Bangkok is the main gateway to Thailand and the vast majority of tourists spend at least 1 night here. Read our tips on specific hotels, the best neighbourhoods to stay in and the approximate prices of hotels in Bangkok.
Where to stay in Bangkok
The city offers a really wide range of all types of accommodation from extremely cheap tourist hostels to luxury hotels. With a bit of luck and early booking, it is the luxury 5* hotels in Bangkok that offer very good deals compared to other world capitals.
Southeast Asia's traditionally strong portal agoda.com also in Bangkok offers the most accommodation. Especially when it comes to cheaper hotels and guesthouses, you will find by far the most facilities on Agoda.
On the other hand, the larger and more luxurious hotels tend to be more convenient to book through booking.com.
In general, however, even for smaller hotels, it cannot be said that Agoda is always preferable. It is always worth comparing the two main portals.
The best neighbourhoods in Bangkok and tips on hotels
The huge city doesn't yet have complete metro coverage, so the location of your hotel can make your stay much easier or more difficult.
Silom and Sala Daeng
The area around Silom Road and Sala Daeng, lined with bank and multinational company buildings, is also one of the liveliest places in Bangkok, especially at night. The adjacent alleyways transform into a hub of unbridled fun and exuberance with all that Bangkok has to offer.
- Search for accommodation around Silom Road on booking.com / agoda.com
Silom has the undeniable advantage of great accessibility. The Blue Line underground subway runs here, crossing both airport subways, taking you to the main station and the historic centre. In addition, the dark green overground metro line runs through Silom, taking you to the modern city centre (Siam Square) and the central Sathorn pier on the Chao Phraya River.
- Cheap hotels to 35 usd: The Siam Heritage Hotel ****, Silom One Hotel ***
- Hotels of well-known chains from 65 usd: Ibis Styles Bangkok Silom *** nebo Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park *****
Sukhumvit
A sprawling, vibrant district of modern Bangkok with a plethora of skyscrapers as well as narrow streets alive with restaurants, street stalls, bars, brothels and clubs 24/7.
- Search for accommodation in Sukhumvit on booking.com / agoda.com
Sukhumvit is also easily accessible by two metro lines: the blue underground and the light green overground. The journey to the historic centre is slightly longer than from Silom, on the other hand the journey to both airports is shorter again.
- Cheap hotels to 35 usd: Ambassador Hotel Bangkok ****, W 21 Hotel Bangkok ***, Majestic Suites Hotel ***
- Hotels of well-known chains from 65 usd: Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 ****, Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 ****, Four Points by Sheraton ****
Siam Square
The geographical centre of modern Bangkok, surrounded by spectacular shopping malls. Siam Quarter is perfectly accessible from the main Suvarnabhumi Airport, as the airport train terminates at its northern end. In addition, both the light and dark green overground metro lines pass through here.
- Search for accommodation in Siam on booking.com / agoda.com
While the only way to get to the historic centre from Siam is by transfer, it's still possible to get by on the metro and there's no need to use buses or taxis.
- Cheap hotels to 40 usd: Asia Hotel Bangkok ****, Sovereign Group Hotel Pratunam ***
- Hotels from well-known chains from 80 usd: Mercure Bangkok Siam ****, Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square ****, ibis Bangkok Siam ***
Khaosan (Old Bangkok)
The famous Khaosan Road and its wide surrounding area is known as the backpacker centre of Bangkok and a vibrant place pulsating with the hustle and bustle of the big city 24/7.
- Search for accommodation in Khaosan on booking.com / agoda.com
You'll find some really cheap hotels and hostels in the area, the downside being their often inferior quality (especially poor soundproofing) and the area's inaccessibility by subway. On the other hand, it's the closest of all the neighbourhoods to the main sights in Old Bangkok: you can walk to the temples and palaces in 15 minutes.
- Cheap hotels to 20 usd: Lucky House Khaosan **, New Siam II *, BBHouse Phra Athit
You'll search in vain for large hotels of multinational chains in Khao San.
Hotels with river views
The Chao Phraya River creates beautiful panoramas and watching the heavy boat traffic is one of the popular relaxing pastimes.
Many travellers, especially for longer stays, thus seek out hotels with views of the Bangkok river. It should be pointed out, however, that many of these are located in areas with relatively poor transport links, but if you don't mind travelling by cheap taxis, then riverside living is not particularly disadvantageous.
- Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers ***** - It's a relaxed hotel with a dock right by the reception and reasonable prices from 125 usd
- Millenium Hilton Bangkok ***** - A hotel with a great roof-top bar with 360° views and good public transport/golden metro line boat access. Rates from 160 usd
- Aurum the River Place **** - smaller hotel in the historic centre near Wat Pho temple with prices from 100 usd
Often very tempting prices from 80 usd has a great hotel Ramada Plaza by Wyndham ***** with beautiful gardens and modern rooms, but you have to reckon with significantly worse accessibility. Only the Orange Line boat dock is nearby and otherwise only buses or taxis along the perpetually clogged Charoen Krung Road.
Chinatown
While Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction, it doesn't offer many interesting hotels on its own. However, on its outskirts, directly opposite the former Hua Lamphong train station, you'll find a great value-for-money hotel , The Quarter Hualamphong ****. Modern and spacious double rooms start from 30 usd per night.
Luxury hotels
As well as being a tourist centre, Bangkok is also one of Asia's main business centres and this is reflected in the very wide range of luxury 5* hotels on offer. We select those with the best value for money.
- Sivatel Bangkok Hotel - Great location between Siam and Sukhumvit and a beautiful rooftop pool, prices from 128 eur/night
- Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok - quality without compromise and one of the best hotels in town, prices from 257 eur/night
- Le Meridien Bangkok - a hotel with a good location in the north of the lively Silom district, prices from 0 eur 18 eur /night
- JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok - great location between Sukhumvit and Silom, prices from 147 eur/night
Hotel prices in Bangkok
Thailand's capital is one of the cheaper metropolises.
You can get accommodation in nice 4* hotels near metro stations from 30 usd per night in a 2-bed room, while the cheapest 5* hotels start at around 60 usd per night.
True backpackers will also find accommodation in modern hostels starting from 10 usd per night.
The cheapest accommodation in Bangkok is in the low season, from May to October, while the most expensive is from December to March. However, as Bangkok is not typically a holiday destination, the price differences are not as staggering as in Thai resorts.
Our tip - where we stayed
Finally, we add our personal experiences of where we stayed during our stays in Bangkok.
Royal Orchid Sheraton and Towers *****
We chose this hotel when we first stayed in Bangkok. We knew the brand to avoid unpleasant surprises and the condition was the view of the Chaophraya River.
The views from are truly spectacular and the room amenities certainly do not offend.
The downside of the hotel is the rather expensive breakfast and the not-so-good transport service. The nearest metro station is over 2 km away. However, there is a regular boat dock right next to the hotel, which takes you to the historic centre within 20 minutes.
View rates and availability at Royal Orchid Hotel
AT EASE saladaeng by AETAS ****
On subsequent stays, we chose this budget hotel in the Silom district near Lumphini Park.
The hotel is located on a quieter street about a 10-minute walk from Silom metro station and therefore has good access to modern downtown Bangkok and, thanks to the Blue Line metro, the historic centre.
The hotel has the advantage of very spacious rooms, a simple breakfast included and in-room cooking facilities. Irresistible rates start from 50 usd per night.
The downside of the hotel lies in the older room furnishings.