Bustling, traffic-clogged Thanon Sukhumvit pushes the urban sprawl eastwards, and continues some 400km (250 miles) all the way to Trat, close to the Cambodian border. Once a dirt track surrounded by marshland, the road was built in the 1930s and became Thailand’s first proper highway, transporting people beyond the capital. Today it’s the efficient Skytrain that provides the fastest means of transport between the upmarket shops, restaurants and entertainment venues that line the Bangkok segment of Thanon Sukhumvit, located mainly around the Nana, Asok, Phrom Phong and Thong Lo stations.
Benjakitti Park’s Lake Ractchada during the Loy Krathong festival.
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Outdoor sculpture at Benjakitti Park.
Jason Lang/Apa Publications
Although thin on key tourist attractions, visitors do come. This is a major residential area, home to many of Bangkok’s expanding middle classes and the ever-increasing numbers of European, American and Asian expatriates; plush condo towers line the sometimes quite leafy sois that splay either side of the main road, and there are also several top-flight hotels, and seemingly increasing in their number with each passing month. In short, there’s a lot of disposable income around, and, consequently, a lot to spend it on. An excellent range of restaurants and cafés, including Italian, Indian and Middle Eastern, provide early evening fuel stops, and some of Bangkok’s best clubs let people party on late into the night.
Sukhumvit’s side roads
About 100 metres/yds from the expressway, on the right, is Soi 4, where the raucous go-go bars of the three-storey Nana Entertainment Plaza 1 [map] are in full swing every night. Working girls and katoeys (ladyboys) solicit customers on the street here, particularly after hours, from 1am-ish, and the area is seedier than Patpong, though it is also a good place to try the local delicacy of deep-fried insects from street stalls. There have been recent attempts by authorities to restrict the late-night bars, but with limited success. Opposite is Soi 3, known as “Soi Arab” for its lanes of Lebanese cafés and shisha pipes, smoked streetside, like downtown Cairo. Further on Soi 3 is Bumrungrad Hospital, the prime beneficiary of Thailand’s boom in health tourism. People come here from all over the world for the low-priced, good-quality care in everything from dental work to cosmetics and major surgery. The booming sector has knock-on effects for the country’s government hospitals, which are increasingly struggling to find medical staff.
Tip
Sukhumvit’s odd and even streets (soi) are out of synch. For instance Soi 24, beside Emporium mall, is opposite Soi 39, on the other side of the street.
These sois mark the beginning of Sukhumvit’s profusion of tailors, pool halls, beer bars and hotels. A night market used to crowd the pavements from these early blocks, but the military government enforced a clean-up of the city’s streets. The vendors have been moved on, with only a few hardy stall owners daring to ply their trade. However, as with many things in Bangkok and Thailand, the clean-up campaign may only be temporary.
Soi 11 is one of the trendiest streets in Bangkok for eateries and clubs. Current highlights include LEVELS, which markets itself as a lounge bar, but masquerading as more of a late-night dance club, and Sugar Club, which offers the latest hip hop. Both are pick-up spots for all manner of people who like to dance and party until dawn. Close by is Cheap Charlie’s, a bar that proves Bangkok’s variety, with its complete lack of roof or walls (or toilet facilities).
Further along, Soi 21 (Soi Asoke) has another pole-dancing neon strip, Soi Cowboy, located on the right, while on the left is the more genteel ambience of the Siam Society.
The stylish Indus bar.
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Siam Society
The headquarters of the Siam Society at Sukhumvit Soi 21 (Soi Asoke) is situated in one of Sukhumvit’s oldest buildings. It was founded in 1904 to promote the study and preservation of Thai culture (tel: 0-2661 6470-77; www.siam-society.org; Tue–Sat 9am–5pm), and has an excellent library full of rare books on Thai history, plus old manuscripts and maps. For visitors with more than just passing curiosity, look out for the society’s regular lectures on regional history and culture. Non-members may attend by paying a nominal fee.
Kamthieng House 2 [map]
Address: 131 Sukhumvit Soi 21, www.siam-society.org
Tel: 0-2661 6470
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sat 9am–5pm
Entrance Fee: charge
Transport: (BTS) Asok, (MRT) Sukhumvit
In the same grounds as the Siam Society is this 150-year-old building, which was a wooden home on the banks of Chiang Mai’s Mae Ping river before being transported to Bangkok, carefully reassembled and opened as an ethnological museum. It is reputedly still inhabited by the ghosts of three former residents. Presentations include audio-visual displays on northern folk culture and daily life.
Sukhumvit’s parks
Still on Soi Asoke (Soi 21), south of the Sukhumvit intersection is Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), which hosts mainly large-scale business, cultural and entertainment events. The centre looks out over Benjakitti Park 3 [map] (daily 5am–8pm; free), an activity-orientated green space overlooking the artificial Lake Ratchada. Part of the park is shaded by trees, including a children’s play area, and it’s enhanced by large fountains and cascading water displays. In the early morning and evening a crowd of joggers and cyclists circles the lake on two designated paths. It’s very close to the MRT station and refreshments are available in the QSNCC. The park has recently been expanded, and this addition to Bangkok’s greenery has been embraced by Bangkok families who come here to relax and picnic.
Further east, near Soi 24 and Emporium shopping mall, is Benjasiri Park 4 [map] (daily 5am–8pm; free). Opened in celebration of the present dowager queen’s 60th birthday, the small garden has a large pond, fountains and sculptures by some of the country’s most respected artists. There are also basketball courts, a skate park and a swimming pool with Thai pavilions to relax under. The front of the park is often busy with tai chi enthusiasts.
Emporium and Soi Thonglor
On the corner of Soi 24, beside the Phrom Phong Skytrain station, is Sukhumvit’s premier shopping mall, Emporium, with its six floors of upmarket furniture, clothes and decor shops, bakeries, coffee bars and restaurants. At the top are several cinema screens and the Thailand Creative and Design Centre, which is a favourite with art and design enthusiasts for exhibitions ranging from Japanese bamboo crafts to the marketing of Thai street food. There are also occasional film shows in its café.
Further east, just off Thong Lo Skytrain station is Sukhumvit Soi 55, or Soi Thonglor. Opposite the mouth of the soi, Sukhumvit Soi 38 is a great place for street food, as it has lots of different stalls to try, and just down 38 on the left is the classy Face Bar. Thonglor itself and the sois off it (Thonglor is also the name of the area) have flourished in the last decade and there are now several small enclaves with shopping, clubs, bars and restaurants. It has a boutique, out-of-town-ambience that appeals to both Thais and expats. The clubs and bars are modern and edgy, certainly influenced by the young generation’s exposure to international entertainment, but with a stronger local feel than many of their downtown counterparts. Easy Skytrain access means people travel from all over the city to get here. Popular clubs include Badmotel, often described as ‘crumbling chic’ and ultra-hip with Thailand’s young high society, and Demo, which is a variation on the theme, while shoppers drop by the bijou H1 mall for coffees and frocks, and the sub sois are filling with trendy restaurants, like Harvey’s, Red and Bo.lan.