It is a fantastic experience to wake up without alarm and not need to rush for breakfast. Sometimes a good travel experience is to go without an itinerary.
The air-conditioned shopping mall is a good choice in extremely hot Bangkok. But my experience from ten years ago told me that shopping malls in Bangkok have no highlights beside buying Wacoal. Therefore, I don’t have high expectations for ICONSIAM, which was only opened in 2018 and is known as the most attractive floating market.
From Asok to ICONSIAM, the route recommended by Google Map is going by land and requires a transfer. In my opinion, the most convenient option is to go by following route:
- Go from Asok to Siam by BTS, transfer to the dark green line, get off at Saphan Taksin Station, exit and walk to Sathorn Pier. Then take the ICONSIAM shuttle boat. It won’t take much more time, but the itinerary is easy and special.
The difference between BTS and MRT. ASOK is BTS station, and tickets are in cards. Sukhumvit is MRT station, and tickets are black plastic coins.
After exiting Saphan Taksin Station, walk straight for 1-2 minutes and you will arrive at Sathorn Pier. From this pier, you can take a boat to many popular attractions such as the Grand Palace, Temple Arun, and Asiatique.
It is quite simple by showing the staff where you want to go and then buy the right ticket. There are several boat service providers in the same pier.
Among them, tourist boats are the most expensive. Youtubers often recommend taking boat in orange , which is cheaper and coer most popular attractions.
There is a dedicated line to Iconsiam, the charge is $10 baht per person.
The signal of Iconsiam can be seem easily.
Let's go!
Not many passengers during weekday noon time.
Asiatique is over there, but it is not the spot we visited in this 2023 tour. (But we have finally visited during 2024)
The boat ride takes about fifteen minutes.
The experience of landing and then entering the mall is very interesting
Do shopping malls float on water? Will there be a canal running through the mall? ICONSIAM, which uses the "floating market" as its selling point, made me a little bit fanciful. However, I felt a bit disappointed when I arrived. The "water" area in the mall is smaller than the canal at the Venetian Macau. Actually it is just a water pool.
Real scene of floating market
Actually it is an indoor mall. However, Iconsiam is worth for visit.
There is a food street on the ground floor, and its scale is unprecedented. The food prices are similar to those at night markets.
The food and beverage sold in market are juicy and yummy.
Very good facilities and an impressive toilet. If you are worried about the cleanliness of the toilets in night market, try this!
The photo was taken from the second floor and it is just part of this,
In addition, the layout of the ICONSIAM shopping mall is also very large-scale. The height of the ground floor of the first floor is equivalent to the third or fourth floors of a general shopping mall. Staying inside also has an outdoor-like view. Coupled with the very high-end decoration, it is no wonder that it is loved by locals and tourists.
This shopping mall surprised me,,,,,,
Finally we spent in Iconsiam for around 5 hours for eating and shopping.
ICONSIAM is not only a shopping mall, but also an attraction definitely worth visiting again and again.
- To be continued -
Next Chapter -
Bangkok Trip 23/24 (6) - Another Side of the River - Asiatique The Riverfront
Bangkok 2023/2024
Bangkok Trip - Previous Articles
