Almost everybody who visits Bangkok Thailand checks out Patpong at least once. Love it or hate it, Patpong is one of the best known and night spots in Bangkok.

There are two main activities on offer in Patpong. The first one is the night market that is set up in the street from about 6pm until late at night. Here you can find anything that you would expect to find in a market catering to tourists in Thailand, and not a single thing here is real. Knockoffs of just about anything are available here from cheap(ish) Diesel jeans and shoes, heaps of T-shirts, watches, CDs, DVDs, handbags and belts.

A Patpong gogo bar.

Make sure you bargain because it is expected and you can get everything for a lot cheaper than originally quoted. Of course bargaining doesn’t mean being rude or pushy, as that will most likely get you nowhere.

There are two great ways to get the best price you can while bargaining at a market like Patpong. The easiest way is to bargain as low as you can and when bargaining seems to have reached a standstill and you both won’t budge, ask them one more time for your price, and when they say no, start to walk away. If there was ever any possibility of getting the price that you were asking for then the owner of the stall will come after you and submit to your offer.

The other way to get a great price, most times lower than other tourists will get takes a little work, but can turn out to be a lot more fun and rewarding. If you learn how to count from 1 to 1000 and also a couple of simple bargaining phrases in Thai, people will be so impressed that you have put the effort into learning their language that they are likely to give you a local price. Why not spend the hours on the flight over learning some phrases and numbers and you would be surprised by the reception you get.

The other attraction in Patpong of course is the go-go bars. These are on both sides of the street that the market stalls have been set up in. Which is why it’s probably not a good idea to bring the kids to this market as the will be exposed to sights they have never seen before and could drive your young son (and maybe even husband) to total distraction.

Everyone has heard the stories of ping pong shows and all the other sordid stories from Bangkok. Couples are welcome at these shows and indeed many do go, however one important piece of advice you should remember is to stay away from upstairs bars. Anything on the ground floor should be ok, but there are too many stories of people being ripped off in the upstairs bars.

There are plenty of Patpong hotels as it is located in the Silom district, which is a major hub of business and very close to Sathorn. So whether you are in Bangkok for business or pleasure, staying in Patpong will position you close to both business areas and nightlife.

Photo by The Philosophy of Photography.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matteo-gianni/ / CC BY 2.0

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