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Soi Cowboy is by far Bangkok's most famous red light district.
It is a 150m street between Sukhumvit 21 (called Asok Montri road) and Sukhumvit 23 packed with hundreds of hot Thai girls competing for your attention.
Covered with bright neon lights and flashy signs, it is a vibrant, crazy, and energetic strip with over 30 bars.
Most of them gogo bars, of course.
It’s a place of paradise where boys go to play and enjoy the best adult entertainment only Thailand can offer.
These days, many tourists, including women and families, walk up and down along the soi with curious eyes to have a look at what became in the last decade one of Bangkok's top attractions.
Let’s explore this little street a little bit more.
What Is Soi Cowboy?
Soi Cowboy is one of the 3 main red-light districts in Bangkok.
It’s a 150 meter long street with mostly gogo bars, ladyboy bars, and a few sports bars and live music bars.
It got its name when in the 70s a retired American airman by the name of T.G Edwards opened one of the first few bars in the soi.
He would walk into work on most days wearing a cowboy hat, which evidently gave the street its name.
Since then, it has been one of the most popular places in all Bangkok for adult nightlife and entertainment with a lot of beer bars and gogo bars to please all the different tastes.
Then the soi truly became iconic after being featured in popular movies such as Hangover 2 and Bangkok Dangerous.
Things To Do in Soi Cowboy
Soi Cowboy has 3 types of bars and caters to a good range of clientele.
The first two make up the adult entertainment of the soi.
These are gogo bars and ladyboy bars where you can go and watch nude and sexy shows.
It’s easy to identify them as it’s where women (or ladyboys) stand in front of the bar, asking you to come in for drinks, some company, and to watch the shows.
Inside you’ll find girls dancing in sexy clothes, topless or nude on top of a stage with steel bars that go from the platform all the way to the ceiling.
Whichever bar you go to, you’ll find pretty girls in sexy outfits, big smiles, and long eyelashes ready to entertain you.
If you just want to explore the area but you’re not sure what bars to visit, you can hire a female tour guide to show you around Soi Cowboy.
However, if you want to just grab a drink with some friends and listen to live music, you can do that as well.
There are plenty of happy hour specials throughout the evenings at these bars.
There is even a Hip Hop nightclub called Penny Black in Soi Cowboy that is frequented by locals, young expats and tourists for late-night partying, drinking, and dancing.
You can even play some pool here.
The best bars to hang out in Soi Cowboy are Oasis (sports bar) and Country Road (live music bar).
The most popular gogo bars are the Dollhouse, Baccara, Crazy House, Suzie Wong, and Tilac Bar.
Baccara in particular is quite interesting and unique as you can watch girls dance above you thanks to their glass ceiling.
It’s interesting to note that in the last decade Soi Cowboy has also became a must see for stag parties as guys try to recreate the wild bachelor party seen in The Hangover 2 movie.
Some scenes of the movies were shot there, and it became a fantasy for many.
That being said, if you really want to have a wild bachelor party in Bangkok, The PIMP is the place to be.
Check our our special packages.
How To Get To Soi Cowboy?
Getting to Soi Cowboy is quite easy.
The cheapest and easiest way is to take the sky train BTS (Asok) or the subway MRT (Sukhumvit) and walk over.
There is an exit from the MRT that is right next to Soi Cowboy.
All the taxis know where Soi Cowboy is, so if you are not near any BTS or MRT, taking a taxi there is pretty straightforward.
Finally, if you want to get around Bangkok, you can book a minivan with a chauffeur with us.
What Are The Other Red Light Districts in Bangkok?
Other than Soi Cowboy, there are two other red-light districts in Bangkok.
The first is Nana Plaza, which is just 1.4 km away.
To get there, you can take the BTS to Nana station and then walk to Sukhumvit soi 4.
Or you can just take one of the taxis or a tuk-tuk outside of Soi Cowboy and they will take you there.
Another red light area is the famous Patpong, which is in Silom (about 5.4 km away).
You can take a taxi there from Soi Cowboy.
Or you can take the MRT to Silom station or the BTS to Sala Daeng station.
The better option is the MRT as with the BTS you will need to switch platforms and it will be a longer journey.
While heading over to Soi Cowboy or one of the red light districts sounds fun and intriguing, a better option is to come to The PIMP.
Avoid Soi Cowboy And Come To The PIMP
Put on your cowboy hat, get on your horse, and come party at The PIMP.
Gentlemen’s clubs have hotter girls than gogo bars, world-class VIP service, and the best adult entertainment in the whole of Thailand.
And we have private rooms to take your party to the next level.
FAQ
What Are Soi Cowboy Opening Hours?
Soi Cowboy is open from 5 pm to 2 am but there are some bars that open a bit earlier and some that close later.
Where Is Soi Cowboy?
Soi Cowboy is a small street that connects Sukhumvit 21 and Sukhumvit 23. It is near the Sukhumvit MRT station and the Asok BTS station.
Why Is It Called Soi Cowboy?
A retired American airman opened a bar here in the 70s and used to wear a cowboy hat. The street or soi was then given the name, Soi Cowboy.
Is Soi Cowboy Worth Visiting?
Yes, if you want to see what Bangkok adult nightlife has to offer.
Even if you don’t go inside a gogo bar you can walk through the street and decide for yourself if it deserves to be listed as one of the top attractions in Bangkok.
Which Is Better, Soi Cowboy Or Nana Plaza?
Soi Cowboy is better for partying with the boys, hanging out, and is more tourist friendly, while Nana Plaza is better for hot girls and shows.
