Sukhumvit Road runs east from central Bangkok with the BTS Sukhumvit Line overhead, linking malls, dining streets, parks, and exhibition venues along a single route. Travellers comparing the best hotels in Sukhumvit with direct access to the BTS Skytrain often start by working out which stretch of the road suits their plans. Writers and editors who cover the city have shared their views on several of its highlights.
What the Experts Have to Say
EmSphere and EmQuartier at Phrom Phong
“The mall is easy to reach from the Phrom Phong BTS station. You walk inside over a kind of bridge, that changes the neon lights all the time, very futuristic.”
Source: ScandAsia, Agneta de Bekassy, 2024 (link)
EmSphere sits on Sukhumvit Road between Phrom Phong and Asok, and its tenants include an IKEA store with its own restaurant. Nearby, EmQuartier combines labels such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton with high-street names and Thai designers, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
EmQuartier also has close to 50 restaurants along a spiral walkway, a cinema on the 4th floor, and the Waterfall Quartier atrium.
Thonglor and Ekkamai
“Few districts embody Bangkok’s rapid development better than Thonglor and neighboring Ekkamai. In the early 2000s, the city’s young money convened at its indie bars and clubs. Condos, office towers and upscale restaurants have polished out the rough – and most interesting – edges, but the neighborhoods remain among the best places to see and be seen in Bangkok (and get a good drink).”
Source: Lonely Planet, Craig Sauers, 2025 (link)
These two neighbourhoods lie a few stops east of Phrom Phong, and Lonely Planet traces their reputation back to the indie bars and clubs that drew young crowds in the early 2000s.
For a starting point, the guide suggests The Commons, a four-storey community mall with more than a dozen restaurants and bars.
Benjakitti Forest Park
“Benjakitti is Bangkok’s newest city park, a green lung covering 720,000sqm, which is ironic given that the land was originally home to a tobacco factory. Today, it has been transformed to address environmental issues and manage urban resources, serving as a woodland park with integrated bodies of water that act as sponges to help mitigate against flooding. Notably, it holds the distinction of being Bangkok’s first park with a forested area.”
Source: Time Out Bangkok, Kraprib Premsinee, 2025 (link)
Covering around 720,000 sqm, Benjakitti Park is reached from BTS Asok or from the MRT at Sukhumvit or Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre stations. It opens daily from 4 am to 9 pm.
The park gives Sukhumvit a green counterpoint to its malls, suited to an early start or an evening walk.
On Nut and the Eastern Sukhumvit Line
Further east, the area around On Nut offers access to Century Plaza mall, 101 True Digital Park, and the BITEC exhibition centre in Bang Na, about four stops along the line. Night markets such as Rod Fai Srinakarin are also within reach.
This stretch appeals to exhibition visitors and travellers who want a base away from the busiest central stations.
Staying at Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel
Connected directly to On Nut BTS Station through Exit 3, Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel places guests on the line that links all of these areas. Selected Skyline rooms overlook the city, and The Deck pool and bar sit high above the street.
For events, the hotel’s Grand Chambray Ballroom hosts up to 720 guests, while Greenhouse Restaurant serves Thai dishes from early morning until 11 pm.
Sukhumvit rewards travellers who use the skytrain to move between its different moods, from designer malls and dining streets to a forest park and the exhibition halls further east. Staying beside a station keeps each of these stops only a short ride away.