Shoppers in Bangkok cannot beat CentralWorld for its sheer size. The shopping plaza is the sixth largest in the world, housing multi-story department stores, a premium supermarket, upscale cinema, indoor ice skating rink, offices, a hotel, and two Hindu shrines, and that’s still just the tip of the commercial iceberg.
Main anchors of the CentralWorld shopping centre include Isetan, a six-story Japanese department store, the Zen Mega Store, Asia’s first lifestyle trend megastore, the SF World Cinema, a 15-screen upscale cinema complex, and Groove @ CentralWorld, a collection of cafes and restaurants in front of the complex’s offices. At the heart of the complex lies CentralWorld Square, Bangkok’s largest outdoor activity square featuring hundreds of dancing fountain heads.
Located between the Chit Lom and Siam stations, CentralWorld is easily accessible from the BTS Skytrain. There is even an elevated walkway connecting the stations. The shopping centre is also a mere five-minute walk from Pratu Nam pier, which is served by the Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat.
The eight-story mall was first opened in 1990 as the World Trade Center and was renamed upon a change in management over ten years later. While a section suffered from fire damage during the 2010 Thailand political protests, renovations were quick.