฿450–1,000 · ฿1,800–4,200 · ฿4,500–13,000 ShoppingBusinessFamily
BTS Siam is the only place the Sukhumvit and Silom lines meet; Chit Lom, Ratchadamri and National Stadium are one stop out, and the skywalk over Rama I links National Stadium, MBK, Siam and CentralWorld without a road crossing.
5.4 km to the Grand Palace, 0.7 km to Siam, 19.9 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 5/5.
24 hotels listed, 24 rated, averaging 4.5 out of 5. 7 places to eat, 87 bars and clubs.
The catch: You pay a mall premium to sleep here: the mid-range band starts ฿600 above Ratchathewi, one BTS stop west, and the malls shut at 22:00, after which the district is eight lanes of Rama I and Ratchadamri traffic and not much else.
฿200–600 · ฿800–1,800 · ฿2,500–4,500 BackpackerOld cityNightlife
No BTS or MRT: the nearest rail is MRT Sam Yot about 1.5 km south, and the Chao Phraya Express boat from Phra Athit pier is usually the faster way out.
1.2 km to the Grand Palace, 4.3 km to Siam, 20.7 km to Don Mueang. Noise 5/5, walkability 5/5.
20 hotels listed, 20 rated, averaging 4.5 out of 5. 3 places to eat, 154 bars and clubs.
The catch: The bars on Khao San and Rambuttri run loud until 02:00, and a street-facing room here is a bad night's sleep at any price.
฿300–700 · ฿1,200–2,500 · ฿3,500–8,000 ShoppingLocal
BTS Ratchathewi and Phaya Thai on the Sukhumvit line, one and two stops from Siam; the Airport Rail Link stops at Ratchaprarop.
5.3 km to the Grand Palace, 1 km to Siam, 19.2 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 3/5.
16 hotels listed, 16 rated, averaging 4.3 out of 5. 17 places to eat, 70 bars and clubs.
The catch: Pratunam's pavements are wholesale clothing stalls from morning until late, so walking anywhere with a suitcase takes twice as long as the map suggests.
฿380–900 · ฿1,500–3,200 · ฿4,500–10,000 NightlifeExpatShopping
BTS Nana, Asok, Phrom Phong and Thong Lo on the Sukhumvit line, with the MRT Blue Line interchange at Asok / Sukhumvit.
7.6 km to the Grand Palace, 2.9 km to Siam, 20.1 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 4/5.
10 hotels listed, 10 rated, averaging 4.3 out of 5. 30 places to eat, 585 bars and clubs.
The catch: The stretch between Nana and Asok is a red-light district after dark, which is worth knowing before booking a family room on those sois.
฿300–700 · ฿700–1,600 · ฿2,500–6,000 LocalRiversideQuiet
BTS Wongwian Yai at the western end of the Silom line, MRT Blue Line at Itsaraphap and Tha Phra, plus cross-river ferries to the Old City.
3.3 km to the Grand Palace, 5.9 km to Siam, 25 km to Don Mueang. Noise 2/5, walkability 2/5.
10 hotels listed, 7 rated, averaging 4.2 out of 5. 16 places to eat, 106 bars and clubs.
The catch: The west bank is spread thin, and an address that looks close to Wat Arun on a map is often a 20-minute walk from the nearest pier — check that walk before booking.
฿350–800 · ฿1,400–3,000 · ฿4,000–9,000 NightlifeBusiness
BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Si Lom share the same junction — the interchange between the Silom line and the Blue Line.
5.4 km to the Grand Palace, 2.3 km to Siam, 22.3 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 4/5.
9 hotels listed, 9 rated, averaging 4.3 out of 5. 2 places to eat, 277 bars and clubs.
The catch: Silom runs on the office week: Patpong and Soi 4 fill every night, but the lunch shophouses and street carts that make the district thin out at the weekend.
฿300–700 · ฿1,100–2,600 · ฿3,500–9,000 Old cityRiverside
MRT Blue Line at Sanam Chai for Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, plus Chao Phraya Express boat stops at Tha Tien and Tha Chang.
0.4 km to the Grand Palace, 4.5 km to Siam, 21.6 km to Don Mueang. Noise 3/5, walkability 5/5.
8 hotels listed, 8 rated, averaging 4.6 out of 5. 3 places to eat, 71 bars and clubs.
The catch: The Old City empties after dark — most kitchens close by 21:00, and an evening in Sukhumvit or Silom means 30–40 minutes each way.
฿300–650 · ฿800–1,800 · ฿2,400–5,000 NightlifeLocal
MRT Blue Line at Huai Khwang, Thailand Cultural Centre and Sutthisan, with the Orange Line interchange at Thailand Cultural Centre.
9.4 km to the Grand Palace, 5.5 km to Siam, 15.5 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 3/5.
6 hotels listed, 6 rated, averaging 4.2 out of 5. 11 places to eat, 114 bars and clubs.
The catch: The going-out here is Ratchada's late-night market and its hostess-bar strip, and the MRT stops around midnight — so the way home is a taxi.
฿300–700 · ฿900–1,900 · ฿2,500–5,000 LocalExpat
BTS On Nut and Phra Khanong on the Sukhumvit line, six stops east of Asok.
12.9 km to the Grand Palace, 8.5 km to Siam, 16.2 km to Suvarnabhumi. Noise 3/5, walkability 3/5.
4 hotels listed, 4 rated, averaging 4.6 out of 5. 3 places to eat, 113 bars and clubs.
The catch: Every temple on a first-timer's list is 40 minutes away by train, and the evening here winds down earlier than it does further west along the same line.
฿300–650 · ฿750–1,600 · ฿2,200–4,500 Local
MRT Sutthisan and Huai Khwang are a 10–15 minute walk from most of the district; there is no BTS.
7.1 km to the Grand Palace, 3.4 km to Siam, 16.8 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 2/5.
3 hotels listed, 3 rated, averaging 4.2 out of 5. 9 places to eat, 81 bars and clubs.
The catch: Din Daeng is where three expressways tie themselves together — the traffic noise is constant and the district's own list of things to do is short.
฿300–650 · ฿800–1,700 · ฿2,200–4,500 LocalShopping
MRT Blue Line at Lat Phrao and Phahon Yothin, plus the Yellow Line monorail running south-east along Lat Phrao Road.
13.9 km to the Grand Palace, 10.2 km to Siam, 12.1 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 2/5.
3 hotels listed, 3 rated, averaging 4.2 out of 5. 4 places to eat, 209 bars and clubs.
The catch: It is a residential district built around a road junction — the food is good and the rooms are cheap, but it is a 35-minute ride to any temple.
฿300–650 · ฿800–1,800 · ฿2,500–5,500 BusinessFamilyShopping
BTS Bang Na and Udom Suk on the Sukhumvit line; Suvarnabhumi is about 20 minutes by road on the Burapha Withi expressway.
15.3 km to the Grand Palace, 11.5 km to Siam, 16 km to Suvarnabhumi. Noise 3/5, walkability 2/5.
2 hotels listed, 2 rated, averaging 4.7 out of 5. 35 bars and clubs.
The catch: Nothing people fly to Bangkok for is within walking distance: this is a district for a BITEC exhibition or an early Suvarnabhumi departure, not for a holiday.
฿400–900 · ฿1,800–3,500 · ฿6,000–20,000 RiversideQuiet
BTS Saphan Taksin sits at Sathorn pier, where the Chao Phraya Express boats and the free hotel shuttle boats depart.
3.8 km to the Grand Palace, 3.4 km to Siam, 23.4 km to Don Mueang. Noise 2/5, walkability 3/5.
2 hotels listed, 2 rated, averaging 4.6 out of 5. 2 places to eat, 55 bars and clubs.
The catch: The hotels are strung along the bank with six-lane roads behind them, so leaving the property usually means a boat or a taxi rather than a walk.
฿400–900 · ฿1,600–3,200 · ฿5,000–12,000 BusinessExpatQuiet
BTS Chong Nonsi and Surasak on the Silom line, MRT Lumphini at the eastern end of Sathorn Road.
5.3 km to the Grand Palace, 2.9 km to Siam, 23 km to Don Mueang. Noise 3/5, walkability 3/5.
2 hotels listed, 2 rated, averaging 4.7 out of 5. 1 places to eat, 66 bars and clubs.
The catch: Sathorn is an office district: eight lanes of commuter traffic by day, quiet by 22:00, with the eating and drinking one street over in Silom.
฿400–800 · ฿1,200–2,400 · ฿3,000–6,000 QuietLocal
BTS Ari on the Sukhumvit line — one stop from Saphan Khwai, four from Mo Chit, seven from Siam.
6.6 km to the Grand Palace, 3.9 km to Siam, 16.2 km to Don Mueang. Noise 2/5, walkability 4/5.
1 hotel listed, 1 rated, averaging 4.7 out of 5. 56 bars and clubs.
The catch: The cafés and small restaurants people come to Ari for sit on side sois that shut by 22:00, and there is no sight here a first-time visitor would cross the city for.
฿280–600 · ฿700–1,500 · ฿2,000–4,000 LocalShopping
MRT Yellow Line monorail along Lat Phrao Road; no BTS, so a trip to Siam means at least one change.
17 km to the Grand Palace, 12.4 km to Siam, 13.8 km to Suvarnabhumi. Noise 4/5, walkability 2/5.
1 hotel listed, 1 rated, averaging 4.2 out of 5. 1 places to eat, 91 bars and clubs.
The catch: It sits 12 km east of Siam with no BTS, so every sightseeing day opens with a 30–45 minute ride in each direction.
฿300–700 · ฿900–2,000 · ฿2,800–6,000 ShoppingLocal
BTS Mo Chit and MRT Chatuchak Park / Kamphaeng Phet meet at the market's north gate — the northern end of both lines.
8.5 km to the Grand Palace, 6.3 km to Siam, 13.9 km to Don Mueang. Noise 3/5, walkability 3/5.
1 hotel listed, 1 rated, averaging 3.5 out of 5. 125 bars and clubs.
The catch: The weekend market is the draw and it only opens Saturday and Sunday — arrive on a Tuesday and the district is a park, a bus terminal and a very long wall.
฿350–750 · ฿1,000–2,000 · ฿2,800–6,000 QuietOld city
No BTS and no MRT inside Dusit: buses along Ratchawithi and Samsen roads, or the Chao Phraya Express boat from Thewet pier.
3.9 km to the Grand Palace, 4.1 km to Siam, 18 km to Don Mueang. Noise 2/5, walkability 3/5.
1 hotel listed, 1 rated, averaging 4.7 out of 5. 7 bars and clubs.
The catch: We track no businesses at all in Dusit yet, and with neither a BTS nor an MRT station in the district every trip out starts with a bus, a boat or a Grab.
฿500–1,000 · ฿2,000–3,800 · ฿5,500–12,000 ExpatNightlife
BTS Thong Lo and Ekkamai on the Sukhumvit line; the soi itself runs 2 km north of the station.
9.8 km to the Grand Palace, 5.2 km to Siam, 18.9 km to Suvarnabhumi. Noise 3/5, walkability 2/5.
1 hotel listed, 1 rated, averaging 4.1 out of 5. 5 places to eat, 336 bars and clubs.
The catch: Thong Lo soi is 2 km long with no station at the top end, so a good half of the bars and restaurants people book this district for need a motorbike taxi from the BTS.
฿300–650 · ฿800–1,700 · ฿2,200–4,500 BusinessLocal
Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, the country's main rail station, plus MRT Blue Line at Bang Sue and the SRT Red Line north to Don Mueang.
8.3 km to the Grand Palace, 7.2 km to Siam, 13.7 km to Don Mueang. Noise 3/5, walkability 2/5.
No hotel listed here yet — 20 businesses of any kind in our rows. 20 bars and clubs.
The catch: The station is the entire reason to be here, and what surrounds it is car parks, construction hoarding and expressway ramps rather than anywhere to spend an evening.
฿300–650 · ฿900–1,900 · ฿2,500–5,000 LocalShopping
BTS Phaya Thai and Victory Monument on the Sukhumvit line, and the Airport Rail Link terminus at Phaya Thai — one seat to Suvarnabhumi.
5.3 km to the Grand Palace, 2.2 km to Siam, 18 km to Don Mueang. Noise 4/5, walkability 3/5.
No hotel listed here yet — 40 businesses of any kind in our rows. 39 bars and clubs.
The catch: Victory Monument is a roundabout wrapped in bus platforms: it is as convenient as Bangkok gets and there is no quiet street to retreat to.
฿300–700 · ฿1,200–2,600 · ฿3,500–7,000 LocalOld cityBackpacker
MRT Wat Mangkon on the Blue Line opens directly onto Yaowarat Road; Hua Lamphong is one stop further.
2.2 km to the Grand Palace, 2.8 km to Siam, 21.9 km to Don Mueang. Noise 5/5, walkability 4/5.
No hotel listed here yet — 58 businesses of any kind in our rows. 3 places to eat, 54 bars and clubs.
The catch: The street food that fills Yaowarat Road does not start until about 18:00, and the traffic and stall generators keep going with it past midnight.
