Where to Go at Night in Bangkok ? – The Main Zones with Nightlife in Bangkok

Bangkok has without doubts, one of the best Nightlife scenes on earth.
It’s not just dancing clubs and bars like in other boring countries, but also shopping, massages and restaurants that are in every corner at night.
In this page, I’m describing the main nightlife zones. They will keep you busy for your first days as a Tourist in Bangkok.
Here is an interactive Map with the areas mentioned :

  1. Nana zone – (Discos, Bars and Red Light District)
  2. Pat-Pong zone – (Red Light District + Night market)
  3. Khaosan Road – Backpackers area (In order to party)
  4. The Sky Bar Sirroco – Lebua – (amazing Panoramic view at sunset)
  5. Chao Phraya River cruise (most beautiful sceneries of Bangkok)
  6. China Town (for chinese restaurants)
  7. Asiatique (modern leisure area with shopping)
  8. Night Market – The One Ratchada – (typical Thai night market)
  9. Aircraft Market (ChangChui) – A night market with an airplane
  10. Ong Ang walking street – (walk beside a canal)
  11. Salsa Dance in Bangkok (not to be a tourist…)

Nana zone

Click to Zoom :

map nana zone bangkok
Nana is the main nightlife zone of Bangkok. There are 3 spots that you can visit here:

  1. Soi number 11 – The street for Dancing Clubs and Bars
  2. Nana plaza – A red light district
  3. Soi Cowboy – A red light district

The main avenue is called Sukhumvit, the skytrain passes above it.
The little streets that are getting out of Sukhumvit are called “Soi”.
Soi number 11 is the street number 11 that is at the side of Sukhumvit, there are no numbers on the buildings in Bangkok.

The Soi number 11 is full of dancing clubs and bars. If you want to dance in Bangkok, this is the place. Visit this street anyway, it has a special feeling.
Nana plaza is at Soi number 4 of Sukhumvit, it is one of the three red light districts of Bangkok. It is a street with many Go-Go bars and especially at the Nana Plaza complex at the beginning of the street.
Soi Cowboy is also a Go-Go bar street, it is more photogenic than Nana Plaza. It is near the station of Asok, you will have to walk a little bit from Nana. It is between the Soi 21 and 23 of Sukhumvit.
Along Sukhumvit avenue there are stands at night with merchants selling clothes, so you will not have a break from shopping, also at night.
You can visit also the mall Terminal 21, if you are there before 22:00.

How to get there :

Pat-Pong zone

Click to Zoom :

map pat pong zone

Pat-Pong used to be the main Red Light District of Bangkok. During the Corona era, the night market was canceled and the Go-Go bars reduced in numbers. If you want Go-Go bars go to  Soi-Cowboy and Nana-Plaza. There are restaurants and regular bars in the Pat-Pong area. There is a nice new mall in front of the skytrain station.
Not very far is the skybar Vertigo (see the map above).
There is also another popular skybar in Bangkok with a view on the river.

How to get there :

Khaosan Road

Click to Zoom :

khaosan zone bangkok

The Khaosan road is the backpacker’s area of Bangkok and it has one of the best nightlife scenes of Bangkok, it’s also a place where young Thais are coming to party, it’s not just for tourists. If you plan to visit the Khaosan, do it at night because that’s when this place get alive.

Try to arrive before midnight because sometimes the police is shutting down all the music and then it gets weird. Try to avoid also the special days during the year when alcohol is prohibited (like election days and certain feasts) because the Khaosan without alcohol is not natural.
Rambuttri road which is parallel to the Khaosan is also very live. If you are already there, take a look over the nearby Chao Phraya river (see on map above).

How to get there :

See it in the page : The Khaosan Road Survival Guide – The Transport.

The Sky Bar Sirroco – Lebua

Click to Zoom :

map skybar zone bangkok

There are many skybars in Bangkok but this one is the most famous and for a good reason : the view is great. The building (an hotel) is very tall and it is beside the river. The best time to be upstairs is at sunset. The beverages are expensive up-there, it’s not a 7-eleven store. Don’t arrive with short trousers or sandals, they won’t let you in.

How to get there :

There is also the skyscraper Mahanakhon, with a Glass floor. It was opened in late 2018. It can be visited during the day or evening. Their website.

bangkok

There is also another famous skybar in Bangkok (Vertigo), in Pat-Pong area.

Chao Phraya River cruise

You will see many brochures at your hotel offering a night cruise with dinner or without dinner, for example there is Chao Phraya Princess Dinner Cruise

If you want to save money but you still want to enjoy a cruise at night, take the regular boat service, it will cost you only 15 Baht. This public boat service stops to run after sunset (around 19:00) so take a boat around that time. At certain periods of the year, the touristic boat (blue flag) operates till 22:00.

China Town

Click to Zoom :

china town zone bangkok

China Town is not a place to dance at night and not even a place for trendy bars. It’s a neighborhood with its own character (well, Chinese) and it has many restaurants (Chinese).

Probably the best time to visit this zone is in the afternoon and before sunset so that you can still enjoy some stands of the huge market and it is not super hot like at daytime. On the Chinese New Year, China Town is decorated and gets a lot of attention.
The main street in China Town is called Yaowarat, but the area is huge and there are some nice temples.

How to get there :

  • With the Metro : station Hua Lamphong or Wat Mangkon or Wang Burapha (Sam Yot).
  • With the Boat on the river : pier number 5  (note : the boat service doesn’t function after sunset).
  • As always you can take a TaxiTuk-TukMoto-Taxi or bus

Asiatique

Click to Zoom :

asiatique zone bangkok

Asiatique was once a huge hangar for merchandise coming from the river. It was transformed into an entertainment area with shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and cinemas. The place is popular within Thais.
What you will probably do in Asiatique is more shopping, you can never rest from this activity in Bangkok.
Overall, it’s a pleasant place to spend an evening.

How to get there :

  • With the Boat on the River : There is a free shuttle boat from pier number 0, the Central pier.  You can arrive to this pier with the Skytrain, the station Saphan Taksin.

The One Ratchada (previously called “the Train Night Market”)

Click to Zoom :

ratchada night market map bangkok

This night market was opened in 2016. Unlike other night markets that exist in the suburbs of Bangkok, this one is close to the center and close to a Metro station.

It has everything a traditional Thai night market should have : Places to drink with live music, stands with food and stands that sell clothes. It has a medium size. The logo of the market is a train. It is open all nights, except Mondays.

How to get there :

  • With the Metro : station Thailand Cultural Center (not far from Asok). The market is hidden behind the mall Esplanade.

Aircraft Market (ChangChui)

There is a real airplane in the middle of this night market.

There is even a fancy bar inside the airplane (it is possible to visit the airplane inside, without sitting at the bar).

The night market is pleasant, there are many bars to drink a beer. There are also some stands selling clothes.

How to get there :

It is a little bit out of town, 10 Km from the center, on the upper-left corner. See it on the Interactive Map above.

  • With a Taxi – The most convenient way to arrive (in the evening, there should be no traffic jam). From the Khaosan road, it is a shorter distance.
  • With the Metro :  There is a Metro line (red line) starting from the new Train station Bang Sue. Get down at the station : “Bang Bamru”. It is possible to arrive to Bang Sue train station with the metro (MRT), the blue line.

Ong Ang Walking Street – Canal

There are many canals in Bangkok. This one was converted into a leisure area. There are stands with food, graffiti on walls and nice illumination.It is only active on week-end evenings or in special events. There are many Indian restaurants around.

How to get there :

It is near China Town. See location on Google Maps or on the Interactive Map above.

  • With the Metro : Metro (MRT) Station Sam Yot, the blue line.

Salsa Dance in Bangkok

This is an advanced tourist option, in case you want to be original and tell your friends back home that you went to dance Salsa in Bangkok (have you been to Cuba or to Thailand ?)

Going to dance Salsa in Bangkok is a very good idea because you will meet local people and expatriates and not only tourists. In addition, the Salsa in Bangkok is one of the world’s best: there is an interesting mix of people, open classes before the parties and of course, Latinos who live here.

You will be surprised, but there is Salsa dancing every day of the week in Bangkok (Salsa or Bachata or Kizomba). The evenings are usually taking place in lobbies of hotels or bars.
See this Salsa Bangkok site to see a weekly schedule of the Salsa dancing in Bangkok.
Before going to a place look at their Facebook page because they may announce cancellations the same day
Here are the main Salsa organizers in Bangkok and their Facebook link :

  1. Salsa Bangkok
  2. BOM
  3. La Rueda
  4. Salsa Thailand

See this video of a Bachata show in one of the week-end places to dance.

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