Night markets

The best markets are weekly, not nightly: Chiang Mai's Sunday Walking Street and Phuket's Lard Yai both close a road and are worth planning a trip around. Chatuchak is weekends only.

Go hungry, carry small notes, and buy food where there is a queue of locals. We can send you with a guide, but honestly the market is better explored alone once you know which section to start in.

The markets divide into three types, and confusing them is why people are disappointed. Craft and food markets (Chiang Mai's Sunday Walking Street, Amphawa) are mostly handmade and local. Souvenir markets (Bangkok's Night Bazaar, Patong's OTOP) sell imported goods at tourist prices. Fresh markets (Or Tor Kor, local morning markets) sell ingredients and prepared food to residents, and are the best eating of the three.

Timing decides everything. Stalls set up from about 4pm and most are running by 6pm; the food is best between 6:30pm and 8:30pm, before the popular stalls sell out. Arriving at 4:30pm means watching people unload boxes; arriving at 10pm means the good stalls have gone.

Bring cash in small notes. Almost no market stall in Thailand takes cards, and the ones that do add a surcharge. Prices are usually fixed at markets — haggling is expected at Chatuchak and tourist markets, and is mildly rude at food stalls.