Sukhumvit Soi 11
Sukhumvit Soi 11 is one of Bangkok's main bar streets and red-light district streets. It is also one of the most active nightlife and prostitution streets in Sukhumvit. It is officially and locally known as Soi Chaiyot, the old registered Thai name for the lane. Foreign travellers and expats normally just call it Soi 11.
Sukhumvit Soi 11 has also been called simply Soi 11, The Party Street and Bangkok's Electric Avenue because of the large number of nightclubs, beer bars, restaurants, rooftop bars, hotels and late-night hangouts packed into one street.
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Unlike Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy, Soi 11 is not a traditional red-light district. It is a normal nightlife street where tourists, expats, local girls, freelancers and full-time sex workers mix in the same clubs and bars. Many freelancers arrive after midnight, especially after the nearby Go-go bars begin closing.
Many visitors looking for escorts, freelancers, late-night clubs end up on Sukhumvit Soi 11 after visiting Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy or Soi 7/1 Sukhumvit Road. The atmosphere is generally more relaxed than inside the Go-go bars, and there is no bar fine when meeting freelancers inside the nightclubs.
Contents
History
Sukhumvit Soi 11 was once mostly a quiet residential lane with detached houses, gardens and only a small number of hotels and restaurants. The area started changing during the 1980s and 1990s when Sukhumvit became more popular with foreign tourists, businessmen and long-term expats.
Some of the earlier large hotels and serviced apartments helped bring regular visitors into the soi. Ambassador Hotel became one of its main landmarks, while Grand President opened in the 1990s and brought more long-stay guests, businessmen and tourists into the street. Smaller guesthouses, apartments, Indian restaurants, tailor shops, massage parlors and bars followed.
The nightlife really took off around the late 1990s and early 2000s. Q Bar was one of the first famous international clubs on Soi 11 and helped turn the quiet lane into a serious party area. Later came Bed Supperclub, with its famous white spaceship-shaped building, restaurant, club nights and celebrity crowd.
Bed Supperclub and Q Bar made Soi 11 one of the most fashionable nightlife streets in Bangkok. Cheap Charlie's, small beer bars, restaurants, mobile cocktail vans and freelancer bars then filled the gaps between the big clubs. By the early 2010s, Soi 11 had become packed almost every night.
Bed Supperclub closed in 2013 and Q Bar also disappeared. Climax Disco, located under the Ambassador Hotel, later became one of the best known late-night freelancer clubs on the street but is now PERMANENTLY CLOSED. Even after the old clubs disappeared, new hotels, rooftops, clubs and bars kept Soi 11 alive.
The street today is cleaner, more expensive and more commercial than it was during the Cheap Charlie's and Bed Supperclub years. There are fewer cheap beer bars, but more rooftop bars, international restaurants, large clubs and modern hotels.
Nightlife and Freelancers
Sukhumvit Soi 11 is one of the best known streets in Bangkok for meeting freelancers inside normal nightclubs. The girls are mixed with ordinary tourists, local office girls, expats and party crowds, so it is not always obvious who is working.
Most freelancers arrive after midnight. Some first visit Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy or other Go-go bars before moving to Soi 11 when the bars start closing. There is no bar fine inside normal clubs, but the girl's own price is usually higher than around Nana or the street.
The nightlife on Soi 11 is usually more expensive than around Nana Plaza, Soi 7/1 Sukhumvit Road or Patpong. Girls are often better dressed, speak more English and may ask more money, especially inside fashionable clubs and rooftop bars.
Nightclubs Open Late
Many visitors search for 24 hour clubs in Bangkok, but there are no major licensed nightclubs on Sukhumvit Soi 11 officially open 24 hours. Opening times change depending on licensing, police checks, special events and local enforcement.
Soi 11 is still one of the best areas for finding Bangkok clubs that stay open late. Some venues close around 2am, while others may continue until 3am or 4am on busy nights.
Well known clubs and late-night venues include:
- Levels Club & Lounge - Large dance club popular with tourists, expats, local girls and freelancers.
- Sugar Club Bangkok - Hip-hop club and one of the busiest late-night places on Soi 11.
- Havana Social - Cuban-style hidden bar with Latin music and a mixed crowd.
- Pastel Rooftop - Rooftop restaurant and party venue with a more expensive crowd.
- Oskar Bistro - Long-running restaurant and bar popular before moving on to the clubs.
- Climax - Located in the basement of the Ambassador Hotel. One of Bangkok's legendary late-night clubs. One of the main places to continue partying after the nearby Go-go bars close.
- Bed Supperclub - Former landmark nightclub - PERMANENTLY CLOSED
- Q Bar - One of the clubs that originally made Soi 11 famous - PERMANENTLY CLOSED
- Cheap Charlie's - Famous old budget bar that moved away from Soi 11 - PERMANENTLY CLOSED AT THIS LOCATION
If the clubs on Soi 11 are closing and you want to ger laid, other late-night areas include RCA, Thong Lor, Ekkamai and some clubs around Silom.
Where to Stay for Sukhumvit Soi 11 Nightlife
If you want to party on Sukhumvit Soi 11, staying directly on the street is the easiest option. You can walk back to the hotel without dealing with taxis after drinking and most of the clubs are only a few minutes away.
Popular hotels on or very close to Soi 11 include:
- Ambassador Hotel Bangkok - One of the old landmarks of Soi 11. Large hotel and good location for nightlife.
- Mercure Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 - Located in the middle of the nightlife area and easy walking distance from the clubs.
- Eleven Hotel Bangkok - Modern hotel directly on Soi 11.
- La Petite Salil Sukhumvit 11 - Smaller hotel in the middle of the street.
- Solitaire Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 - Located farther inside the soi where it is quieter but still close to the nightlife.
- Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 - Popular modern hotel close to the main clubs.
- Grand President Bangkok - One of the older hotel and serviced apartment complexes on Soi 11.
- Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit
Stay Safe
Sukhumvit Soi 11 is usually safe, but like all busy nightlife streets there are occasional scams. Watch your drink, wallet and money, especially late at night.
Always ask prices before you leave with freelancers.
Taxi drivers outside clubs will often refuse to turn on the meter. If they dont turn it on, just sit in the car and wait for a bit and keep saying "meter, meter" and this often works and they turn it on. Ride-hailing apps are also and easy option.
Prostitution is common in the area around Sukhumvit Soi 11 but many of the women in the bars and clubs are just out partying with friends. Not all the women you meet are sex workers, some are also looking for boyfriends, providers or casual sex.
See Also
- North America | South America | Europe | Africa | Asia | Oceania
