One stop on the BTS Skytrain, or a walk of around 15 to 20 minutes. Nana Plaza is on Sukhumvit Soi 4 by BTS Nana, and Soi Cowboy is by BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit. Walking east along Sukhumvit Road takes you past the Soi 7 beer garden, the Soi 11 clubs and the Soi 11 to 13 massage shops, so the walk is part of the night. Patpong is much further, in Silom, and needs the train or a ride.

Take the MRT from Sukhumvit station at Asok. The Blue Line runs south to Silom station for Patpong, and north through Phra Ram 9 and Thailand Cultural Center to Huai Khwang for the Ratchada strip. By Skytrain, change at Siam to the Silom line for Sala Daeng. RCA sits off Rama 9 Road, away from the stations, so take a short taxi or Grab from Phra Ram 9 or Phetchaburi. After the trains stop around midnight, everything needs a ride.

They split between Sukhumvit and the Silom and Sathorn side. On Sukhumvit, Above Eleven on Soi 11 is the easy sunset drink before Nana or Soi Cowboy, with Tichuca on Soi 40 and Octave near Thonglor further east. Sky Bar at Lebua, Vertigo and Mahanakhon SkyBar are across town near Silom and Sathorn, so pair them with a Patpong night rather than a Sukhumvit one and save yourself a cross-town taxi.

Patpong Night Market runs down the middle of Patpong, near BTS Sala Daeng. Asiatique The Riverfront is on Charoen Krung by the river: take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and the free shuttle boat. Jodd Fairs, a food-and-drinks market, has been near Rama 9 on the MRT but has relocated before, so check its current site. The Srinakarin Train Night Market is far out east and opens Thursday to Sunday, so allow for a long taxi ride.

On Sukhumvit Soi 11, a few minutes' walk from BTS Nana and Nana Plaza. Insanity is the big one, Levels is upstairs at the Aloft with a terrace, and Sugar Club plays hip-hop and gets busy late; all three run to about 3am. Earlier in the evening the same soi has cocktail bars and pubs, the Havana Social speakeasy and the Above Eleven rooftop at Fraser Suites, so a whole night can stay on one street.

A little further along Sukhumvit. The streets off Soi 22 have cheaper, local-feel beer bars, roughly a kilometer from Soi Cowboy on the map, and Soi 33, between Asok and Phrom Phong, has quieter hostess bars aimed at older expats. Closer in, the open-fronted bars around the Nana Hotel on Soi 4 are the cheap warm-up before Nana Plaza. Filter the map to beer bars and all three show up.

BTS Nana serves Nana Plaza, the Soi 4 beer bars, the Soi 7 beer garden and the Soi 11 clubs. BTS Asok and MRT Sukhumvit serve Soi Cowboy. BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Silom serve Patpong and Soi Thaniya. BTS Thong Lo and Ekkamai serve the Thonglor bars. The Ratchada parlors are on the MRT between Phra Ram 9 and Huai Khwang. BTS Saphan Taksin is the stop for Sky Bar at Lebua and the boat to Asiatique.

Mostly along lower Sukhumvit. The Soi 7 beer garden fills with freelancers from early evening, with no bar fine to pay. After about 10pm, women work the Sukhumvit Road pavement between Soi 3 and Soi 15, and after midnight the Soi 11 clubs, Insanity in particular, take over. Thermae and Mixx at Ploenchit are long-running late spots; both have moved or changed hands before, so check they are open before you go.