Bangkok rooftop bars by area: Silom, Siam, Sukhumvit, river
Bangkok rooftop bars are a genre in themselves: dozens of hotels have one, and the skyline is big enough that each area gives a different view. Silom and Sathorn look over the river bend, Siam looks across the shopping district to the towers of Sukhumvit, and the riverside terraces face the temples. Here is where to go for a drink above the city, grouped by neighbourhood. Most have a smart-casual dress code, and the famous ones fill at sunset, so check the venue before you go.
Silom and Sathorn
This is the classic rooftop district. Sky Bar at Lebua in the State Tower is the one from the film: a small circular bar on an open ledge high above Charoen Krung, with the river curving below. Vertigo and Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree on South Sathorn is the other veteran, an open-air deck with no high walls and a long view east over Lumphini.
King Power Mahanakhon, the pixelated tower at Chong Nonsi BTS, has the SkyWalk observation deck with a glass floor and a rooftop bar above it, the highest open deck in the city. Closer to street level, Yao at the Marriott on Surawong Road does Chinese food and cocktails with a view back towards the river. The Silom guide and Sathorn guide cover what to do beforehand.
Siam and Ratchaprasong
Red Sky at the Centara Grand above CentralWorld is the big one here, with a champagne bar a floor higher and a view straight down Ratchadamri Road. On Wireless Road, Char at the Hotel Indigo is smaller and less formal, with the Lumphini treetops in the foreground. The Penthouse Bar at the Park Hyatt in Central Embassy is the most polished of the group, with a terrace facing the towers of Ploenchit. See the Siam guide and the Ratchaprasong guide.
Sukhumvit
Sukhumvit rooftops are more about the party than the panorama. Octave at the Marriott on Sukhumvit 57 is a three-level rooftop above Thonglor BTS with a 360-degree view and DJs later on. Above Eleven on Sukhumvit Soi 11 does Peruvian-Japanese food on an astroturfed terrace. Tichuca on Sukhumvit 40 is the newer crowd-puller, a rooftop built around a giant sculpted tree at Thonglor BTS; expect a wait on weekends. Brewski at the Radisson Blu on Sukhumvit 27 is the one for beer rather than cocktails. The Thonglor guide and Asok and Nana guide have the surroundings.
The river
The riverside rooftops are lower but the view is better. Sala Rattanakosin at Tha Tien has a terrace directly opposite Wat Arun, which lights up after dark; Eagle Nest at Sala Arun next door does the same with a more casual bar. On the Thonburi bank, Three Sixty at the Millennium Hilton and Seen at the Avani+ Riverside look back across the water at the city skyline. The Thonburi riverside guide covers the piers.
Getting there
- Sky Bar at Lebua: Saphan Taksin BTS, then a short walk up Charoen Krung.
- Vertigo: Lumphini MRT.
- Mahanakhon: Chong Nonsi BTS, connected by walkway.
- Red Sky: Chit Lom or Siam BTS via the skywalk.
- Octave and Tichuca: Thonglor BTS.
- Above Eleven: Nana BTS.
- Sala Rattanakosin and Eagle Nest: Tha Tien pier on the express boat.
- Three Sixty and Seen: hotel shuttle boats from Sathorn pier at Saphan Taksin BTS.
Sunset is around six all year, so arrive by half past five for the light and the seats. Wet-season storms close open decks for an hour or so; the bars reopen once the rain stops.