Thailand Travel Guide

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Shopping

Thailand is one of the best places in Asia for bargain hunting and visitors will be spoilt for choice with the huge, glitzy shopping malls, department stores, small shops and bustling street markets. Both Bangkok and Chiang Mai have excellent night markets.

Good buys include Thai silks and cottons, leather goods, batiks, silver and gold, pottery, precious and semiprecious stones (in particular rubies and sapphires, which are indigenous to Thailand), pearls, dolls, masks, painted umbrellas, lacquerware, pewterware, bamboo artifacts and bronzeware.

The weekend market at Chatuchuk in Bangkok is a regular cornucopia with hundreds of stalls stocking items ranging from genuine antiques to fighting fish. Tailor-made clothes are also good value and can be made in a matter of days and are usually of a high standard.

Duty-free shops are located at Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Had Yai airports as well as in the King Power Complex (website: www.kingpower.com) on Bangkok's Sri Ayutthaya-Rangnam Road. Items can be purchased there and delivered to the airport in time for the departure flight. Value Added Tax (7%) can be refunded on goods bought in shops labelled 'VAT Refund for Tourists', but there is a minimum transaction of ฿2,000 including VAT. VAT Refund Application for Tourists forms are completed at the time of purchase and it is necessary to show one's passport. Cash refunds (minimum ฿5,000) can be obtained in the airport departure hall and often the goods purchased must also be shown.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sun 1000-2100/2200.

Currency

Baht (THB; symbol ฿) = 100 satang. Notes are in denominations of ฿1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of ฿10, 5 and 1, and 50 and 25 satang.

Currency Exchange

Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks (which have the best rates), hotels (which charge high commissions) and bureau de changes can be found in larger towns (generally open 0800-2000). Outside large towns and tourist areas, notes higher than ฿500 may be difficult to exchange, so visitors are advised to carry small change.

Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and ATMs

American Express, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. ATMs are found in all major cities and almost all provincial banks.

Travelers Checks

Accepted by all banks and large hotels and shops. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveler's checks in US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling.

Currency Restrictions

The import and export of local currency is limited to ฿50,000. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, but amounts over US$20,000 must be declared.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 0830-1530.

Exchange Rate