Bangkok's tallest building, at 84 storeys, with a public observatory, a 360-degree revolving deck, and a hotel occupying its upper floors. Views stretch further than Mahanakhon's on a clear day, and it's usually less crowded and cheaper to visit.
From its open cage sky deck on the 84th floor, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of everything that Bangkok skyline has to offer. Just a few floors below, a more closed off observation deck rotates 360 degrees to let you see Bangkok whizz by without having to move one step. Both families and solo travellers alike are bound to enjoy this experience of discovering Bangkok from over a 1,000 feet above. With all kinds of amenities under one roof, what better place to catch an unforgettable Bangkok sunset?
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History and Architecture
Baiyoke II Tower boasts of 88 storeys and an unofficial height of 1,014 feet. Construction began in 1990 and was completed by 1997. The Baiyoke Sky Hotel inside the tower was opened in January of the following year. The tower is said to display one of the country’s most sophisticated uses of concrete with its lightweight structure and steel reinforcements.
It cost approximately THB 3.4 billion to build and was the world’s tallest hotel at its time of completion, but was never registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, it is still the tallest building in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Baiyoke Sky Tower Observation Deck
The Baiyoke tower’s most popular attraction is its amazing view of Bangkok city. On the 77th floor, you can get an amazing vantage point of the bustling city below while the 84th floor is home to the sky deck and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It has an open air environment of just safety cages and viewing scopes. Look too far down and you might feel like you’re falling out!
Meanwhile, the observation deck is closed off with large display windows and a cool, AC environment. There are multimedia guides to take you through the view in front of you and maps along the walls. This is open from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays and 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM on weekends.
Depending on the time of day of the visit, the view will be different. The sky deck is most popular during the sunset and night hours when you see Bangkok’s twinkling city lights and car headlights whiz by for as far as the eye can see. In the day, you can see all the features of the city, including Chao Phraya River. Best of all, this sky deck rotates 360 degrees over five minutes so that you can see all parts of the city without having to move at all. There’s even a complimentary drink included in your ticket that you can enjoy at the Baiyoke Hotel bar.
1. Tickets: The tickets to the observation deck and sky deck are priced at THB 400 per person. Children under 80 centimetres in height are allowed free entry. The ticket is inclusive of a complimentary drink.
In addition to the amazing view and luxurious hotel rooms, the Baiyoke Sky tower has six levels of shopping. Intended to be a wholesale, mass-market shopping experience similar to the Prathunam area surrounding the tower, the shopping here includes affordable clothing and bulk discounts. It may not boast of big brands, but for the enthusiastic bargain shopper, this place is a gold mine – with air conditioning!
On the second floor, you’ll find the regular street shopping pieces like graphic t-shirts, knock-off sports merchandise, tie-dye shirts and band logos. On the fourth floor, you’ll find accessories like bags, hats, belts, and more. There’s even a small section dedicated to fruit shopping where you’ll find great quality produce at reasonable prices – no wonder there’s a fruit buffet in the building!
The tower also has a museum on one of the floors dedicated to the history of Bangkok, Baiyoke Tower, and the royal family. In the museum’s gift shop, you can buy knick-knacks like key chains, magnets, playing cards, and more. They also sell postcards that you can post here at the highest post-box in Thailand.
Restaurants at Baiyoke Sky Tower
As the building dates back to the late 90’s, it doesn’t necessarily have the modern charm of many rooftop restaurants in Bangkok today. However, its charm lies in its unique view. The building has plenty of restaurants of different floors such as Bangkok Sky Restaurant from the 76th to 77th floor, Crystal Grill on the 82nd floor, and Bayoke Rooftop Bar on the 84th floor. At the reception on the 17th floor is a 24 hour café as well.
This means that there are plenty of restaurants serving different cuisines like a seafood buffet, grilled meats, and even a scrumptious fruit buffet that’ll fill you up at amazingly affordable prices. Most of these restaurants are accessible to hotel guests, but you can still buy a ticket to the floors for around THB 1,100. For great live music, there’s even the Rooftop Bar and Lounge on the 83rd floor.
Tips
There is only one elevator that operates up to the observation deck. During busy hours, this could mean waiting for over 20 minutes for the elevator in a large crowd, so allot for that time while planning your trip. Overall, the entire experience at Baiyoke II Tower (excluding a meal) will account for around 2 hours.
How To Reach Baiyoke Sky Tower
Baiyoke Sky Tower is located at 222 Ratchaprarob Soi 3, Ratchathewi district, Bangkok. This is just north of the city’s central shopping area in Prathunam, 12 kilometres (20 minutes) from Chatuchak Park and 6 kilometres (15 minutes) from Khao San Road. It is approximately 28 kilometres (half an hour) from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. A taxi from the airport would charge around THB 400.
For those seeking to use public transport, the closest metro station to Baiyoke II Tower is Ratchaprop on the city blue line. From this station, it is just a few minutes’ walk to the tower. A little further away is Phaya Thai station on the green line where you can make the change to the blue line.
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