I wasn’t originally planning to visit Terminal 21 when my wife and I first saw it. We had to take care of some errands in the Asok area near the BTS station, and we stumbled upon the mall as we were looking for a way up to the elevated train terminal. I remembered hearing about a mall that had a different location themed for each floor, but I had no idea that this was the one. It was an amazing experience that turned a quick errand run into a fun surprise date, and I’d like to share it with you all.
A Mall Built Like an Airport
When we first arrived, we were a little confused. Located at the Asok intersection between BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit, Terminal 21 doesn’t orient itself like malls you’ll typically see in the West. Each floor is themed after a different global city, such as San Francisco or Tokyo, and escalators are themed as “departures,” with airport-style signage and aesthetics.
We initially arrived at the mall’s second floor, themed “London.” Immediately on our arrival, we were surprised to see how high up the floors extended. Ten floors in total, if you include the basement floor. We decided to ascend to the highest floor possible and then explore level-by-level until we were back at the entrance, where we started, so we could return home.
A short escalator ride later, we ascended from “London” to “Istanbul,” then up to “San Francisco,” then “Hollywood” on the sixth floor.
Why People Actually Go There
As I’ve mentioned, each floor has its own theme. On top of this, each floor specializes in different offerings. For example, the first and second floors, “Tokyo” and “London” respectively, offer various clothing shops and outlets in all manner of fashions. I noticed several jackets and t-shirts that appealed to me, as well as bags. I have a strange weakness for bags of all kinds, from chest bags to backpacks to gym bags, and there are several leather-good stores here that offer some quality pieces.
The fourth and fifth floors, both themed after San Francisco, feature a massive food court extending throughout the entire floor. Prices ran the gamut from surprisingly cheap to fancy date-night-worthy. On the sixth floor, “Hollywood is a movie theater, spa, and fitness center.
While we didn’t have time to see a movie that day, my wife and I definitely plan to go back at some point to see howhathe amenities there are like. I did notice they had several options ranging from Western films to Chinese and Korean films as well.
What to Know Before You Go
Looking down over the layers of the mall, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all, especially with just how massive the whole thing is. Walking through each of the different “cities,” there were several stores with vendors offering deals or goods for the discerning customer. I want to stress that everyone was extremely polite and friendly throughout. However, if you’re looking for a quieter atmosphere for your Bangkok outing, I recommend elsewhere.
Considering the entire mall is indoors, save for some shops on the ground floor, it made for an excellent rainy-day date, especially if we had more time for dinner and a movie. I definitely plan to go back to make some fashion, sports, and travel purchases, so if you’re on the hunt for items in those categories, you certainly can’t go wrong here.
I should warn that while it was a lot of fun, it can be easy to get lost in the shopping floors. Shops wind around like a maze, so it pays to pay attention to where you are and where the exits are. If you have plenty of time to kill, though, it can be a lot of fun with your significant other.
The Bottom Line
I was having some drinks at a sporting event recently and chatted with a very nice Canadian couple who had this to say about Bangkok, something I feel Terminal 21 epitomizes very well: “Bangkok feels like the most multicultural city we’ve ever been to in East Asia.” I can absolutely attest to this, after eating foods from at least ten different countries since we arrived here. It makes sense that a mall would construct itself as a collection of cities from around the world, because that seems to be the spirit of what Bangkok is all about: A cultural melting pot that you can get truly lost in.
