Bangkok Night Life

Bangkok night life still may mean the naughty sex trade in red light districts of Bangkok but in the last decade, the tourism capital of South East Asia has developed a quality night life to enjoy from trendy bars and clubs to romantic river cruises. Here we cover some of your alternatives for a good and entertaining night in Bangkok.

 

Rooftop Skybars of Bangkok

A nice rooftop bar looking over Bangkok with a fantastic bird-eye view is the place to go in a Bangkok night and no Bangkok trip is complete without visiting one of the many great rooftop bars in Bangkok with fantastic bird-eye view.

Here are some of them you can visit:

• Vertigo and Moon Bar (Banyan Tree Hotel)
• Park Society (Sofitel So on Sathorn)
• Sirocco Sky Bar (Lebua at State Tower) – Yes you know this place from The Hangover Part II wherePaul Giamatti was having his brunch at the end of the movie.
• Three Sixty (Millennium Hilton Bangkok)
• Octave Rooftop Bar

Night Life and Party Venues

Bangkok offers many pubs, restaurants and night clubs for those who would like to have fun in the tropic nights of the “City of Angels”. We have listed some of the most popular ones here.

Route 66 Club (225/9 -10 Soi Thong Lo10, Sukhumvit Rd.  Klonton Nau, Wattana Bangkok 10110) is the place for a crazy loud music with lazer shows and energetic dance. 3 types of music is offered here: The Level, The Novel and The Classic. Very popular among youngsters and the prices for drinks are quite reasonable.

Funky Villa (225/9 -10 Soi Thong Lo10, Sukhumvit Rd.  Klonton Nau, Wattana Bangkok 10110) needs some deeper pocket. The terrace offers a nice dinner and the bar is calm and relaxing.

Safe House (Thonglor Si 10, or Ekamai Soi 5/1, Bangkok) is open until the first lights of the next day (most bars and clubs in Bangkok officially closes at 02:00 AM) and offers hip-hop and electronic dance.

Sirocco SkyBar Bangkok

Muay Thai (Thai Box)

Watching Muay Thai competitions in the night is a uniquely Thailand experience which is missed by many. You can find Thai Box Stadiums in almost all cities in Thailand but Bangkok is the best place to view this.

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium at Silom and Ratchadamnoen Stadium at Rattanakosin are the two venues to head to if you want to watch them. Although the “show” will go on all the night, best matches are the last ones so schedule a long night there. Entrance is quite expensive 1000 – 2000 Baht but it worth the money.

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is probably Tayland’s best known Muay Thai place. You can watch Thai box here on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

There are also Muay Thai matches at MBK on every Wednesday between 18:00 – 21:00. These are free to watch.

Bangkok Dinner Cruise Tour

In the early night, you can take a dinner cruise along Chao Phraya River. You will typically sail on a traditional Thai boat (i.e. converted teakwood rice barge) and spend the night watching great night views of The Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), Wat Phra Kaew and The Grand Palace while you are having your delicious Thai dinner served under the candlelight and classical Thai ‘kim’ music and dance performances.

Dinner CruiseTour on Bangkok River

Bangkok Night Markets

Although most Bangkok malls are closed by 21:00, there are some malls open until midnight. You can visit several Bangkok Night Markets which offers a great night shopping experience like:

• Asiatique – A night bazaar and a mall combined which is near BTS to Saphan Taksin.
• Khaosan Road – This backpacker heaven is best visited at night. You can shop everything here but I do not suggest to buy private bus tickets or travel packages here if you do not know what you are doing.
• Khlong Lod Night Market
• Khlong Thom Market

Bangkok Red Light Districts

It is not a secret that “bang” part of Bangkok night life is very famous. Bangkok has 3 main Red Light Districts catering to foreigner and expats: Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza. These are main centers for sex tourists but many people visit these places just to see this infamous part of Bangkok Night Life. The way it works is same as anywhere in Thailand: These places are full of go-go bars where man goes and drinks. There is a platform in the bar where girls dance in bikini (and occasionally topless or totally naked). Almost all the dancers and most of the waiters are sex workers. If a man wants a girl he request her by the number she carries, pays a bar-fine (money paid to take the girl out) and money for the girl (usually to a mama). Then they go to the man’s hotel or a nearby hourly “room” for the trade.

It is totally acceptable to go to these bars and just drink and “watch”. In fact many tourists visit these bars and just drink and watch.

Soi Cowboy is a 400 meter street offering 20+ bars and is much calmer than Patpong and Nana Plaza. For sightseeing this is the place to go. Soi Most popular of all go-go bars in Soi Cowboy is Baccara at the end of the street.

Soi Cowboy is located near Sukhumvit Roadand is within walking distance from the BTS Skytrain’s Asok Station and the Bangkok Metro’s Sukhumvit Station.

Patpong is where this side of Bangkok Night Life has started. Best known of these 3 Red Light Districts, Patpong is famous with its go-go bars and ping pong show. You can access Patpong from Sala Daeng Station on BTS Skytrain Silom Line or Silom Station on MRT Blue Line on foot. Patpong has 2 parellel streets : Patpong 1 and Patpong 2. Most tourists visit this place.

You can access Patpong from Sala Daeng Station on BTS Skytrain Silom Line or Silom Station on MRT Blue Line on foot. Patpong has 2 parellel streets : Patpong 1 and Patpong 2.

Bangkok Night Life : Red Light Districts

Nana Entertainment Plaza is a 3-storey building and is the most commercial sex oriented of all these 3 places. Not a place to go for sight-seeing. There are beer bars at the ground floor but the real action starts from Level 1. It is on Sukhumvit Soi 4 and can be accessed from Nana BTS Skytrain Station on foot.