Sathorn Bangkok: a guide to the embassy and skyscraper district
Sathorn Bangkok is the wide avenue that runs parallel to Silom, from Lumphini Park at the Rama IV end to the river at Saphan Taksin. It is the city's embassy row and its tallest skyline, with hotels, banks and condominium towers lining both carriageways and a canal running down the middle. It looks like a place to pass through, and much of it is. But the sois off it, Suan Phlu, Yen Akat, Soi Ngam Duphli, are some of the most liveable and best-fed streets in central Bangkok.
The skyline
King Power Mahanakhon at Chong Nonsi is the tower that looks as if a chunk has been cut out of it. The observation deck near the top has an outdoor terrace and a glass floor, and is the area's main paid attraction. For the same view with a drink, the rooftop bars at the Banyan Tree and the other hotels along Sathorn are the classic option; Vertigo at the Banyan Tree is the best-known, open to the sky on the roof. Dress codes apply at most of them, and sunset is the busy hour. The rooftop bars by area post has the list.
The unfinished Sathorn Unique Tower near the river, abandoned mid-construction decades ago, is a landmark but not somewhere to try to enter.
Eating in Sathorn
Sathorn's food lives in its side streets. [Suan Phlu](/?q=Suan Phlu), Sathorn Soi 3, has a fresh market and a long run of shophouse restaurants, noodle shops and grilled-meat stalls that serve the neighbourhood from early morning into the night. Soi Ngam Duphli at the Lumphini end, once Bangkok's original backpacker street, is now a quiet mix of cheap Thai restaurants, cafes and a few old guesthouses.
At the other end of the scale, Sathorn and its sois hold several of the city's top-end Thai restaurants in restored houses, and the hotel restaurants along the avenue. The Blue Elephant at Surasak, in a colonial-era mansion, is the easiest to find.
Yen Akat and the bars
Yen Akat Road, which branches off Sathorn's Lumphini end and runs south past the Soi Ngam Duphli area, has become a small bar district in its own right. [Yen Akat](/?q=Yen Akat) Soi 2 in particular has a cluster of cocktail bars and late-night music places in old houses, with a crowd that comes from across the city. It is a good alternative to Thonglor for a night that is less expensive and less dressed up.
Parks and the river walk
Lumphini Park is at the top of the avenue; see the Silom guide. At the far end, Sathorn meets Charoen Krung at the Saphan Taksin BTS station and Sathorn pier, the central pier of the Chao Phraya Express Boat and the hotel shuttle boats. From here the river and the Charoen Krung lanes open up; see the Charoen Krung and Bang Rak guide. Walking the full length of Sathorn is about three kilometres and is only pleasant early in the day.
Sathorn compared with Silom
The two roads are a few hundred metres apart and share stations. Silom has the street life, the lunch stalls and the nightlife; Sathorn has the towers, the hotels and the quieter residential sois. Staying on Sathorn means a short walk to Silom's food and a short train ride to everything else. The Silom guide covers the other side.
Getting there
The BTS Silom line runs along the Silom and Sathorn boundary: [Chong Nonsi](/?q=Chong Nonsi) is at the Mahanakhon tower and the middle of the avenue, Surasak is for the Blue Elephant end, and Saphan Taksin is for the river and Sathorn pier. MRT Lumphini on the Blue Line serves the Rama IV end, Soi Ngam Duphli and Yen Akat. The BRT bus line starts at Sathorn (by Chong Nonsi) and runs south to Rama III and the Thonburi side, which is useful for Bang Krachao and the southern river. Sathorn pier connects to the Chao Phraya Express Boat and the free ICONSIAM shuttle boat across the river.