Things To Do In Bangkok Thailand, The Biggest Waterfront Night Market

Paul and I were talking with some fellow tourists about things to do in Bangkok. And a few people suggested a massive shopping and food center in Bangkok… which was on the waterfront of Chao Phraya River.

Historically, this place was set up as the East Asiatic Pier… so that trading could occur between the Kingdom of Siam and countries in Europe.

Yet now, the place has undergone restoration and is now… Asiatique The Riverfront. Plus, it’s said that Asiatique is the first and the largest night-lifestyle venue riverfront in Asia.

Now that’s a big statement to make! So we decided to check it out for ourselves and see what the fuss was all about.

Yet, to get there it was a little confusing. So I’ll run through our experience of how we got there, and what can be done at Asiatique.

How To Go To Asiatique The Riverfront

To get to Asiatique, you could get a taxi, tuk tuk or motorbike, which the address is 2194 Charoen Krung Rd. Yet, a more scenic way is by boat, and that’s what we did.

We took the BTS Skytrain using the Silom line, which is the dark green route. And the stop that we got off at was Saphan Taksin BTS, then we took Exit 2. And because it was busy we followed the throngs of people anyway.

So once we got to the waterfront there were boats, people and vendors spread out everywhere. It didn’t look orderly, and the signs of which boats to take were confusing to us.

So we were approached by several people, and we asked how we could get to Asiatique. And for the ones who could speak English, they were trying to sell us a tour package. But that wasn’t what we were after.

So in the end I asked someone in a police uniform, who pointed in a direction to get tickets.

We then saw long lines of people and it was still somewhat confusing. We were trying to find out how much the tickets cost and where to board the boat. Eventually someone told us it was free to get the Asiatique boat, and pointed to the Asiatique signs.

OMG, the line was so long. Not sure if it was like that all the time, but we suspect it was because there was a major festival on.

We waited in line for about 20 minutes. Some people were jumping the queue and getting stroppy because of the long wait in the heat!

Yet, once we were on the boat it only took about 10 minutes to get there.

What To Do At Asiatique The Riverfront

When we got to the pier at Asiatique… it looked like a vibrant place with lots of eateries lined along the waterfront.

So what better way to start our exploration of Asiatique then to have a drink!

We got front row seats outside so we could people watch. As we’d expect the price of food and drinks was a little more expensive in comparison, being on the riverfront.

Then after a couple more drinks, we decided to go for a wander. So as we faced the front of Asiatique, we decided to head in the left direction.

See Bangkok At Night From The “Sky”

There was a massive Asiatique ferris wheel, which was lit up when the night was setting in…

It’s actually called Asiatique Sky, and apparently is 60 metres high with 42 cabins. The prices to have a ride on it are:

Adult ticket 400 THB
Child ticket 250 THB (height under 120 cm)
Senior ticket 250 THB (age 60+)
Disabled ticket 200 THB
Private Cabin 1,700 THB (2 people)
VIP Cabin 2,500 THB (2 – 5 people)

And near that area of Asiatique there were lots of street food stalls too, from savory through to sweets. Yet, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan the options were limited.

There were lots of tables and chairs too to relax and have meals, or just chill out.

Then once we went to the opposite side of Asiatique, it had a very different feel. It was like a more upmarket setting and with “higher end” shopping in comparison. And there was street food on this side too, but there were lots of restaurants to choose from.

There were many shops and for us, on this trip it was just window shopping… as there wasn’t anything that appealed to us. Plus, we even found a place where they had a Muay Thai Show combined with real live Muay Thai fights.

And at Asiatique they also have other events and shows that you can pay to see.

So after trying some other food places and having more beers… we decided to head back into the heart of the city for the Bangkok nightlife.

Then as we were on the boat on the way back, we got this beautiful shot on the Chao Phraya River…

So have you been to Asiatique The Riverfront? What did you think about it?

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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.