A friend of the café owner · Edited by Siamese Cat Café
The film was supposed to be the last stop. We had gone to Mega Bangna on a Thai public holiday with a family plan that looked straightforward: IKEA, lunch, HarborLand, then an IMAX screening if the times lined up. They didn't. Instead of arranging the rest of the day around a film, we looked nearby and ended up at Siamese Cat Café.
That change is the useful part of this itinerary. A day with children needs more than a list of attractions; it needs somewhere for the plan to bend. Around Mega Bangna, shopping, lunch and indoor play can form the main outing, while the final stop stays optional.
Contributor’s note: This family outing was shared with permission by a friend of the owner of Siamese Cat Café, one of the stops in the story. The café team adapted her account for this article and its language editions; this is not an independent customer review.
Which IKEA in Bangkok fits your day?
For most visitors choosing an IKEA in the Bangkok area, the practical shortlist is Bangna, Bang Yai and Sukhumvit. None is automatically best; choose the branch that fits the rest of your day instead of creating a cross-city detour.
- IKEA Bangna: Eastern Bangkok, Samut Prakan, driving, or a day combined with Mega Bangna.
- IKEA Bang Yai: Western or northwestern Bangkok, including families using the MRT Purple Line.
- IKEA Sukhumvit: Central Bangkok and visitors who want a city-centre store near BTS Phrom Phong.
We chose Bangna because Mega Bangna, HarborLand and our possible IMAX stop were already on the eastern side. That route mattered more than an unsupported claim about which branch was biggest or highest-rated.
Why we built the day around Bangna
If you are choosing things to do at Mega Bangna with kids, the advantage is being able to keep the main activities in one area. We chose IKEA Bangna because it fitted the shopping-and-play day, not because of a claim that it was Bangkok's largest or best branch.
Mega Bangna is outside central Bangkok, and Siamese Cat Café is a separate stop in nearby Bang Kaeo, Samut Prakan. “Nearby” does not mean inside the mall or a guaranteed five-minute journey. Check your starting point and the final route before committing to the outing, especially if your hotel is across the city.
If getting to this area already takes much of the children's available energy, do less once you arrive. IKEA and lunch can be enough. There is no need to buy a play ticket and a cinema ticket simply because both venues are there.
IKEA first, with lunch before play
We walked through the IKEA showroom before lunch. It gave the adults room for browsing without trying to squeeze the shopping between two booked activities. For another family, it may help to decide which departments really matter before entering; a full store visit and a full afternoon of play can be a lot in one day.
Lunch was at the IKEA restaurant. Our meal included pasta with meatballs, sausage, spring rolls and soup, and the meatballs were the children's favourite. Staying there for lunch meant we could carry on with the main outing without looking for another restaurant first.
That describes our meal, not a promise about today's menu. Check choices, ingredients and prices if anyone has dietary requirements. The official IKEA Bangna page also separates information for the store, restaurant and Småland. We are not describing a Småland visit here; if you want to add one, check its own eligibility and session rules.
Keep track of parking time, too. Do not assume that a long shopping, play and cinema day has the same parking conditions as a short IKEA visit.
Give HarborLand room in the schedule
After lunch, we went to Mega HarborLand. This was the active-play part of our route, so the sensible planning question is not just “How much is a ticket?” It is “Which ticket will our children actually use?”
Before buying, check the relevant height or age rules, included zones, session duration and accompanying-adult charges. A pass covering more activities only helps if those activities suit the children and there is enough time to use them. Ask about entry conditions and any required clothing or socks rather than assuming the rules are the same as another branch.
For current packages and prices, use Mega HarborLand's official branch information and the operator's ticket information, not the prices visible in an old photograph.
On our holiday outing, the busy setting was part of the experience. It is a reason to leave some room in the plan, not evidence that every weekday has the same queue. We would avoid making the next paid activity start immediately after the play session: collecting belongings, leaving the venue and deciding what everyone wants next all take time.
IMAX was an option, not an obligation
We checked the Mega Cineplex schedule, but the IMAX film times did not fit. We did not watch an IMAX film on this outing. The photographs of the cinema area document a stop to consider it, not a review of a screening.
If a particular film is the main reason for your trip, reverse our planning order. Start with the official Mega Cineplex listings, then arrange lunch and play around the chosen showing. Check the date, auditorium format, running time and available audio/subtitles before paying.
For us, keeping the cinema optional meant the unsuitable timing did not spoil the day. We could choose a different ending instead of waiting for a showing that did not suit us.
A separate stop at Siamese Cat Café
Looking for another place nearby led us to Siamese Cat Café. It is not in Mega Bangna: you need to plan the onward journey according to the map and actual traffic, rather than following signs inside the shopping centre.
The café's owner confirms that its 16 resident cats were adopted and are permanent members of the café family, not cats advertised for visitors to adopt. There is no separate cat-room entrance fee or minimum spend, and no fixed cat-room session limit during opening hours, subject to the cats' rest times and house rules. Food and drinks are ordered separately. Bring socks for the cat room; free parking is available, though a particular space cannot be guaranteed.
Those practical details made the café an option after a day already built around shopping and paid play. They do not promise that every cat will be awake or interested in company. Children need supervision, and a resting cat is allowed to stay a resting cat. A quieter stop works only if the family is ready to slow down with the animals.
For the detailed café route and visit advice, use the cat café near Mega Bangna guide. If you want to eat there too, check the current menu before you go.
Use an order, not a minute-by-minute timetable
Here is the version of the day worth borrowing:
- Browse the IKEA departments you actually want to visit.
- Eat before the main play activity, allowing whatever break your children need.
- Make HarborLand the main paid activity if it suits them.
- Add a film only when a suitable showing fits; otherwise leave it out.
- Consider the café as a separate final stop, with socks and the route ready.
For a smaller budget, choose one paid activity before leaving home. For a shorter day, cut a stop instead of racing between all five. If Bangna does not fit your wider plans, the Bangkok and nearby family-outing guide offers a broader starting point.
Our day did not end with the film we had imagined, but it still had shopping, a lunch the children enjoyed, play and a different final stop. Before setting out, check the venue rules and showtimes, then leave one part of the day unbooked. If that final stop is the café, save the map and current visiting details before you leave the mall.