ThailandIn this article we tell you about one of the famous adult streets in Bangkok – Soi Patpong. You'll learn what's interesting about it and whether it's worth visiting, how to get there on your own by public transport and when it's best to spend time there. And if anything's still unclear or you just want to chat about holidays in Thailand or share your experience, join our 💬 Thailand travel chat.
Description and Whether It's Worth Visiting
Patpong is the legendary adult entertainment street where Bangkok's sex industry began in the middle of the last century. It was the first such area in the capital, and the story of its appearance and development is quite fascinating and connected to a family of Chinese immigrants and the US military. If you want to learn more about the history of the area, you can visit the Patpong Museum right here, but now we're not talking about the history of the area, but about its present.
Although there's an established name for this place as "Patpong Street," it's actually a small area of several streets with adult entertainment and bars with girls and boys, it's just that most of them are concentrated in the alley Soi Patpong 2. There's also Soi Jaruwan street, where establishments for lovers of ladyboys and boys are located, and Soi Thaniya street with very expensive night establishments for straight men. Japanese businessmen love relaxing on this street, so it's nicknamed "Little Tokyo." All three streets are close to each other within walking distance.
Besides the night establishments, this area is known for its tourist night market on Soi Patpong 1, where you can buy all sorts of cheap goods from clothes, bags, souvenirs and fakes. It starts working after dark, roughly after 6 PM, and finishes around midnight. Also at this night market there's a food court, like at classic Thai night markets, so you can spend time here not only looking for a partner for the night, but also eating well and chatting. This, by the way, favorably distinguishes the Patpong area from Soi Cowboy street, where there's practically nothing but bars with girls.
Safety and Scams on Patpong
The area of these streets is "famous" as one of the places where it's very easy to fall for a scam. Be extremely careful and attentive here if you don't want to empty your wallet and bank card. Here are the scams most often mentioned in tourists' stories here:
Scams on Patpong Street (Soi Patpong)
- Ping-pong shows and second-floor bars. A tout promises free entry and beer for 100 baht. You're taken up to the second floor, and after 10–15 minutes they bring a bill for 5,000–20,000 baht for entry, service and music. Security guards appear when you try to argue or leave, and block the exit. Don't go into second-floor bars on a street tip. If you want a show, choose reputable cabarets or establishments with lots of positive reviews (all available on Google Maps), not just "the first floor." If the guards demand money and there's a risk of violence – don't argue, pay the minimum amount and leave.
- Lady Drink. A girl in a bar asks you to buy her a cocktail. You agree, and dozens of drinks are added to the bill or the price of one is inflated. In normal bars a Lady Drink costs 180–200 baht; if the price is 3–5 times higher – it's a scam. Clarify: "Is this for one drink or a set?". Ask for a receipt after each order and pay in cash after each round. In some bars there's an official bar fine (700–900 baht) for the girl to leave the establishment with you – that's not a scam.
- Patpong night market. Prices here are generally not high, but where there's no price tag, they may quote a price several times higher for tourists: a T-shirt might cost 500 baht instead of 150–250. Start haggling from 30–40% of the quoted price (for example, offer 300–400 baht instead of 1000). If the seller doesn't budge – walk away.
Scams on the Japanese street Thaniya (Soi Thaniya)
- Karaoke and hostess clubs. Soi Thaniya is aimed at Japanese tourists: signs in Japanese, hostesses speak Japanese. On the street they invite you into a karaoke bar. Inside they surround you with attention, seat girls next to you, and at the end they present a bill for "communication time," "room rental" and "hostess cocktails." The amounts for an evening here easily exceed 10,000 baht, and it's not always a scam, but the rules of the game. Without knowing the rules, don't go into closed karaoke bars and hostess clubs. Choose restaurants, ramen shops and open pubs (izakaya), where the menu hangs at the entrance.
Common scams around these streets
- Taxis and tuk-tuks. Taxi drivers at the exits from Patpong refuse to turn on the meter and ask for a fixed sum 3–4 times higher than the real one. If the driver refuses to turn on the meter – get out and catch the next taxi; sometimes you need to walk a block away from the tourist zone. Tuk-tuks near BTS Sala Daeng offer a "ride for 20 baht," but take you to fake jewelry or tailor shops. Don't get into cars that are standing and waiting for clients. Catch a passing taxi and demand: "Please turn on the meter." Better yet, call Grab or Bolt.
- Pickpockets and ladyboys. Pickpockets work in the crowd at the market. Another scheme: overly friendly ladyboys approach a tipsy tourist, hug, flirt, and after they leave the tourist discovers their wallet or chain is missing. The ladyboys themselves aren't dangerous – it's specific people using hugs to steal. Keep valuables in front of you, don't put your phone in your back pocket, don't leave it on the table unattended, and avoid intrusive hugs.
The main rule: if someone on the street offers a show, free entry or a cheap ride themselves – it's almost always a scam. Politely say "No, thank you" and move on. If you've already gotten into an unpleasant situation, call the tourist police at 1155 (around the clock, there are English-speaking operators) or emergency services 191. If you paid by card – block it immediately and try to dispute the transaction.
🕐 Opening Hours
It's best to visit Soi Patpong in the evening after dark, roughly after 6:00 PM. During the day there's absolutely nothing to do here, since all the bars and establishments are closed, and the night market isn't working.
💵 Entrance Fee / Ticket Prices
Free.
🚶 How to Get There
The Patpong area and street is in the central part of Bangkok in the north of the large business district of Silom (Soi Patpong on the map).
This zone is well covered by metro, next to Patpong there are two stations at once: Sala Daeng BTS skytrain and Silom MRT subway. From Bangkok districts without metro, you can get here by city buses or taxi. A taxi booked through the Grab, Maxim or InDrive apps will cost about 200 baht within the center. For a bus ride, you can use route planning on Google Maps or the ViaBus app.
More about how to use Bangkok's public transport you can read in a separate article.
Friends, a reminder that it's much more interesting to explore Bangkok's attractions with guided tours, so we suggest checking out options with online booking and reviews on these Russian-language tour aggregators: