Bangkok Nightlife Guide for Men

Pick by the crowd you want. Thonglor and Ekkamai are where well-off young Thais drink, with cocktail bars, Thai-style clubs and almost no bar-girl scene. RCA, off Rama 9 Road, has big clubs with a young, mostly Thai crowd. Ratchada adds Thai nightclubs, karaoke and late street food in Huai Khwang. Ari, in the north, suits a relaxed cafe date. Khao San Road is a cheap backpacker party, loud and fun, but not a punting district.

From Suvarnabhumi (BKK), take the Airport Rail Link: change at Phaya Thai for the BTS to Nana, or get off at Makkasan and walk to MRT Phetchaburi for the metro to Sukhumvit station at Asok. With luggage, the public taxi queue (the meter plus an airport surcharge and tolls) or a Grab or Bolt car is simpler. From Don Mueang (DMK), take a taxi or ride-hailing car, or the SRT Red Line, which connects to the MRT at Bang Sue.

The BTS Skytrain and MRT subway cover Sukhumvit, Silom and Ratchada but stop running around midnight. After that, use Grab or Bolt: the price is fixed in the app and the route is tracked. Metered taxis are fine if the driver uses the meter; walk away if he quotes a flat fare. Motorbike taxis, the riders in orange vests at soi entrances, are quick for short hops, but ask the price first and ask for a helmet.

Patpong is the one to watch: touts there steer visitors to upstairs show bars that hand out inflated bills, so never follow anyone upstairs. On Sukhumvit Road between Soi 3 and Soi 15, street freelancers work the pavement late, so agree everything up front. Lumpini Park is pleasant by day but best avoided after dark. In the crowds around Nana and Soi Cowboy, keep your phone in a front pocket. Otherwise the nightlife areas are busy and well lit.

Earlier than you might expect, and most of it ends around 2am. The Soi 7 beer garden fills from mid-afternoon and the Soi 4 beer bars from early evening. Gogo bars open around 7pm, and Nana Plaza is busiest from about 9pm. The Soi 11 clubs fill after midnight. Most establishments close at 1am or 2am depending on their zoning, and a few late spots run to about 4am. The Ratchada soapy parlors keep daytime hours, from around noon.

It depends on the establishment and what you do, and prices move with the season. Beer bars are the cheapest night, gogo bars cost more per drink and add lady drinks and bar fines, and rooftop bars charge hotel prices. VIP members see this season's prices for every establishment we review, so you know what a drink, a lady drink and a bar fine should cost before you sit down.

Plenty, and most of it pairs well with a late night. The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun are in the old town by the river: dress modestly and ignore anyone who says they're closed. Chatuchak Weekend Market is best early on a Saturday or Sunday. The Siam malls and the Terminal 21 food court beat the midday heat, a traditional massage fixes tired legs, and Yaowarat, Chinatown, is best on foot after dark for street food.

November to February, when the city is at its least humid and the evenings suit rooftop bars and walking between sois. March to May is very hot, and Songkran in mid-April turns Silom Road and Khao San Road into water fights. The rainy season runs roughly June to October: heavy downpours can flood sois and jam the roads, and ride-hailing cars get scarce, but the BTS and MRT keep running and the bars stay open.