Bangkok

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Siam Center & Siam Discovery Center

More Photos
jakob77
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
12
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5
Editor Pick

Siam Discovery Center and Siam Center

  • November 5, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
Siam Discovery Center and Siam Center

Two for the price of one!

This timeless gimmick was improved by the Thais, who gave it gargantuan dimensions.

Two malls for the price of one!

The one is the oldest mall in Bangkok, it offers sober shops and the best cinema in Bangkok, while the second is aimed mainly for youngsters; in such a way the whole family is kept entertained.

Location

Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center are twin shopping malls in Pathum Wan district, west from the Siam Square Skytrain junction and joined together by an elevated bridge.

Surroundings

Across the junction is Mahboonkrong, or MBK, considered among Thais as the best place for buying cellular phones; it is connected to Siam Center with an elevated bridge. Nearby is the Siam Paragon, the most up-market shopping mall in town, and maybe in South East Asia.

Buy a cellular and get free a flashy antenna!

Built in 1973, Siam Center is one of the oldest malls in Bangkok; despite that and its low and wide four stories structure it still keeps its attractiveness. It hosts international fashion shops, cellular phone stores, cafes, fast food joints and any other shop capable of attracting youngsters to a myriad of shops.

Watch a movie while we prepare your new suit!

The Siam Discovery Center was built in 1997 and occupies seven narrow stories. The place is finer and soberer than its neighbor and features the EGV cinema at its top floors.

The Grand EGV

After shopping for a whole day, there is nothing better than a movie to forget aching feet; the Grand EGV is the most luxurious and comfortable theatre in Thailand and is located on the 6th and 7th floors of the Siam Discovery Center. It features seven theatres divided in two Gold Class theatres with a seating capacity of forty, and five Deluxe cinemas with a stadium style seating, allowing the viewer to sit anywhere.

The more interesting option is the Gold Class, which sells movies at New York’s prices in Bangkok; the price in local terms is so high that international credit cards are accepted without a blink. Movies in Thailand are preceded by the Thai royal anthem and viewers stand quietly and respectfully for its duration. Foreign films are censored for nudity and violence, but the original soundtrack is usually kept; a Thai translation is added at the screen’s bottom.

The theatre itself has a huge screen and a good surround sound system, but that’s a secondary feature. The few spectators enjoy private, huge coaches; the nearest neighbor can hardly be spot. A waiter can fetch snacks and beverages; the place is so comfortable that the featured movie is irrelevant.

The Yard

The yard connecting the two malls hosts special events – from local rock groups to displays of new cars - almost on a daily base.

Details

The shops in Siam Discovery Center open daily between 10am and 10pm; in Siam Center between 9am and 9pm. At the information booth discount cards for tourists are available.

From journal Shopping in Bangkok

Editor Pick

Siam Complex

  • July 3, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
Siam Complex

This is undoubtedly a world-class shopping experience with 1000 retail stores and entertainment within three centers, all linked together. Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center are three separate buildings linked by walkways and dramatic spaces. They have a common owner.

Siam Paragon is the newest and biggest of the three with the complex housing over 350 flagship stores of the world’s luxurious brands of fashion, accessories, home furnishings, and sports. It also features the biggest watch, jewellery center and digital world in Asia featuring 50 brands. This is clearly an up-market place.

Paragon Passage within the building showcases handicrafts, antiques, and handmade products. The over 100 café/restaurants offer both a local and international dining experience. The Paragon Department Store, which claims to be the largest in Thailand, has every personal, household and lifestyle item imaginable. To round this complex off, there is the biggest aquarium in Asia and a 16-screen Cineplex. I was impressed but didn’t buy anything.

Walking around most of the other shopping malls, you will notice they all seem to sell exactly the same products, The Paragon has broken the mould to some extent, and has brands and designer outlets not seen anywhere else in Thailand.

The next complex to the west is Siam Centre. This has for three decades been a center for the latest, hippest fashion labels both local and international. It was here that Thailand’s A-list was born and today there are over 300 stores featuring fashion, leather goods, cosmetics, extreme sport apparel and accessories. Add to this a range of chic cafes and ice cream parlors, free concerts, fashion shows and entertainment activities every weekend and it is not surprising that this is a center for the young and hip and those that want to be seen with that set.

The third building is the Siam Discovery Centre. This is a ‘one-floor, one-concept’ center where similar products are grouped together. Sports and Outdoor gear, for instance, is all on the third floor where you find such outlets as Adidas, Puma, and Timberland. Home decor is on the fourth and fifth floors and fashion is on the first and second floors.

The Siam Discovery Center also has Asia’s only Habitat store, a specialty store from Japan called Loft and a luxurious Cineplex complex. There are five cafes and restaurants, ten beauty centers, and a range of specialty shops scattered through the complex.

Clearly Paragon is the most swanky but don’t miss the other two for some variety and, at times, better prices. Surprisingly, I couldn’t detect a difference between the shoppers in each place but maybe that was because, like me, few were buying.

The three centers offer a tourist discount card which provides 5-30% discounts from participating shops. Visitors are also eligible for a 7% VAT refund on purchases of more than 5000 Baht (about US$150) in one day at any of the centers.

From journal Bangkok - a Shopper's Paradise

Siam Center

  • March 16, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by panda1 from ., California
Siam Center

Siam Center is a more upscale shopping center, on four floors, with over 200 merchants to browse through, and a Food For Fun area on the fourth floor that is worth a visit by itself. Being trendy and upscale, there were less people here browsing than the MBK centre, as it's less affordable here. Daily 10am to 9pm.

Telephone +66.0.2658.1000-19 Fax +66.0.2658.1020-21

BTS Sky Train Siam station.

From journal BKK

Siam Paragon

  • February 26, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by panda1 from ., California
Siam Paragon

Siam Paragon opened in December 9, 2005. It has a large department store as its core, with other stores and restaurants surrounding it. It is topped with a cineplex and an aquarium takes over the lower level. Its look is rather upscale, very spacious with less people going through. We noticed lots of workers, with large inventories in its department store. What's lacking are customers paying for their goods.


Telephone 0.2.658.3000


BTS Sky Train Siam station.

From journal BKK

Siam Discovery Theater

  • August 28, 2002
  • Rated 2 of 5 by jakob77 from Vancouver, British Columbia
The theater is very nice and modern. There are I think 4 screens in it. Besides the "normal" seats, there are "Premier" seats which are bigger and more comfortable. They are sort of like Business Class seats on an airline. What most surprised me was that before each movie, the Thai national anthem is played with images of the Thai King. Everyone stood up and was singing. I guess it is by law that they have to do this? Never have I seen this happen at another country before. The screen of the theater was huge.

From journal Bangkok Trip 2001

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5

Compare Bangkok Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Helpful Bangkok Links

Bangkok Travel Deals