Siam Square Bangkok

Siam Square, like the city in which it is located, is an area of contrast. In essence it is the hub of all things cool, an individual expression point where styles are both shaped and surface (and resurface). Siam also holds claim to being the most expensive place to rent land in Bangkok. It is to the City of Angels, what Bond Street is to London and Fifth Avenue to New York, while still possessing the innovative atmosphere of Camden Town or Soho, NYC.

Siam Square itself is something of an open-air shopping complex that radiates a feeling of creativity. Tribes of bright and bold-slogan T-shirts meet with tailored suits, sporting eccentric accents. Siam Square is in essence where trends both emerge and are created, an epicenter of inspiration in Bangkok. This area stretches from Rama 1 Road down to the Chulalongkorn University Campus and from Phayathai Road over to Henri Dunant, and is a popular haunt of university students, media types and generally Bangkok’s ‘bright young things’.

It is a well-known fact in Bangkok that if you want to know what is 'in', head on down to Siam Square. A dense warren of boutiques, cafes and market stalls selling various apparel; this is where fashionistas get a real taste of alternative style and shopping. True to Bangkok’s unified configuration the area is a collaboration of internationally renowned high-end brands and independent traders and the price scale goes right across the board.

The jewel in the crown of the city’s shopping centers – Siam Paragon – completes the strip of malls that begins at MBK and fringes the square. These are where Bangkok earns its stripes as an international fashion hub, with a profusion of leading designers having flagship stores inside. Read more... 

To sum Siam Square up in a word, 'eclectic', would be about right. An abundance of food options pepper the streets, from classic Thai street food to global delicacies, to sweet and simple sandwiches and pastries. The Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Paragon are home to the ultimate fashion café – Greyhound (he of the sculptured smock). Greyhound is a gimmick restaurant, riddled with quirks and an impressive fusion menu, a haunt of high-society and media types.

The Hard Rock Café is another popular choice, for those who enjoy dining alongside Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon memorabilia.  The usual burgers, steaks and Tex Mex are thrown for the ultimate Rock n Roll dining experience. For upscale dining, the high concentration of five-star hotels around the area provide some of the city’s most delectable dishes in unparalleled surroundings. Siam is also home to a number of rooftop bar and restaurants, including the Centara’s Red Sky and the newly opened Zense Restaurant at CentralWorld, situated in Bangkok’s leading lifestyle mall Zen. Read more... 

Chidlom connects to Siam via a sky walkway and they are the next best addresses to have in Bangkok, after the river, of course. Home to some of the world’s most desirable hotels, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and Centara Grand at CentralWorld are just a few of the five-star hotels in the area.

The location is enhanced by its close proximity to the business and shopping district. Well connected to the BTS Skytain, the area is laden with cinemas, cafes and entertainment choices including the Siam Ocean World – occupying an area of 10,000sqm it is equally enjoyable for both kids and adults. 

This is a fun area that carries elements of both old and new Thailand. Quirky Japanese-fashioned fads such as Karaoke booths collide with traditional bowling alleys and cinemas. Siam Paragon is a fusion of shopping and entertainment opportunities.

Siam is also home to some of the city’s oldest picture houses such as the Lido, featuring art-house movies. A five-minute walk from the square, just past the National Stadium BTS is the Jim Thompson Museum; the enigmatic American famed for igniting the silk trade in Thailand. This is his former home. 

While Siam is not the centre of what you might call part of "Bangkok’s after hour’s club", it does fairly well for a night out. The majority of the city’s notorious nightlife is in Silom, the road running parallel to Patpong, 10 minutes away by Skytrain. If you feel like putting your dancing shoes on, then head over to the Novotel Bangkok On Siam Square where a popular entertainment complex pulls in a nightly crowd, especially when live bands perform.

Large in size and range of music, the DJ plays everything from Hip Hop to House; there is something to please most revelers.  Numerous upscale bars within the hotels that surround the square are popular with both tourists and Bangkok’s professionals. Read more...