place of the street vendors but there are still lanes upon lanes to explore.
Although it’s called Siam Square, it may not seem like the typical square that you might imagine.
The area of Siam Square stretches from Rama 1 Road down to the Chulalongkorn University Campus, and from Phayathai Road over to Henri Dunant Street.
Siam Square Shopping
Siam Square One is the latest shopping mall to open in Siam Square. It’s taken the place of roughly half of the market area. This 7-storey mall is home to cheap fashion items on the bottom 2 floors, where young, trendy fashion is for sale at prices of around 100-200 baht per item. The 2 floors above it are reserved for Thai and International brands, with a handful of up-and-coming fashion boutiques congregating on the Siam Square Soi 5 side of the mall.
The upper floors are mostly dedicated to dining, with a couple of technology stores sprinkled between them. The restaurants here cover cuisines from most Asian regions, be it Korean BBQ, Japanese noodles or even Thai-style French patisseries.
Located directly opposite Siam Paragon, there’s an elevated walkway from Siam BTS Station into Siam Square One, so it’s virtually impossible to get lost.
It’s a well-known fact in Bangkok, that if you want to know what’s ‘in’, head on down to Siam Square.
A mix of boutiques, cafes, and market stalls selling various apparel; this is where fashionistas get a real taste of alternative style and shopping, it stays true to Bangkok’s unified configuration. The area is a combination of internationally renowned high-end brands and independent traders. And the price scale goes right across the board.
The top mall of the area’s shopping centers, Siam Paragon, completes the strip of malls that begins at MBK Center and fringes the square. These are where Bangkok earns its stripes as an international fashion hub, with a profusion of leading designers having flagship stores in the malls.
Siam Square Dining
To sum up Siam Square dining in one word, ‘eclectic’, would be about right. An abundance of food options peppers the streets, from classic Thai street food to global delicacies, to sweet and simple sandwiches and pastries.
Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon are home to an incredible array of restaurants and cafes, but don’t discount Siam Square itself, as plenty of cafes, patisseries and street food hawkers compete with the latest dining trends; be that Japanese, Korean, or something else.
if you want a meal with a view, you’ll be pleased to know Siam is the home to a number of rooftop bar and restaurants, including Centara’s Red Sky.
Siam Square Attractions
This is a fun area that carries elements of both old and new Thailand. Siam Paragon is a fusion of shopping and entertainment opportunities.
Jim Thompson House Museum: A 5-minute walk from Siam Square and just past the National Stadium BTS Station is the Jim Thompson House Museum. This is the home of the enigmatic American famed for igniting the silk trade in Thailand.
Bangkok Arts & Culture Centre (BACC): Step into the Guggenheimesque Bangkok Arts & Culture Centre. Entry is free, the exhibits are always changing, and take your picture on the spiraling walkway.
Siamscape: For a bird’s eye view, head up to the expansive observation deck at Siamscape. You can survey the area and decide where to go next.
Klook.comSiam Square Hotels
From Siam to Chidlom, this is a highly desirable place to stay and it’s easy to walk between the neighboring areas thanks to the overhead walkway between BTS stations.
As the center of Bangkok, Siam has more than its fair share of hotels. Luxury brands such as Siam Kempinski, Grand Hyatt Erawan, and Centara Grand at CentralWorld are all prominently placed. They’re often connected to one of the many shopping malls in the area.
Mid-range and budget hotels are also well represented in Siam Square, with the iconic Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square Hotel being joined by Hotel ibis Bangkok Siam, and even hostels such as the backpacker-favourite, Lub d Bangkok Siam.
Siam Square almost always tops the list of the coolest places to hang out and about for the locals, especially for teenagers and young adults. People do everything here from just hanging out to dining, shopping, taking extra classes, and visiting beauty clinics. In essence, it’s the hub of all things cool for Bangkok!
