Often called Thailand’s “Capital in the North,” the mountainside city of Chiang Mai is an idyllic destination with bundles on offer across its rich and varied neighborhoods.
16.04.2024 - 22:12 / lonelyplanet.com / Art
To put it bluntly, Bangkok is a behemoth.
There are 50 districts and more than 2000 communities within the Thai capital. Factor in the round-the-clock energy and red-hot dining and nightlife scenes, and it can be hard to know where to focus your time and attention. While cheap taxis can tempt you to cross the city on a whim, persistent gridlock can sink itineraries. Bangkok is easier to love when you focus on just one or two neighborhoods at a time. It also rewards visitors who escape Ratanakosin’s temple touts and Khao San Road’s backpacker bar life.
Whether you want to party with the upper crust in Thonglor or go on a laid-back photo walk in Talat Noi, here are five neighborhoods you can’t miss in Bangkok.
Best for bougie nightlife
Few districts embody Bangkok’s rapid development better than Thonglor and neighboring Ekkamai. In the early 2000s, the city’s young money convened at its indie bars and clubs. Condos, office towers and upscale restaurants have polished out the rough – and most interesting – edges, but the neighborhoods remain among the best places to see and be seen in Bangkok (and get a good drink).
Start at the Commons, a four-storey community mall boasting more than a dozen restaurants and bars. Grab an IPA at the Beer Cap or a negroni at Sugarray Apartment, then pick your poison from the many other bars within stumbling distance.
Go for the music at vinyl-haven Bar Marco. Try one of 26 signature drinks at Rabbit Hole or a “super classic” (a fusion of two classic cocktails) at Dry Wave. Plug into the city’s underground at vintage shops-slash-dive bars Tuba and Shades of Retro. Pick from 30 taps of beer at Mikkeller. After midnight, let loose at 12 x 12 – the place to go for alternative electronic music – or high-energy MU:IN, a Korean club brand and favorite among young Thai party people.
Afterward, fill up on Thai-Chinese food at late-night spot Sangchai Pochana, before crashing at Hotel Nikko or an Airbnb – there are many affordable options in the nearby condos.
On a budget? Here are the best free things to do in Bangkok
Best neighborhood for creatives and photographers
One of Bangkok’s oldest communities, Talat Noi was once the city’s hub for spare auto parts. Today, this district wedged between Chinatown and the Chao Phraya River is known for the photogenic cafes that have cropped up between shrines and shophouses spilling over with second-hand engines.
Follow camera-toting cafe-hoppers to Mother Roaster, a drip coffee specialist set above a room full of auto parts. Then dodge the sputtering Vespas rumbling down the narrow alleyways to Timo and Tintin for iced lattes and designer keepsakes. For single-origin coffee, don’t miss Danish import La Cabra.
Bangkok’s creative community flexes
Often called Thailand’s “Capital in the North,” the mountainside city of Chiang Mai is an idyllic destination with bundles on offer across its rich and varied neighborhoods.
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