Thailand – Torstein R

There are a few good options when deciding which of Bangkoks party streets you want to visit. After tons of research, and having visited a few of them, I wanted to put together a list of my favorites for you. Bangkok has something for every taste. From the young backpacker looking to party on the cheap, to high-end bars and nightclubs with western prices. You will also still find a few infamous party streets with scantily clad ladies outside the various bars, but more on that later. Khao San Road Thanon Khao SanTalat Yot, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand Khao San Road is the first thing most young travelers think about when they hear Bangkok. This party street is often considered the main hub for backpackers traveling around South East Asia. Due to the high number of backpackers, there is also an equally high number of bars and nightclubs around Khao San Road. Options & Prices Khao San Road has something to offer for everybody looking to party. You can find cheap beer bars selling beers from around 60 THB for a small beer, and 100 THB+ for a large one. You can find restaurants and bars selling cocktails and pretty decent Thai-food for around 400-500 THB for a meal and a drink per person. There is also a large variety of overpriced street food around the street. I cannot recommend eating any meat products late at night from the street food vendors though, as they have probably been sitting in the sun all day. For those looking to dance the night away, there are also a good amount of nightclubs and bars with dancefloors around the huge party street. Nightclubs tend to be rather expensive compared to the beer bars though. Safety This is a great place to check out if you want to jump into the action. Be advised that it can be quite intense at night as the streets tend to fill up quickly, and so do the most popular spots. This is a great place to meet other budget travelers, as well as locals looking to hang out with foreigners. Thankfully, KSR is a rather clean street and other than hotels and hostels, there are mostly regular bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and some massage parlors here. But, since this is a party street you need to watch out for your belongings and safety. I recommend staying away from tuk-tuk drivers and really any hawker looking to sell you anything other than food and drink if you want to be on the safe side. Royal City Avenue Soi RCA Huai Khwang, Bangkok 10310, Thailand Royal City Avenue is one of the classic nightlife spots in Bangkok. You will often find Thai people partying on this street long into the next morning. RCA is a great option if you are looking for clean nightlife. It is a good idea to maybe head here a little later in the evening as it tends to be a little slow early at night, think after midnight at least. Options and Prices RCA is famous for that classic Bangkok nightlife, with clubs that stay open long into the night morning. While you will find a huge mix of people visiting this party street, it is primarily for the younger crowd. You will also notice that there are considerably more local Thai people hanging out here, than what you will find in, for example, the good old Khao San Road. You can find decently priced drinks and food around here, there are also some massage parlors, but to be honest, the best part of this street is the nightclubs. Route66 is the most famous spot, and probably the one you will want to check out first. The drawback at these spots is that there is a considerable entry fee (think 300 THB+ with a free drink) for foreigners. Inside you will end up paying around 200 THB for a little beer, or a bit more for a simple cocktail. Inside you will find a variety of different music areas, like one for electronic music and one for hip-hop, etc. Safety Royal City Avenue is one of the nicer areas of Bangkok to go out. You will find that the patrons are usually a little more wealthy, and the nightclubs are pretty safe. You will even be ID-checked upon entry (21+), so make sure to bring your passport. RCA is considered one of the clean areas of Bangkok to go out, so you won't see the less desirable aspects of Thailand's nightlife here like in the red light areas. But as always, this is still a party area, so don't be stupid. The normal precautions like avoiding sketchy people trying to sell you stuff, and watching out for pickpockets/opportunistic thieves. Thonglor Soi 10 Soi Thong Lo 10 Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Thonglor as a whole is more or a posh area in Bangkok. You will find tons of nice condominium complexes and some nice hotels around here. There are also a lot of really great cocktail bars and beer bars in this area. The clientele is usually the richer Thais, as well as ex-pats and some tourists. This is very much reflected in the cost of a drink in one of these trendy bars. Options and Prices I think the options around here are great. You can find some fantastic bars and restaurants, but you are also going to be paying western prices in most of the establishments. I will say that Thonglor is less of a traditional party street, and more of a general "party area" though, as the bars and clubs are spread more out than those in for example Khao San Road or Nana Plaza. You can expect to pay 200 THB or more for a drink in this area. But on the positive side of things, a lot of the drinks are of really high quality compared to what you would get in, for example, a nightclub. The nightlife tends to get better as the night goes on, but I found that there was a lot of fun to be had even at 10 PM. Ekkamai Thanon Ekkamai Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand If you get bored of Thonglor, you can head over one street to Ekkamai, where there are even more bars. The nicer bars and nightclubs in Ekkamai are in general the same cost as Thonglor, but you can also find some cheaper spots to hang out over here. Ekkamai is kind of a weird place, as it used to be kind of a poor area, but the area has really been blooming lately. It is known as the hipster area of Bangkok these days. Safety Thonglor is probably one of the safest areas to enjoy Bangkok's nightlife. It is a lot more upscale than a lot of the other areas, and I would consider it a clean and safe area for a night out. Just take the same precautions as you would anywhere there are crowds of inebriated people, and I think you will be ok in Thonglor. Ekkamai is reasonably safe as well. Soi Cowboy Soi Cowboy Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand If you have seen the Hangover 2, you probably have an idea of what awaits you in Soi Cowboy. This short and narrow street in the middle of Bangkok you will find a bunch of go-go bars, and "other" bars. This is a pure tourist area, and you will find very little locals (other than the ones working) around here. It is kind of a strange little street, but it could be good for a look if you want to see what the darker side of Thailand is like. Options and Prices Obviously the bars and clubs around here are primarily catering to men looking for a fun night out. You will mostly find bars full of girls here with the odd tuk-tuk driver sprinkled in between the red led-lights. But don't be afraid to visit if you are a woman, there are lots of both young and old men and women checking out this place for a laugh. Most of the bars in this party street are pretty similar, but if you are planning to come to Soi Cowboy, it is mostly to just walk through it or to see the dancers anyway. Prices are rather reasonable considering you get a show to enjoy with your drink. Expect to spend a few hundred baht though. Safety Soi Cowboy seems surprisingly safe. The street is short and full of people so you should definitively mind your belongings. Expect to be touched by ladyboys and the girls working around there though. Also, if you are easily offended by this kind of stuff, maybe skip this one. Sukhumvit Soi 11 Soi Sukhumvit 11Bangkok 10110, Thailand Sukhumvit Soi 11 used to be considered a rather seedy street. Back in 2017, a large chunk of the bars, like the popular Cheap Charlies was shut down in order to develop a high-end hotel, leading to empty lots and less desirable activities taking place there. Many thought this was the end of Sukhumvit Soi 11. However these days a few new spots have opened up, and the Soi could be an interesting spot to check out again. Options and Prices These days you will find lots of restaurants, resto-bars, as well as some nightclubs and nice bars in the area. You can also expect to find the standard tourist stuff like massage parlors and the like. Since Sukhumvit Soi 11 is right next to Nana BTS station, it is in a very central location. Establishments so close to the city center on the Sukhumvit line tends to be a lot more expensive than those outside the city center or on the other roads. There are mostly tourists and ex-pats around this area, further driving up the prices in the street. Sukhumvit Soi 11 is also close to Nana Plaza, an infamous "party street". Nana Plaza Nana Plaza in Bangkok 3, 1 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok Nana Plaza seems to be the sleaziest area in Bangkok. It is a lot like Soi Cowboy in the sense that it caters mostly to men. But I hear it is a lot more depressing. This three-story-tall plaza is located near Nana BTS Station. You will mostly find ex-pats and tourists here. Personally, I skipped this place. Safety I haven't spent much time in Nana, but as a big man, I felt very safe at the restaurants and resto-bars in the street that was near the Nana BTS stop. I do think you need to be a bit cautious in this area at night though, as Nana, in general, is quite infamous for its nightlife. I would make sure to pay for everything as you go if you end up spending the night drinking in the less reputable establishments there. This way you won't end up with a bad surprise at the end of the night. Patpong Night Market in Silom Thanon Patpong 1Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand In Silom, you will find the party street and night market known as Patpong Night Market. Around here you can find a bunch of street food and overpriced souvenirs to bring back home. This party street is very touristy. You can find a bunch of bars and little restaurants lined up along with red light establishments on each side of the street, with the market in the middle. It truly is a strange combination. Options and Prices While this street and Silom is, in general, cheaper than the streets on Nana Plaza and Thonglor, etc along the Sukhumvit line, it is still a very touristy part of Bangkok. If you are looking to save some money, then Silom is overall a better option. It is a bit less safe though. You can pretty much find anything you are looking for around here. They have both the good, the bad, and the bizarre. You will find reasonably priced food and drinks around the market street, as well as a lot of surprisingly nice restaurants in the general around Silom. This area can be interesting to visit even during the day, but the madness really comes out in the evening hours. Safety I think Silom is one of the less safe areas in Bangkok, there is a lot more lowlife around here than for example Sukhumvit. There are lots of stories of people getting scammed and lied to if you dig a little online. One of the main things to avoid is "ping-pong shows". Even though it may seem intriguing, this is one of the big scams in the area. You are very likely to end up with a bad experience. Just skip them, or if you insist on going, at least do your research beforehand! Now that you know where you want to go at night, check out this article on the 7 best beers in Thailand to find the best beer for you! If this was helpful, consider repinning it to help others as well?