Bang Na Bangkok: BITEC, Mega Bangna and the end of the Sukhumvit line

Bang Na is where Sukhumvit stops pretending to be a boulevard and becomes a highway. It is the south-eastern end of Bangkok proper, the district you pass through on the way to the airport or Pattaya, and the one most visitors never get off at. There are three reasons to: the BITEC exhibition centre, a cluster of very large malls, and a river pier that leads straight to the city's green lung. Bang Na Bangkok is also simply cheaper and calmer than the Sukhumvit you know.

BITEC and the expo calendar

BITEC (Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre) sits directly on BTS Bang Na, joined to the station by a walkway. It hosts the big consumer fairs: the motor show spin-offs, the Thailand International Travel Fair, food and furniture expos, comic and gaming events and the occasional concert. Many are open to the public and free or cheap to enter. The Bangkok On map lists what is on there, so check it before a trip out this way.

Mega Bangna and Central Bangna

Two very different malls bookend the district. Central Bangna is the older one, a short walk from BTS Udom Suk (there is also a shuttle), with a cinema, a supermarket and a food court used by locals rather than tourists.

Mega Bangna is a different scale: a low, sprawling complex out on the Bang Na-Trat highway with IKEA, a Big C hypermarket, a multi-screen cinema and a long strip of restaurants around an outdoor plaza. It is not walkable from the BTS; free shuttle buses run from Udom Suk station, or take a taxi. Go on a weekday if crowds bother you, since at weekends it is a family destination for the whole east side of the city.

Eating in Bang Na Bangkok: the sois and the market

Between the malls, old Bang Na survives in the sois. Bang Na market, near the Bang Na intersection, is a proper morning wet market with a food section that wakes up early: rice porridge, grilled pork and sticky rice, and kuay jab rolled noodles. Sukhumvit Sois 101 to 105, around Punnawithi and Udom Suk stations, have a reputation among residents for cheap, good shophouse food, from Isaan grills to duck noodle shops.

For a sit-down meal, the restaurant strips at Mega Bangna cover most cuisines, and the Bangkok late-night eats post has options nearer the centre if you are heading back.

The ferry to Bang Krachao

The best reason to come to Bang Na is to leave it by water. From Wat Bang Na Nok, a temple at the end of Sukhumvit Soi 103 (Soi Bang Na), a small ferry crosses the Chao Phraya to the Bang Krachao peninsula, the bend in the river kept as parkland and orchards. Bicycles are for hire on the far side, and Bang Nam Phueng floating market runs at weekends. The full route is in the Bang Krachao guide. Allow a whole morning.

Getting there

• BTS Sukhumvit Line: Udom Suk for Central Bangna, Bang Na for BITEC, Punnawithi and Bearing for the sois.
• Mega Bangna: free shuttle from BTS Udom Suk exit 5, or a taxi along the Bang Na-Trat road.
• Wat Bang Na Nok pier: taxi or motorbike from BTS Bang Na, about ten minutes.
• Suvarnabhumi airport is a short taxi ride along the expressway, which makes Bang Na a practical last stop before a flight.