bangkok family friendly

Bangkok might not win any beauty contests, but it competes at the highest level when it comes to shopping. Families in Bangkok can while away entire days browsing malls dedicated to toys and collectibles; beautiful handmade clothes for kids and grownups come in at surprisingly affordable prices, cute wooden toys can be found in abundance, and there’s no end of opportunity to haggle over the price of electronic goods.

With more malls, shopping quarters and markets than you can shake a stick at, it can be hard to know where to begin getting that retail therapy fix in Bangkok, which is why we’ve cherry-picked the very best spots for you and your brood to shop in this big, bright and sometimes bewildering city.

Zombie Books

Books, booze and zombies. That’s pretty much every kid and adult taste catered for, so there shouldn’t be any problem in enticing the family to this uber-cool bookstore in the middle of Royal City Avenue (RCA, known as Bangkok’s party quarter). The carefully-curated collection of over 10,0000 titles includes vintage kids books in English on the first floor, and there are nooks and crannies galore for flicking through the pages post-purchase. A co-working space and gallery caters to an artsy crowd, and the brightly-decorated third floor bar (yes! a bookstore with a bar!) serves up fruity concoctions with zombie/monster-inspired names that are sure to be a hit with the kids while parents sip their grown-up mixed drinks. Vintage sci-fi and horror prints on the wall It’s open until midnight and attracts a hipster crowd after dark, but families with littlies won’t feel out of place here during daylight hours.

GachaBox

Thais loves their collectibles, and GachaBox is one of the best spots in town to shop for them. It’s hard to know who’s going to love this place more – grown-up nerds or their kids, but what’s certain is that it’s possible to spend entire hours here playing ‘name that character’ while browsing the seemingly endless shelves of cute replica superheroes, cartoon characters and collectible ranges such as Fluffy House and Be@rBrick. It’s located on Siam Square – a known cool kid hangout home to any number of hip boutiques and street stands – so grownups can convince themselves that they’re hip young things as they drool over ultra-rare Star Wars figures. Gachabox has a handily central location on Siam Square (opposite the super-ritzy Rolex store).

♣ Fun fact: Giving the kids spending money? Tell them to check out what’s on the back of their Bahts. Each Thai coin is emblazoned with the image of a Thai temple, and all of them are in Bangkok. See if they can recognize, for example, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (1 Baht coin); the Marble Temple (5 Baht coin) or, if you’re feeling generous, the Temple of Dawn (10 Baht coin).

Check out some of the lesser known attractions for families in Bangkok

Plan Toys

There’s a simple joy to the wooden toy, and the Thais have never fallen out of love with these retro-style creations. One Thai brand that has built up a great reputation internationally is Plan Toys, which has impeccable sustainability credentials (the imagination-firing toys and games are made from natural rubber wood trees, with no fertilizer used in the soil for three years before harvest, and the wood is dried using a chemical-free kiln-drying process). Covering all age ranges, the colorful toys range from tiny pull-along animals to entire magic kingdoms, and the focus is on encouraging imaginative play involving the whole family. Plan Toys ships internationally, but families in Bangkok shouldn’t miss a trip to the flagship store at Sathorn 10, Bangkrak.

Hallo Heidi

This cute and colorful clothing store ticks a whole lot of boxes for trend-obsessed kids and their long-suffering parents. Made in durable, breathable fabrics with stitching that’s made to last, the girls’ and boys’ lines include floaty cotton dresses and fun jumpsuits as well as cartoon-stamped tees and hard-wearing shorts, all of which help kids and their responsible adults keep their cool in the Bangkok swelter. Their sneakers and sandals look as good as they feel, so you won’t be shoehorning your five-year-old fashionistas into ‘dull but practical’ footwear. You’ll find Hallo Heidi at 5 Phetchaburi Rd, Thanon Phetchaburi, Ratchathewi.

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♥ BOXOUT: If the kids are flagging in the Bangkok heat, a day at a mall may be in order. It’s more exciting than it sounds – as well as that blessed air conditioning, sparkling clean bathroom facilities and surprisingly impressive range of offerings in the food court, you’ll find family-friendly treats such as a giant aquarium (at Siam Paragon); a rooftop water park (The Mall); ice-skating, and even Thailand’s own Madame Tussaud’s (Siam Discovery).

Almeta

For a real treat, kit yourself and the littlies out in handmade silk creations from this renowned Bangkok brand. Almeta ship to luxury stores across the world – including Bloomingdales – but there’s unparalleled range (and better prices) at the plush Bangkok store (the company motto is ‘cocoon yourself in luxury’). Manufacturing top-quality silk goods since 1992, the firm offers made-to-measure clothing and ready to wear pieces in more than 1,000 different silks, taking in every color of the rainbow and myriad subtle shades in between. And if you think silk sounds like too much hard work for dressing messy kids, seek out the range of ‘lazy silk’ machine washable items. For extra jazz and pizzazz, some ready-to-wear clothing is accessorised with feathers, seashells and other natural trinkets. You’ll find the Almeta showroom in Sukhumvit, opposite the Grand Millennium Hotel.

Papaya Vintage

Prepare to spend a fair few hours digging for treasures in this gigantic warehouse close to the more famous Chatuchak Market (in itself well worth a visit for kids’ toys and gifts, including traditional toys made with banana leaves, and some fun and funky clothes), which is jam-packed with old-school toys, comics, and collectibles of every kind. Vintage film posters, giant Star Wars figures and all manner of crazy costumes add to the fun, and Instagrammers will have a whale of a time snapping away. You might even come home with some valuable vinyl or an abstract art vase, who knows?

It’s a little out of town, at Soi Lat Pharo 55/2, Lat Pharo Road, so well worth combining with a weekend visit to Chatuchak Market.

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Ahh, Bangkok, with your to-die-for desserts you are really spoiling us. Sweet-toothed families in the Thai capital should get ready for some serious sugar rushing – and some serious camera-snapping too. Bangkokians take their sweet stuff seriously, and the appeal goes way beyond merely tasting good – appearance is everything here, and that extends to that sugary confection you’re about to spoon into your mouth.

Some Bangkok desserts have made international news – the insanely huge ice cream feasts at Mo and Moshi – for one, but there are plenty of places where you and the family can tuck into those sweet treats without joining a huge queue of guidebook-wielding tourists. Whether you’re all about the ice cream or planning a treat for a unicorn-loving tot, our carefully-curated list shows you where to get your spoon into those damn fine desserts in kid-friendly settings.

The secret one: Floral Cafe

Bangkok’s vast, sweetly-scented Flower Market in Pak Klong Talad is a tourist attraction in its own right, but only a few visitors know that there’s a gorgeous little cafe hidden among the fragrant flora. Floral Cafe is accessed by a hidden flight of stairs behind Napasorn florist, and once your inside, you might find it hard to leave. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, immaculate flower arrangements and bright blooms sit on every available surface, and the cakes and coffee are some of the best in town. The homemade cakes (from 150 baht) impress with their size and intricate icing details, and they pass the taste test too, while the frappes are heaven on a hot day. You’ll find the cafe at 67 Chakphet Road – it’s worth combining with a visit to the Flower Market.

Here are few more lesser known activities for families traveling in Bangkok

The not-too-sickly-sweet one: Mori Dessert Bar

This is one of relatively few places in Bangkok that caters equally well to kids looking for crazily-coloured explosions of sugar, and grown-ups looking for more serious desserts. Alongside a collection of cakes fashioned into cartoon characters, and a famous range of hyper-colored milkshakes that see brightly-colored slabs of cake perched atop the shake itself (along with lollipops for good measure); there are more subtle creations such as strawberry mille feuille (180 baht) and some excellent matcha. If you’re lucky enough to visit around the turn of the year, try the Hanabira – a traditional flower blossom sweet, here made with sakura. A serious patisserie that’s also great fun for kids, this one’s a win-win.

♥ Tip: Need extra cash for your trip to cake heaven? You’re never far from an ATM in Bangkok, and most will accept all standard international cards. One word to the wise, though – the cash comes out before the card, so don’t walk off with your money and leave the card behind (doh!).

The Cuddly One: Hungry Bear Pancakes

If your little cubs’ energy levels start dropping mid-shop at Siam Paragon, treat them to a meal at this super-cute cafe. Pancakes come in all manner of guises – both sweet and savory, from 130 baht, add an extra 15 baht for DIY toppings). There’s even an opportunity to set up a teddy bears’ picnic on the artificial grass, if you get here outside the busy lunch times.

The super-chic one: Sretsis Parlor

Foodie fashionistas, step this way. This beyond-fancy tea room is the latest venture from chic Thai fashion label Sisters (yes, Stretsis is the label name backwards…) and is an intimate, immaculately-appointed ‘living room’ that looks like something straight from the pages of a style magazine. It’s a surprisingly family-friendly space (although you’ll want to come nicely dressed and tell the kids to mind their manners if they want to get their paws on those super-sweet desserts). The grownups can sip tea from bone china (or Champagne from a crystal flute), and the signature cakes (from 250 baht) are decorated with tiny frosted flowers that look (almost) too good to eat. Stretsis Parlour has a suitably grand address: It’s located on level two of Bangkok’s Central Embassy.

∴ Boxout: Candy Colored Cabs. Yep, everything from the cakes to the cabs comes brighter than bright in Bangkok. What’s up with the colorful cabs? It’s really as simple as denoting which cabs belong to which firm (like the locals, you might soon find yourself picking a favorite color ‘team’ during your stay.

The cuddly animal one: Caturday Cat Cafe

Feline-loving families can’t go wrong at this kiddie-pleasing spot, where friendly moggies wind their way around diners’ feet as they sit among colorful scatter cushions and tuck into seriously good desserts such as a rainbow crepe cake, chocolate shock cheesecake, and a deliciously gooey chocolate cake with ice cream. At around 140 baht a pop, desserts here won’t blow the budget, and simply flicking through the menu (set out like a photo album) and the ‘hall of fame’ of cat portraits on the wall is a fun activity in itself.

And if your family likes nature and animals, here is whole route for nature loving families traveling to Thailand.

The Whimsical One: Perhaps Rabbits’

Just on the right side of twee, this Alice-inspired cafe remains pleasingly under-the-radar. With astonishing attention to detail, the owners have created an enchanting space where kids and parents can enjoy Mad Hatter-style tea parties, complete with colorful tea sets, dainty sandwiches and the most intricately-decorated cakes imaginable (made fresh each day at Perhaps Rabbits’ own bakery, just down the road). It can be tough deciding between so many super-sweet confections, but chocoholics can’t go wrong with the Rabbit Hole mud cake, which is rich in both chocolate and caramel, and comes decorated with cute icing bunnies.

The famous one: Unicorn Cafe

Want to feel like you’re having a tea party inside a sherbert-fueled fever dream? Even if you’ve never entertained the idea of tucking into brightly-hued layer cakes while keeping company with a whole host of My Little Ponies, chances are that at least one of your kids has. At Unicorn Cafe, everything is bubble gum bright – even the spaghetti – but it’s the rainbow-colored cakes that will have excitable kiddies fizzing with delight. Sink into a fluffy pastel-colored armchair and try to resist calls to throw on a unicorn costume for a photoshoot with the family. Tasteful it’s not, but a visit to this place will be a literal dream come true for many an excitable pre-teen. Unicorn Cafe is at 8 Sothorn, around 10 minutes’ walk from BTS Chongnosi