Silom & Sathorn, Bangkok

Silom and Sathorn form Bangkok's business district, running along Silom Road and Sathorn Road south-west of Sukhumvit. For nightlife the hot spot is Silom, around BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Silom, where Patpong and Soi Thaniya sit. By day it is offices and lunch crowds, and after dark the evening shift takes over.

A mix of office workers, tourists and punters. Patpong's night market and gogo bars share one strip, Soi Thaniya has its Japanese-style karaoke lanes, and the rooftop bars on the towers look over the city. It is more varied than Soi Cowboy but with fewer pure punting streets than lower Sukhumvit.

Patpong and Soi Thaniya. Patpong is Bangkok's oldest red-light district, two parallel lanes with gogo bars, a night market and the upstairs show bars. Soi Thaniya is the karaoke-bar lane next door, long aimed at Japanese customers. The district lists 1 gogo bar directly, plus the Patpong Soi 1 gogo row, so Patpong is the one most visitors mean.

Out of 98 places, 43 are bars and 34 are massage shops, with 5 nightclubs, 4 rooftop bars, 5 attractions, 2 malls, 1 market, 1 beer bar and 1 gogo bar. Two red-light areas are listed as well. Silom is therefore strong on cocktails, massage and rooftop drinks, with only a small gogo presence.

Silom is smaller and more mixed, with Patpong and Thaniya in place of Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy. You get more rooftop bars and a business-hotel feel, but fewer gogo bars and less street action. Sukhumvit suits a full punting night, while Silom works as a second-night change or a rooftop drink before moving on.

Stay near BTS Sala Daeng or MRT Silom, which puts Patpong and Soi Thaniya on foot and links you to the rest of the city. A rooftop bar before dark is a pleasant opener, then Patpong for a look round. Dinner in the area first is easy, and hotels around here are numerous, though guest rules vary.

Use the BTS Skytrain at Sala Daeng and the MRT at Silom, which interchange close together and link to Sukhumvit and the airport line. Both stop around midnight, so a Grab or Bolt car is the late option. Metered taxis are fine if the driver uses the meter, and motorbike taxis wait at soi corners.

Touts on Patpong. Men waving menus and promising a show upstairs lead to inflated bills, so never follow anyone upstairs on a flyer. Stay in a ground-floor bar where you can see the drinks list before you sit. Keep valuables in a front pocket in the night market crowd, and agree any ride before you get in.