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Ekkamai nightlife

Ekkamai runs north from Sukhumvit Soi 63, next along the line from Thonglor and a little less polished for it. It has a genuine club as well as bars, which separates it from its neighbour, and a rooftop scene that draws people from further down the line.

Ekkamai nightlife at night — illustrative artwork, not a photograph of the area
Illustrative image — not a photograph of Ekkamai.

Ekkamai vs RCA

Ekkamai is the closest thing on the BTS line to what RCA does, and it is still a different night. It has bars, rooftops and a proper club rather than a strip of them, so an evening here means choosing one venue and staying rather than moving between four. RCA remains cheaper and later. Ekkamai is the better answer if you want a good room on a train line and are willing to commit to it, and the worse one if the point of the night is variety.

Who goes

Younger and more design-conscious than Thonglor, mixing Thai and long-term expat. It is a neighbourhood people live in, so weeknights have regulars rather than visitors.

What it costs

Below Thonglor, above RCA. The rooftops price like rooftops; the bars are more reasonable than the equivalent one stop south.

How the night runs

Later than Thonglor and earlier than RCA. Rooftops fill at sunset and the club end of the night runs on past the trains.

Getting home

BTS Ekkamai closes before the venues do, so the way back is by road. The soi is long and one-way in places — walk down toward Sukhumvit Road if a car is quoting a long wait.

Pick Ekkamai for

  • —One good venue rather than four average ones
  • —Rooftops without Thonglor's prices
  • —A club night that is still on the train line
  • —A neighbourhood feel rather than a strip

Go elsewhere if

you want to move between venues on foot all night. That is RCA and Khao San; Ekkamai is a soi you pick a spot on.

Getting there

BTS Ekkamai on the Sukhumvit line. Like Thonglor, the soi runs a long way north and the far end is not walkable from the station — take a motorbike or a car up.

Questions

Is Ekkamai good for nightlife?

Yes, and it is one of the better options on the BTS line. It has rooftop bars, craft beer and a genuine club, which is more range than most Sukhumvit stops, though it is a place to pick one venue rather than to roam.

What is the difference between Ekkamai and Thonglor?

They are adjacent sois with different registers. Thonglor is the more upmarket and more bar-led; Ekkamai is a little younger, a little cheaper, and has more of a club element.

How do I get from Ekkamai to RCA?

By road — 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. There is no train connection to RCA, which is not on a line.

What this page does not cover

This is an orientation page. We list individual venues for RCA, where we cover 14 of them in detail, and not yet for Ekkamai — so this page describes the area rather than naming bars we cannot yet stand behind.

See the RCA venues

Other Bangkok nightlife areas

  • RCA (Royal City Avenue)

    A purpose-built nightlife strip of large clubs on one road in Huai Khwang.

  • Thonglor

    Upmarket bars, rooftops and speakeasies along Sukhumvit Soi 55.

  • Sukhumvit

    The long spine of Bangkok nightlife, from Nana to Ekkamai.

  • Khao San Road

    Backpacker nightlife, street bars and the cheapest drinks in the city.

  • Silom

    Bangkok's LGBTQ+ nightlife centre, around Soi 2 and Soi 4.

  • Yaowarat (Chinatown)

    Street food until very late, and speakeasies behind shophouse doors.

By the RoyalCityAvenue.com editorial team. Last updated . Venue details change often — how we verify.