SO/ BANGKOK - Luxury hotel - 9 Best Things to do in Silom

Follow the maddening crowds at Patpong and Silom Night Market , or sneak off to hidden gems like M.R. Kukrit’s home down quiet sois in Silom Bangkok’s cosmopolitan center of the universe.

Introduction

Silom’s personality comes in many forms and changes from block to block and from hour to hour. Silom Road is one of Bangkok’s most cosmopolitan streets, being a major financial center during the day, a Mecca of street food for office workers at lunchtime, and a menagerie of Silom Bangkok shopping stalls, fine-dining restaurants and risqué nightclubs by night. Silom is also a hub for high-end shopping, quirky galleries and niche museums, plus home to the most treasured green space in Bangkok, Lumpini Park , and the Bangkok Silom Night Market.

Enjoy Street Food

Bangkok street food is world-famous and comes in many guises. From a simple cart on the side of the road to a collection of stalls at the Bangkok Silom Night Market or a traditional shop with tables spilling out onto the pavement, a food tour along Silom Road is a gastronomic adventure. In the early morning hours, Silom Soi 20 is a market full of vendors selling street food, fresh produce, and daily goods, then by 10am a series of Thai style restaurants opens their doors for lunch and dinner. Soi Convent is another haven for street food packed with street carts.

Relax at Lumpini Park

Lying in the shadow of the towering Silom and Sathorn skyline is Bangkok’s most beloved green space, Lumpini Park. The park’s grassy expanses, tranquil ponds and meandering walkways are a draw all day long, though most people come to Lumpini Park in the evenings to stroll, relax or get some exercise when the heat of the day has diminished. Cool down in the middle of the day in a paddle boat or rowboat, it’s just the ticket!

Shopping

Bangkok shopping Silom style can take many forms, from the raucous street market every night at Patpong to shiny new malls like Silom Complex, Silom has enough retail options to satisfy even the most avid shopper. Among night markets in Bangkok, Silom shopping at the Bangkok Silom Night Market is considered the best in town. And don’t miss the deceptive Lailai Sap market on Silom Soi 5, the small entrance leads to a vast maze of market alleyways brimming with everything under the sun.

Bangkok Seashell Museum

Did you ever think that seashells were interesting? At the Bangkok Seashell Museum you certainly will, the museum has over 3,000 different seashells representing more than 600 species. The variety will surprise even the most land-lubbing sceptic. The Bangkok Seashell Museum’s large collection is displayed in a really intelligent way, explaining how shells are just more than beautiful objects or fun to eat. The Bangkok Seashell Museum is a pleasantly interesting surprise for browsing around.

Kathmandu Art Gallery

Don’t be misled by the name, the Kathmandu Art Gallery isn’t about art from Kathmandu, the gallery itself is the spectacle. The bright green wooden ceiling and walls, black and white deco floor and vintage furniture makes this quirky little gallery shine. As for the art, there are new exhibitions every 2 months showcasing some of the best creative talent in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. Kathmandu is well worth a visit for a unique Bangkok experience.

Bangkokian Museum

Tucked away on a small soi down Soi 43 off Charoen Krung journey back in time at the Bangkokian Museum. The Bangkokian Museum is an interesting peek at an era when teak houses were the main form of accommodation before concrete took over. The traditional Siamese artefacts and lush tropical gardens among two beautiful teak houses lays testament to a bygone era, making the Bangkokian Museum an interesting look at life in Old Bangkok. It’s off the beaten tourist path, not swarming with throngs of shutterbugs, and free!

Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute

The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, a.k.a. Snake Farm, specializes in the cultivation of venomous snakes, extracting their venom to produce antidotes for snake-bite victims. The Institute and farm offers a fascinating experience for those curious about the world of reptiles with a large and well-maintained display. On weekdays there are venom extraction, photo, and snake handling sessions, and on weekends enjoy snake handling and photo sessions at 11am.

Sky Bar

High up on the 29th and 30th floors of SO/ Bangkok is the classy HI-SO Bar offering expansive views of both Lumpini Park and the Bangkok skyline down Sathorn Avenue. An elevator takes you to the bar’s dimmed lobby on the 29th floor, where a friendly staff leads you to a stairway and the bar terrace. HI-SO Bar has a selection of tapas, or you can order mains such as Black Angus burgers, steaks, and fish with chips. Must-try HI-SO Bar cocktails include their Butterfly Bellini, Gin Blossom and frozen coconut mojito.

M.R. Kukrit’s Heritage Home

M.R. Kukrit Pramoj was a Renaissance man, novelist, playwright, poet and Prime Minister of Thailand from 1974 to 1975. His heritage home showcases his complex personality and lifelong passion for Thailand, the home is a cluster of 5 teakwood houses raised on stilts in traditional Thai style, all connected by a wooden corridor, and embodying his diverse dedication to traditional Thai art, literature and exotic plants.