Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Sukhumvit is the long road that runs east from Nana under the BTS Skytrain, plus the numbered sois off it. Odd numbers sit on the north side and even numbers on the south. Lower Sukhumvit, from about Soi 1 to Soi 24, is where most visitors base themselves, because the hotels, bars and stations are all packed in together.

Busy, loud and varied. Beer gardens fill first, then the gogo bars at Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy, and the clubs wake up later. Street freelancers work parts of the pavement, and the side sois are full of bars, massage shops and food stalls. It rarely feels empty, so a short walk between sois is often the best way to pick your place.

Two main hubs: Nana Plaza on Soi 4, a three-storey horseshoe of gogo bars, and Soi Cowboy, a short neon lane between Soi 21 and Soi 23 near Asok. The pavements of Soi Nana and Sukhumvit Road itself add street freelancers and open-fronted beer bars. Each hub has its own page with the venues inside it.

The mix is wider than any other Bangkok district. The listings include 7 gogo bars, 10 beer bars, 3 freelancer spots, 15 nightclubs, 4 rooftop bars and 5 malls, plus 88 massage shops and 141 bars in all. That is 275 places in total, so filter by type to find what you want.

Sukhumvit has the most choice and the strongest red-light scene, with Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy a few stops apart. Silom has Patpong and Soi Thaniya, which are smaller and more touristy. Thonglor and Ekkamai are the smarter end, where young Thais drink and the bar-girl scene is almost absent. Pick Sukhumvit for variety, the others for a change of pace.

Somewhere between Nana and Asok, so you can walk to both Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy and reach a BTS station in minutes. A beer bar on Soi 4 or a beer garden near Soi 7 is an easy first stop before the gogo bars. Check a hotel's guest policy before you book, because rules differ from one place to the next.

The BTS Skytrain runs along Sukhumvit Road, with Nana and Asok the stations most visitors use, and the MRT crosses at Sukhumvit station. Both stop running around midnight, so after that use Grab or Bolt, or a metered taxi where the driver agrees to the meter. Motorbike taxis wait at soi entrances for short hops, and you should agree the fare first.

Crowds and street freelancers. Keep your phone in a front pocket around Nana and Soi Cowboy, and agree terms before you walk anywhere with someone you meet on the pavement. Between about Soi 3 and Soi 15 the street scene is at its busiest. Check the bill in any bar before you settle up, and keep condoms with you.