Where to Stay in Bangkok (Location Guide)

Bangkok has three main red light districts: Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy and Patpong.

Of these nightlife areas, two (Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy) are located within 10 minutes of each other on Sukhumvit Road. Nana and Soi Cowboy are by far the busiest and most popular areas for nightlife, and the stretch of Sukhumvit Road from Soi 2 to Soi 23 is where you’ll find most of Bangkok’s guest friendly hotels.

The majority of the hotels listed on this site are located between Soi 2 and Soi 23, which is where you’ll want to stay. Within this area, there are certain areas that are the best located for accessing the nightlife:

• Sukhumvit Soi 2 and 4. These sois are both close to Nana Plaza (Nana Plaza is on Soi 4) and are perfect if you want to be able to walk to and from the bars at Nana and you hotel in less than five minutes.
• Sukhumvit Soi 8. Quieter than Soi 2 or Soi 4 but still within walking distance of Nana Plaza, Soi 8 is a good option if you want to be in a quieter area but still able to walk to the bars in less than 10 minutes.
• Sukhumvit Soi 10. Another nice quiet street that’s close to Nana Plaza and a reasonable walk from Soi Cowboy.
• Sukhumvit Soi 11. A major party street, although less dedicated to gogo bars than Soi 4 and Soi 21/23. A good place to stay if you want to be close to bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Lots of good food on this street, both of the street food and regular restaurant variety.
• Sukhumvit Soi 19. This street is located close to Soi Cowboy and within five minutes walking distance of Terminal 21 and Asok Station. One of the best sois on Sukhumvit if your plan is to enjoy the nightlife at Soi Cowboy.
• Sukhumvit Soi 21 and 23. Both of these streets are connected to Soi Cowboy and have a good selection of four and five star hotels. This is one of the best areas to stay in if you want to spend your time at Soi Cowboy and want to be close to the BTS Skytrain.

All in all, these are the four best “zones” of Sukhumvit to be in. All of these sois are within easy walking distance of the nightlife and have a good selection of hotels. I personally usually stay on Sukhumvit Soi 2 when I’m in Bangkok, but you’ll be happy staying on any of the sois listed above.

For Patpong, your options are a bit more spread out. Most of the guest friendly luxury hotels in this area are located on upper Silom Road and Sathorn Road, both of which are a taxi ride away from Soi Patpong. There are also some options around Sala Daeng BTS station, most of which are four and five star hotels.

On the whole, my first choice in Bangkok is one of the areas around Lower Sukhumvit, such as Sukhumvit Soi 2, Soi 8, Soi 19 or Soi 21. I rarely stay in Silom as it’s easy to get a taxi or the BTS over to this part of Bangkok from anywhere in the Sukhumvit area.