Located down Samepeng Lane, Balanna Plaza is a market that's all about shoes and nothing else. Here you'll find just about any style or brand at a tiny proportion of the usual price. Any visitor to the city should make time to head to this market and pick up high quality footwear at affordable prices.

Situated in Chinatown, the Sampeng Market has a vast variety of toys on offer. All of the great sights and sounds of a toy store at home are present here, except at much better prices. For something a bit more unique, look out for the uncovered stalls where you'll find an excellent selection of traditional Thai toys.

Saphanhan Market is the place to go for exceptional quality merchandise across a wide range of products. For starters, here you'll find silk, antiques and handicrafts at big discounts on regular stores. There's also an enormous variety of shoes, traditional handicrafts, clothes, watches and designer accessories. As you go further inside you'll also see home decorations like miniature Buddhas as well as live animals, plants and flowers.

For a gift that really shines, Hua Seng Heng is the place the visit. Thai gold, which is acknowledged by experts to be of high quality and purity, is available in abundance here. While the price may waver based on international trends, gold will never be an out of fashion purchase, especially at holiday times.

Little India is a top location for good quality local textiles in Bangkok. Our top tip if you go to this mainly Indian market is to avoid buying from the first few stalls - the quality goes up as you walk along. The market has a lot of gem, jewel and textile shops as well as other trinkets, garments and other frills that give a unique scent and flavor of India.

This trendy spot has got all the top brands and services in a bright and jovial center. You'll find numerous boutiques with clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories. There's also great goods to take back for your home like mirrors, baroque lamps and shiny statuettes as well as top quality silk and cotton fabrics.

The Pak Khlong Talaat is a delightful riverside flower market. In fact, it's such a pretty place to visit you'll want to walk up and down the narrow streets of this market again and again. But be sure to get there early to catch the freshest flowers. You'll also find plenty of great spots for photographs, such as the orchids which are on sale amid fluorescent lights.

The Rachini Market is a market dedicated to vegetables, where you can find an extraordinary assortment of fresh vegetables from individual sellers. This market is one of the best smelling spots in the city, but be sure to get there early if you want to grab the freshest and most delicious produce available.