Getting to Bangkok's Red Light Districts
Most of the guest friendly hotels listed here are in close proximity to the red light districts of Patpong, Nana and Soi Cowboy. But I know everyone wants to check out all of them and it's very easy to do so by taking advantage of Bangkok's mass transit system, the Bangkok Transit System (BTS) also called Sky Train and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) which is an underground train.
The BTS and MRT are both very tourist friendly. All the signs and maps with points of interests are in English. The station clerks are fluent in English and even the station stops are announced in English. It's quite hard to get lost.
We always suggest that it's best to stay in a hotel near Nana or Soi Cowboy red light districts. That's where you'll find the most concentration of guest friendly hotels as well as the most go go bars and Thai freelancers. For example let's say you bar fined or picked up a freelancer for 1 hour and your hotel is not near the red light districts. This means you're going to end wasting most of that 1 hour on travel time instead of what you really want to do.
Both of these cheap and fast modes of transportation can easily zip you to all three of the red light districts. And best thing of all is that all trains are air conditioned. The only setback is that the trains only operate from 6am to 12am everyday. Even though the official closing time is 12am you might not be allowed into the station around 11:30pm.
To get to Patpong you can take the nearest Sky Train and get off at BTS Sala Daeng station. Alternatively if you're hotel is near an MRT station you can take the train and get off at Silom station.
To get to Nana, take the nearest Sky Train to BTS Nana station. There are no MRT stations near this red light district. Do make sure you use stair exit #2 which is the closest to Nana Entertainment Plaza.
To get to Soi Cowboy you can take the Sky Train to BTS Asok station. Alternatively you can take the MRT and get off at the Sukhumvit station.
Note the map shows two stations in the red light districts where you can transfer between the MRT and BTS at Silom and Sukhumvit stations.
Tuk Tuks and Moto-Taxis
If your hotel is in the Nana area and you want to visit Soi Cowboy or vice versa, I suggest using a moto-taxi. Because the roads of Sukhumvit during the night time, especially during the evening rush hour is horrendous to be stuck in a taxi. A moto-taxi ride between those areas should cost you 20THB to 30THB, depending on your negotiating skills. Just keep in mind as a foreigner they'll most likely try and get away with making you pay more.
If you're afraid of getting on one than you can take the Sky Train which is just 1 stop away from each other. Just remember, the Sky Train stop operating after 12am.
Tuk Tuks to me personally are a rip off. They cost as much as a taxi (sometimes more) and the fumes can make your night a short one.
But if you're traveling with some friends and you want to experience it then go ahead and give it a try.
I don't recommend taking a moto-taxi or tuk tuk to Patpong as the distance is a tad far.
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