Khao San Road
The backpacker heartland: neon lights, cheap buckets, street food, live music, and a crowd of travellers from every corner of the world.
The side sois off Khao San are generally more atmospheric than the main strip. Phra Athit Road nearby has better bars at slightly higher prices.
Silom & Patpong
Bangkok's original entertainment district, mixing rooftop bars, jazz venues, LGBT clubs on Silom Soi 2 and 4, and the famous Patpong night market.
Silom Soi 2 and 4 are the centre of Bangkok's LGBT nightlife scene — welcoming and lively on weekends.
Sukhumvit — Nana & Asok
The expat and tourist nightlife hub with bars, clubs, and restaurants spanning dozens of sois. Sky Bar 1 and LEVELS are popular club venues.
Soi 11 is good for pre-drinks; Soi 55 (Thong Lor) and Soi 63 (Ekkamai) attract a more local Bangkok crowd.
Rooftop Bars
Bangkok has some of the world's best rooftop bars — Vertigo at Banyan Tree, Sky Bar at Lebua (the Hangover bar), and Octave at Marriott are standouts.
Smart casual dress is required at most rooftop venues. Arrive at sunset for the best light and shorter queues.
RCA (Royal City Avenue)
Bangkok's main clubbing strip aimed squarely at young Thais — massive clubs like Route 66 and Onyx with capacity in the thousands.
RCA comes alive after midnight. This is where Bangkok's university students and young professionals go — mostly Thai crowd, very energetic.
Thong Lor & Ekkamai
The upscale, hipster neighbourhood for bar hopping — boutique cocktail bars, craft beer pubs, and late-night Japanese izakayas.
Start at Thong Lor BTS and walk north through the sois. The area is walkable and has good street food between bars.
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