Room in the back for everything you carry out
Chatuchak is the market people plan a whole Bangkok weekend around: a maze of covered lanes selling clothes, ceramics, plants, vintage, art, pet supplies and food, beside Chatuchak Park in the north of the city. It is famous as a weekend market, so this is a Saturday or Sunday trip. Its size is both the point and the problem: you can spend the whole day there and still miss entire sections.
Go with three friends and you will come out with lamps, bowls, a rug and a bag of cushion covers between you. On the BTS that is a problem. In a Toyota Commuter van it goes behind the back seats, and the nine seats in front stay free for tired legs. That is really the whole case for booking a van Pattaya to Chatuchak Weekend Market instead of making your own way.
Early, before the lanes heat up
The covered lanes get hot and crowded as the day goes on, so the smart start is early. Count on about two and a half hours from Pattaya; the market sits on the north side of Bangkok, past the centre, and weekend traffic around Mo Chit and the park can add to that. Tell us the time you want to be walking in and we work backwards to a pickup time.
When the heat gets too much, Chatuchak Park sits right beside the market, and its shaded lawns are a good place to sit down with a cold drink between rounds. Food stalls are scattered all through the lanes, so there is no need to plan lunch; just stop when something smells good.
- Wear shoes you can walk in for hours, and bring a hat for the open stretches
- Carry some cash in small notes; not every stall takes cards
- Agree with your driver on the numbered gate where you will meet him
- Fragile buys? Bring a blanket or two to wrap them for the ride home
Getting all of you, and all of it, back
Chatuchak is big enough to lose a friend in, so a meeting point matters. The market has numbered gates around its edge, and picking one with your driver before you go in saves a lot of phone calls later. You get dropped at the gate you choose and collected from it at the time you agree. Take a photo of the gate sign as you walk in, and you will both be looking for the same thing later.
You can book just the ride in, or keep the same driver and van for the day and ride home together with the shopping. The fixed price for the whole vehicle, one way or there and back with waiting time, is confirmed in chat before the trip. Nothing to pay in advance: you settle in cash with the driver at the end. For a group, a Van Pattaya to Chatuchak Weekend Market day is mostly about one thing, not having to choose between the rug and the seat.