One of Bangkok's first and still one of its better bars for live music and a night out. Small and comfy, it's in the midst of the many new places springing up along Sarasin, making it a good starting point for a night's bar-hopping.

In the 1970s Khao San Shining Rice Road in Bamglamphoo, one of the city's older neighborhoods, became Grand Central Station for the international collection of backpackers making their way through Asia and around the world. In the '80s and '90s it got even bigger, packed with cheap guesthouses and restaurants. This century it's made a move toward trendiness, with the addition of better accommodation, good restaurants and a proliferation of funky bars popular with young Thais. The street is closed in the evening and a night market and often a party atmosphere takes over. And if you like water fights, arguably the world's biggest and wildest is here on April 13 and 14 during the Thai New Year, Songkran.

The street that gives Bangkok much of its international reputation is really not the place it used to be. Having been somewhat sanitized during the past decade, there's now a night market down the road's center, selling everything from t-shirts with typical inscriptions to the latest movies on copied (pirated) DVDs. There are several restaurants and bars where you'd be happy to take your grandmother, but some hostess bars remain. Still a center of varied options.

Along the river and near Khao San Road, this street is a laid-back version of the latter with a heavy mix of Thai university student culture. Thammasat University is a five-minute walk away and this picturesque street is the local place of leisure. Much of the one-block street is lined with little bars playing live music and restaurants serving up good food. At the north end, next to the remains of Phra Sumen Fort, is a park that was built during the reign of King Rama I in the late 1700s. It's full of activity during the day, but this all moves onto the street in the evening. Many of the buildings housing the restaurants and bars are over 100 years old.

The original Q Bar, connected to the Opera House in Saigon, was more unique, but this one is trendier. The indoor area and outside balconies offer the chance for intimate conversation as DJs pump international music. It's pricey but popular with local Thais and expats, and just down the street from Bed Supper Club.