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In this guide13 sections
- The short answer
- 13 to 15 April 2027: the dates, and what is not yet announced
- Silom and Sathorn: inside the biggest water fight
- Siam and Ratchaprasong: crowds at the door
- Sukhumvit, Asok to Phrom Phong: trains, and a calmer start
- Riverside: boats instead of roads
- Banglamphu and Khao San: on foot, in the water
- Money, rules and the entry fee
- Getting in from the airports, and around
- How to book Bangkok for Songkran
- All 12 at a glance
- Before you go
- Frequently asked questions
Songkran, the Thai New Year, turns parts of Bangkok into a water fight for three days, and the Bank of Thailand’s 2027 holiday notice lists Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 April as Songkran holidays for banks. For a hotel guest the question is simple: do you want to sleep beside the water fights, or a Skytrain ride away from them? The bill has its own quirks too. Prices marked “++” add a service charge and VAT, and Thailand’s proposed entry fee for foreign visitors is still a proposal, not a charge.
This guide covers the dates, the zones the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) named last year, five areas weighed by how close they sit to the water and how easy they are to leave, twelve hotels, and the money and transport details that could change before April. Most 2027 programme details have not been published yet, so where we use 2026 arrangements we say “last year” and give the source. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating at the end of October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.
The short answer
| If you want… | Stay in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| to be inside the biggest water fight | Silom and Sathorn | Silom Road was closed to traffic for a water-play event last year, with the Skytrain and MRT interchange at its end |
| shopping malls and crowds at the door | Siam and Ratchaprasong | Siam Square was last year’s most-attended water-play spot, according to BMA figures |
| a backpacker street party on foot | Banglamphu and Khao San | Khao San Road was on the BMA’s list of last year’s top six water-play spots |
| a calmer base with trains | Sukhumvit, Asok to Phrom Phong | Away from last year’s closed streets, with the Skytrain and the MRT |
| to retreat to the river | Riverside | Hotels with pools and river views, and boats rather than road traffic |
Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.
13 to 15 April 2027: the dates, and what is not yet announced
The Bank of Thailand’s notification of 17 August 2026 (No. 37/2569) lists the 2027 holidays for financial institutions: Tuesday 13 April, Wednesday 14 April and Thursday 15 April are each marked “Songkran Festival”. Time Out Bangkok’s 2027 holiday calendar, published in September 2026, also lists Songkran as Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. Those are the dates to plan around. We have not found a separate government notice, and extra days can be announced later, so check again before you book non-refundable travel.
What the water-fight programme will be in 2027 is not published. Here is the 2026 picture, which is the best guide to the pattern:
| Place (2026) | Last year’s dates | What it was | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silom Road | 12 to 14 April | Songkran festival; a parade on 14 April | TAT |
| Siam Square | 12 to 15 April | Siam Songkran Festival | TAT |
| ICONSIAM, River Park | 10 to 15 April | Thaiconic Songkran Celebration, on the river | TAT |
| Royal City Avenue (RCA) | 10 to 15 April | Splash Songkran RCA | TAT |
| Benjakitti Park | 11 to 15 April | Maha Songkran World Water Festival, free admission; reached from BTS Asok and MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre | TAT |
| Banthat Thong Road, Khao San Road | Not given by TAT | Both appear in the BMA’s list of last year’s six most popular water-play spots | BMA, as reported by Thai PBS |
TAT said Silom and Siam Square would “once again transform into major water celebration zones”. The BMA’s figures, reported by Thai PBS for 10 to 12 April 2026, ranked them in this order: Siam Square (183,544 people), Silom Road (162,583), ICONSIAM (102,000), S2O Land in Huai Khwang (42,202), Banthat Thong (20,538) and Khao San Road (20,000). TAT’s own list did not mention Khao San Road, and we could not find an official source for its dates, so treat Khao San’s 2027 dates as unknown.
Silom had rules last year. Thairath reported that the road was closed from Sala Daeng Intersection to Nararam Intersection, with high-pressure water guns and powder banned, the event alcohol-free, and water play limited to designated areas. Those were the 2026 rules; the 2027 ones have not been announced.
Silom and Sathorn: inside the biggest water fight
Silom is the business district: two parallel roads of offices and hotels running south-west from Lumphini Park, with the Skytrain’s Silom Line and the MRT Blue Line meeting at Sala Daeng and Silom stations. Last year the Silom closure ran from Sala Daeng Intersection to Nararam Intersection, so a hotel here is either inside the water fight or a short walk from it. It suits you if you want to step out of the lobby into the festival, and it does not if you would rather keep your luggage dry.
Where to stay in Silom and Sathorn
How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
- Dusit Thani Bangkok, splurge. At 98 Rama IV Road, facing Lumphini Park, and, according to its own site, connected to the interchange of BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Silom stations. Choose it for the edge of the Silom zone with a covered link to the trains. Watch out: Last year’s Silom closure began at Sala Daeng Intersection, so expect crowds around the station. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, comfortable. At 188 Silom Road, with an outdoor swimming pool and pool bar, and, by its own account, easy access to BTS Chong Nonsi and MRT Silom. Choose it for a pool after a day in the water. Watch out: it is on Silom Road itself, the road closed last year, so ask the hotel how access and taxi drop-offs work on the festival days. Check rates on Booking.com →
- The Sukhothai Bangkok, splurge. At 13/3 South Sathorn Road, with a 25-metre infinity-edged pool amid the grounds and seven bars and restaurants. Choose it for calm a short distance from Silom Road, which is a different street. Watch out: its site gives no walking time to a station, so check the route on a map. Check rates on Booking.com →
Siam and Ratchaprasong: crowds at the door
Siam is where the Skytrain’s two lines meet, and in the BMA’s figures for 10 to 12 April 2026 it was the busiest of the water-play spots, with the Siam Songkran Festival at Siam Square on 12 to 15 April and the Siam Paragon summer festival on 10 to 15 April. CentralWorld, at Ratchaprasong, hosted a music festival on 11 to 13 April. If you want every ride to be short and the party to be a walk away, this is the middle of the map. If you want quiet in daytime, it is not.
Where to stay in Siam and Ratchaprasong
- Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, splurge. A five-star hotel its site calls a “resort-inspired haven”, with rooms, suites, family stays and a spa. Choose it for a walled-off retreat in the busiest district. Watch out: its own page gives no street address or station walk, so confirm both when you book. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Pathumwan Princess Hotel, comfortable. At 444 MBK Center on Phayathai Road, connected to the MBK mall, with a skywalk to Siam and the Skytrain described as “just minutes away”. Choose it for a mid-range base inside the shopping district. Watch out: you are inside a busy mall complex, a skywalk from Siam Square. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Centara Grand at CentralWorld, comfortable. 505 newly renovated rooms at 999/99 Rama 1 Road, within the CentralWorld complex. Choose it for the Ratchaprasong crossing on your doorstep. Watch out: CentralWorld hosted a festival last Songkran, so the lobby may be busy. Check rates on Booking.com →
Sukhumvit, Asok to Phrom Phong: trains, and a calmer start
None of the zones in TAT’s or the BMA’s 2026 lists was on Sukhumvit Road itself. Benjakitti Park, the site of the free Maha Songkran World Water Festival, is reached from BTS Asok or MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, so a hotel here gives you the festival as an outing you can leave, then the Skytrain home. Phrom Phong, one stop east of Asok, has the malls and Benjasiri Park. Our where to stay in Bangkok guide covers this stretch for the rest of the year.
Where to stay on Sukhumvit
- Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, comfortable. A very large hotel, with 1,388 guest rooms, that its site describes as a step from EmSphere and BTS Phrom Phong, near Benchasiri Park. Choose it for full-service comfort at the calmer Phrom Phong end. Watch out: TAT’s 2026 directions to Benjakitti Park used Asok and Queen Sirikit stations, not Phrom Phong, so plan the route. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, good value. 160 guest rooms on Sukhumvit Soi 11, a five-minute walk to Nana BTS station, with free breakfast and a fitness centre. Choose it for a simple, central base at a low price. Watch out: its amenity list shows no pool, and the hotel describes Soi 11 as a nightlife area. Check rates on Booking.com →
Riverside: boats instead of roads
The river had its own Songkran in 2026: TAT listed ICONSIAM’s celebration at River Park, on 10 to 15 April, and Asiatique The Riverfront’s Summer Wonder Fest, from 9 to 30 April. Riverside hotels sit between those events and the road closures, and they are the base to choose if you want a pool and a view for the heat of mid-April. The trade-off is that every journey starts with a boat or a taxi. For the river itself, see Bangkok river cruises.
Where to stay on the Riverside
- Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, splurge. On the Chao Phraya, with river-facing State Rooms and Authors’ Suites in the River Wing, and a site that says travellers have come to it for over 150 years. Choose it for service on the water. Watch out: price, and it is a boat or taxi ride from any Skytrain. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel, comfortable. 250 rooms and suites with views of the river from the Thonburi bank at 257 Charoennakorn Road, an infinity pool and six dining outlets. Choose it for river views at a mid-range price. Watch out: it is on the far bank, so ask about its boat or shuttle arrangements for the festival days. Check rates on Booking.com →
Banglamphu and Khao San: on foot, in the water
Banglamphu, just north of the Grand Palace, is home to Khao San Road, and the BMA put it among last year’s six most popular water-play spots, though its crowd of 20,000 over 10 to 12 April was a tenth of Siam Square’s. There is no Skytrain here, so you reach it by river boat, taxi or the MRT, and on festival days road closures can slow the taxis. It is the choice if the street party on foot is the point.
Where to stay in Banglamphu
- Riva Surya Bangkok, comfortable. 68 rooms at 23 Phra Athit Road, on the river, with a riverside swimming pool. Choose it for a small, calm hotel on the water near the street party. Watch out: its own site gives no walking time to Khao San Road, so check the map. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Lamphu Tree House, good value. Thai-style rooms, each with a balcony, and a pool; its site puts it “within a 5 to 10 minute walking distance” of Khao San Road, and a newer second building is a 3 to 5 minute walk from the main one. Choose it for character at a lower price. Watch out: that walk may take you through the water fight, so ask which building you are in. Check rates on Booking.com →
Money, rules and the entry fee
| Item | What an official source says |
|---|---|
| Entry fee for foreign visitors | Not in force. The government’s public relations site, on 17 August 2026, described a proposed flat 450 baht per person by air, land or sea, which replaced an earlier 300-baht air proposal; its air phase would start 180 days after the Royal Gazette announcement. We did not find a gazetted start date. |
| Hotel-room tax | We found no separate Thai tourist tax on hotel rooms from an official source. |
| VAT | 7% under Royal Decree No. 807, which KPMG reports extends the rate to 30 September 2027, so it covers April 2027. |
| Service charge | Set by each hotel. Prices marked “++” add it and VAT on top, so compare the total at checkout. |
| Bank holidays | 13 to 15 April 2027; banks close, so carry some baht in cash. |
Our arithmetic: a room at 4,000 baht before tax carries 280 baht of VAT at 7%, so 4,280 baht, and that is before any service charge the hotel adds. Ask for the all-in total before you compare it with a price on a booking site.
Getting in from the airports, and around
- From Suvarnabhumi, the Airport Rail Link runs to Phaya Thai, where it meets the Skytrain. Its operator is in transition: news reports say a four-month interim agreement with the current private operator runs to about the end of January 2027, and that a state railway subsidiary takes over after it, with reports differing on the exact date. We could not read the operator’s fare table, so check fares and hours nearer your trip.
- BTS and MRT fares are changing. The government’s plan, reported in June and again in October 2026, is a single fare of 17 to 45 baht across connected rail lines from 1 January 2027; at the end of October it was still described as subject to Cabinet approval. BTS publishes its fares as a route calculator at bts.co.th. We found no announced Songkran service changes for 2026, and none yet for 2027.
- On festival days, Thairath advised using the BTS or MRT last year, because many areas had road closures and limited parking.
- From the river, see Bangkok river cruises, and for sights beyond the water, things to do in Bangkok and Bangkok for first-timers.
How to book Bangkok for Songkran
- Choose your water distance first. Silom and Siam are in it; the river and Sukhumvit are a ride away. Banglamphu is both.
- Count the “++”. Compare all-in totals; our hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book.
- Check the dates before paying. Book a cancellable rate until the 2027 programme and any extra holidays are announced.
- Ask about access. On closure days, taxis may not reach a hotel on a closed road; ask where drop-offs work.
- Keep the rest of the trip in view. Our where to stay in Bangkok guide has more hotels for the rest of your visit.
All 12 at a glance
| Hotel | Area | Tier | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dusit Thani Bangkok | Silom (Sala Daeng) | Splurge | A link to the trains at the edge of the Silom zone | Crowds around Sala Daeng |
| Pullman Bangkok Hotel G | Silom | Comfortable | A pool in the middle of the Silom zone | It is on the closed road |
| The Sukhothai Bangkok | Sathorn | Splurge | Calm, with a 25-metre pool | No station walk given |
| Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok | Siam | Splurge | A retreat in the busiest district | No address or station walk given |
| Pathumwan Princess Hotel | Siam (MBK) | Comfortable | A mall-linked, mid-range base | A busy complex |
| Centara Grand at CentralWorld | Ratchaprasong | Comfortable | The crossing at the door | A festival venue last year |
| Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park | Sukhumvit (Phrom Phong) | Comfortable | Full service, near BTS Phrom Phong | A different station from Benjakitti Park |
| Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 | Sukhumvit (Nana) | Good value | A central base, breakfast included | No pool; a nightlife soi |
| Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok | Riverside | Splurge | Service on the water | Price; a ride to any Skytrain |
| Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel | Riverside (Thonburi) | Comfortable | River views and a pool | The far bank |
| Riva Surya Bangkok | Banglamphu | Comfortable | A calm river hotel near Khao San | No walking time given |
| Lamphu Tree House | Banglamphu | Good value | Character near Khao San Road | The walk may be wet |
Before you go
Sort out mobile data first (the best eSIM for Thailand, or our general eSIM guide), and cover water damage and delays with travel insurance; read the policy’s wording on phones and electronics before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
When is Songkran in Bangkok in 2027?
The Bank of Thailand's 2027 notice lists Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 April as Songkran holidays for financial institutions, and Time Out Bangkok's 2027 calendar lists the same dates. The 2027 water-fight programme has not been published, and extra holidays can be announced later.
Where is the best place to stay in Bangkok for Songkran?
It depends on how close you want to be to the water. Silom and Sathorn put you at the Silom Road event, which was closed to traffic last year; Siam and Ratchaprasong sit by last year's busiest spot, Siam Square; Sukhumvit and the Riverside are calmer, with trains or boats.
Which Bangkok streets had Songkran water fights in 2026?
TAT's list for 2026 named Silom Road (12 to 14 April), Siam Square (12 to 15 April), ICONSIAM, Royal City Avenue and Benjakitti Park. The BMA's top six spots for 10 to 12 April also included S2O Land, Banthat Thong and Khao San Road. These are last year's arrangements, not 2027's.
Is Khao San Road good for Songkran?
It was one of the BMA's six most popular water-play spots last year, with about 20,000 people over 10 to 12 April, a tenth of Siam Square's crowd. TAT's own list did not mention it and we found no official dates, so treat the 2027 dates as unknown.
Does Thailand charge foreign tourists an entry fee in 2027?
Not yet. The government's public relations site described, on 17 August 2026, a proposed flat 450 baht per person, replacing an earlier 300-baht air proposal, with the air phase starting 180 days after the Royal Gazette announcement. We did not find a gazetted start date, and foreign visitors are not yet required to pay.
Do Bangkok hotel prices include tax and service charge?
Prices marked "++" add a service charge and VAT on top. VAT is 7%, which KPMG reports is extended to 30 September 2027. Each hotel sets its own service charge, so ask for the all-in total and compare it across booking sites.
Sources & further reading
- Bank of Thailand: Notification No. 37/2569, financial institutions’ holidays for 2027
- Time Out Bangkok: Thailand’s 2027 public holidays
- TAT Newsroom: Songkran Festival 2026 to proceed nationwide (26 March 2026)
- TAT Newsroom: Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2026 opens in Bangkok
- Thai PBS: the BMA’s six most popular water-play spots, 10 to 12 April 2026
- Thairath: Songkran 2026 in Bangkok, Silom Road closure and rules
- Government Public Relations Department: proposed 450-baht tourism fee (17 August 2026)
- Pattaya Mail: what tourists say could decide Thailand’s entry fee (18 August 2026)
- KPMG: Thailand’s 7% VAT rate extended through September 2027
- Thairath: unified 17 to 45 baht rail fare plan (23 June 2026)
- Khaosod English: 45-baht rail fare plan heads to Cabinet (21 October 2026)
- Nation Thailand: SRT unit set to take over Airport Rail Link operations
- BTS Skytrain: routes and fares
- Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in October 2026
Dates, programmes and hotel terms change. The 2027 holiday dates come from the Bank of Thailand’s notification; every 2026 detail is labelled as last year’s and may differ in 2027. Confirm rates, rules and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews, and none was a hosted stay. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.
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