On a recent trip to Thailand I spent a few days midweek in Bangkok and went for long walks around the city at night.
In this post (and video) I will show you the dark side of Bangkok, when not many tourists go out for walks for fear of being mugged.
I hope this article will prove to you that walking around Bangkok at night is safe and if you have common sense there is nothing to fear!
During my previous trip to Thailand, backpacking from Singapore to Cambodia I also spent a night in Bangkok walking around the city, and nothing happened to me.
This time around it was exactly the same safe city, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Staying At The Hilton Millennium
My hotel, the Millennium Hilton was near the river, about 20 minutes walk from the Memorial Bridge and all the main temples and statues in downtown Bangkok.
First, I will describe to you what what the Millennium Hilton hotel looked like, then I will explain where I went walking from there in the evenings when the conference I was attending ended.
I took the train to the Milennium Hilton Hotel from Bangkok Airport. It was a bit of a complicated journey with two train changes and a ferry ride, but I enjoyed in nonetheless.
On the river it was amazing to see how many boats still use it in Bangkok as their usual thoroughfare and that it still serves as the main artery of the city, centuries after Bangkok’s foundation stones were laid.
My room at the Hilton was on the 15th floor for the first two nights but then I asked if I could move a bit further up and they gave me a room on the 25th floor.
Walking Around Bangkok At Night
The views over Bangkok and the night skyline were amazing from both rooms, overlooking the city and the river, providing for an amazing experience.
A little bit further up in the hotel building, on the 31 floor they even had a rooftop bar just next to the helipad, providing 360 degree views over the city.
The views from the 25th floor room were quite stunning, at night making me feel like I was part of the Blade Runner movie! My favourite part was to watch the sun set over the horizon and have a drink on the top floor enjoying the fresh breeze coming from the direction of the river.
Breakfast was pretty amazing with a mix of Asian and European cuisine, including pastries, miso soup, sushi, fresh fruits and a plethora of other things.
After dinner the second night I decided to go for a long walk to the Memorial Bridge and to check out the temples as I had no chance to do this during the day.
Bangkok Memorial Bridge Night Walk
The walk to the Memorial Bridge from the hotel takes about 35-40 minutes along a busy road, but this being at 11PM it was pretty quiet. Under the bridge there were various graffities as well as some abandoned cars and people sleeping on camping beds for the night.
A bit further up on the bridge I saw a bunch of youngsters playing the cool kids with their motorbikes and scooters, driving across the bridge on one wheel. I watched them doing this for a while then I walked down to the park to check out the temples of Bangkok after which I headed back towards the Millennium Hilton hotel.
Discovering A Bangkok Night Market
It was past midnight when I discovered the local night market on this side of Bangkok, where people were up and running late into the morning. Obviously, Bangkok never sleeps!
As I carried on walking back to the hotel I went past the local petrol station and the shop where I bought a bottle of cold drink which gave me a terrible sore throat later. Past the shop was a 24/7 internet cafe where the bikers gathered after the action on the bridge.
The next evening around 10PM I went off to the train station to buy myself a ticket to Prachuap Khiri Khan where I travelled for the weekend.
After the station I headed off to the shopping district with my colleagues where I saw some pretty cool electronic displays, trains overhead and lots of city lights!
It all seemed very futuristic, again making me feel like I was part of Blade Runner.
We wondered around the area for a while, then decided to head back to the hotel as we were all very tired. The tuktuk back to the hotel wasn’t very comfortable but it did the job, ending my late night adventure in style!