A Beginner’s Guide to Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok’s Boulevard of Dreams

Travellers to Bangkok head to Sukhumvit Road often knowing very little about it other than it’s second only to Khao San Road as the best known street in the city. We asked Australian Travel Writer and long time Bangkok visitor John Borthwick to create a guide for first-time visitors to the city to help them discover the wonders of the busiest thoroughfare in the Thai capital.

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Rip-roaring Sukhumvit Road is Bangkok’s boulevard of dreams and schemes. It’s not only the city’s longest thoroughfare but, stretching 490km southeast towards Cambodia, also one of the world’s longest main roads.

Rice paddies and mansion estates bordered Thanon Sukhumwit (its proper name) until the 1970s when the money monster that ate old Bangkok rolled in. The great artery is now all about SkyTrain stations, hotels, highrise malls, traffic jams and hyperactive city nightlife. Most visitors head to the lower Sukhumvit zones between sois (streets) four and 24, so let’s go exploring.

Getting around Sukhumvit Road

To beat the traffic in the Sukhumvit area, head for the elevated SkyTrain line that hurdles the street-level melee. The trains are clean, frequent and air-conditioned, although often with standing room only. The best deal is to purchase a 150 baht, one-day pass unless you are only taking short trips.

Taxis, when you must, are plentiful and cheap but be sure the meter is on. Tuk-tuks are unmetered and will charge whatever they can, so fix the price before you start rolling.

Eating on Sukhumvit Road

There’s little chance of going hungry on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok with eating establishments that range from five-star to late-night hawker carts selling fried crickets and grasshoppers.

Don’t overlook the food courts in malls, where the quality is well above what you might expect. Emporium (Phrom Phong station) has multiple restaurants and food outlets, and the fifth-floor food court Terminal 21 (Asok station) is one of the best in Bangkok — try the Hainanese chicken rice.

For fine Indian dining, try Rang Mahal atop the Rembrandt Hotel Soi 18, or for Korean fare head to Korea Square (Soi 12) and its array of restaurants.

Further down the same soi is the celebrated Cabbages and Condoms, operated by the charitable Population and Community Development Association — tasty Thai food served with the chillies chilled down for foreign palates.

Wherever you graze, do sample the classic dessert khao niow mamuang, mango and sticky rice.

Shopping on Sukhumvit Road

Shopping along lower Sukhumvit tends to be a vertical experience, a mall trawl of towers that specialise in international brand products — fashion, cosmetics, footwear, beauty products, etc. The full franchise alphabet is here from Armani to Zimmermann, and much more. For bargains, keep an eye on the ground floor of malls, which frequently host pop-up clothes sales.

Sukhumvit’s major malls include Terminal 21 (at Asok station) and Emporium and EmQuartier (both at Phrom Phong), with large department stores and hundreds of smaller stores, plus top restaurants, cinemas, a great food court and even a five-storey waterfall. 

The Best of Lower Sukhumvit – Nana and Asok

For convenience, we have split lower Sukhumvit into two sections, Nana and then Asoke to Phrom Phong. So let’s explore the most popular Soi’s that run off Sukhumvit in these two areas.

Nana

The next SkyTrain stop west of Asoke is Nana (pronounced Naa- naa) at Sukhumvit Soi 9. The surrounding streets come out at night to party full-tilt. Think sports bars, bargain shopping, beer bars and restaurants. Also plenty of Indian tailors, the quickest stitchers in town.

Nana wakes in late afternoon when the northern sidewalk of Sukhumvit Road becomes a cattle crush of hawker stands and stalls selling “copy” watches, hero shirts, handbags, caps, pirated media and you-name-it. Forget cards, cash is king. Price haggle for the sport but you won’t beat the house.

Soi 4

Nana’s main entertainment drag is an insomniac avenue known as Soi Nana (officially Sukhumvit Soi 4), ground zero for riotous bars, riotous clubs, massage shops and the large Nana Entertainment Plaza.

It’s not all seediness, but the theme here is unabashedly “one-night-in-Bangkok.” Grab a pew at a street- front bar like the Nana Hotel’s and observe the circus in full swing.

Soi 11

Sukhumvit Soi 11 thrives as one of Bangkok’s hottest party zones. It’s not about pole dancers and bar crawlers but quality restaurants and clubs. More classy than other Nana sois, it is correspondingly more expensive. Among the best hotels here are the Hyatt Regency, Aloft Bangkok and Fraser Suites.

For drinkers, Soi 11’s most eccentric doorway is at Havana Social, which looks like a phone booth. Inside is one of the city’s most popular cocktail bars, all Cuban cool, Latino music and beautiful movers. Meanwhile, Levels club has plenty of dance room and delivers a wide range of music. At One Two Two Cocktail Bar the namesake cocktails are the draw card, plus more good dance music.

Where to Eat on Soi 11

The name hotels here include Marriott Executive Apartments and Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok. Among the quality eating places are Kuppadeli (inside Emporium), Nadimos (Lebanese) and Veganerie vegan bakery-cafe near Benjasiri Park.

Before or after clubbing, there’s always food, so here’s a quick rundown on some of Soi 11’s most popular eateries.

• Burapa – Dishes from Eastern and Northern Thailand, amid plush decor themed on a luxurious train carriage.
• Limoncello – Italian favourites, excellent pizza, classic desserts and a good wine list.
• Oskar Bistro – An always popular spot for multinational cuisine and seafood.
• Pastel – Mediterranean menu plus rooftop bar. Arrive in time to catch the sunset.
• Rosabieng – Classic Thai dishes and live music.

Asoke and Phrom Phong

Soi 21

The intersection of Sukhumvit and Asoke roads is a traffic tsunami that’s best avoided by using the BTS SkyTrain.

Hop off at Asok station and then stay above the street on the extensive overhead walkway. Linked to it is Terminal 21, a mammoth shopping center that can hold you and your credit card captive for hours.

Soi 22

Sukhumvit Soi 22 sits nearly midway between Asoke and Phrom Phong stations. It’s a potpourri — or in a Thai terms, a tom yum gong — of a street, where restaurants and hotels trade next door to hostess bars, upscale apartments and schools.

Among its many hotels are the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, My Home 22 Female Hostel, Marvel Hotel and Holiday Inn Bangkok Sukhumvit 22.

The nightlife on Soi 22 ranges from beer bars to live music. For dining, try a change from spicy Thai food and sample Indonesian spicy fare at Rasa Khas.

Soi 23

Running between Asoke Road (Sukhumvit Soi 21) and Soi 23 is the thoroughfare known as Soi Cowboy, a thumping, neon-lit strip of go-go clubs and bars.

Not far from Terminal 21 shopping mall, the action here is the chrome polar opposite of decorous shopping. Fewer clothes are involved. Perhaps not for the prudish.

Soi 24

This long soi at the heart of Phrom Phong extends south from the large Emporium mall on Sukhumvit Road. Lined with hotels, restaurants and apartments, the street is home to long- and short-stay expats and Thai families.

Thong Lor District: Soi 55

Welcome to the higher-end of Sukhumvit nightlife. Much further east along Sukhumvit is Soi Thong Lor, one of Bangkok’s more fashionable shopping and residential zones. Take the SkyTrain to Thong Lo station and wander the blocks of boutique shops and excellent restaurants, including Korean, Japanese and of course, Thai.

Map of Sukhumvit Road and the top attractions

And So To Bed … For a zone that sleeps so little, Sukhumvit has an enormous range of beds, from backpacker dens to five-plus star suites. Most big international chains are present, including Radisson, Movenpick, Hilton, Marriott, Westin, Avani, Sheraton and the various Accor brands, plus scores of independent Thai properties.