CentralWorld & Ratchaprasong, Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
CentralWorld anchors the Ratchaprasong intersection with one of the largest shopping complexes in Asia — a small indoor city of fashion floors, an ice rink, cinemas and whole wings given over to dining. The plaza out front is Bangkok's answer to Times Square, hosting the city's biggest New Year countdown, while an elevated skywalk threads the surrounding malls together above the traffic.
Navigating the Giant
Treat CentralWorld in zones rather than aisles: department stores bookend the complex, the Groove wing handles restaurants and bars, and the upper floors carry electronics, homeware, bookshops and cinemas. Around it cluster Gaysorn Village's quiet luxury, Big C's souvenir-stocked supermarket aisles across the road, and the wholesale fashion warrens of Platinum Mall and Pratunam a short walk north — a full spectrum of Bangkok retail inside ten minutes on foot.
The Skywalk & the Square
Arrive at BTS Chit Lom and follow the elevated Ratchaprasong skywalk toward Siam — a covered walkway that passes mall entrances the whole way and lifts you above the district's famous traffic. The forecourt hosts something most of the year: Songkran festivities, December's giant light displays and the televised New Year countdown that packs the intersection with crowds. Come at dusk, when the facades and plaza screens light up.