Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

The city's nerve-centre for contemporary art
Word to the wise: The easiest way to get here is by BTS Skytrain—the centre is located directly next to the National Stadium station, opposite the MBK Shopping Mall.

Popular plate: Stop by the IceDEA showroom on the fourth floor to get a taste of edible designs like steak or pork katsu-flavoured ice cream.
One of the most recent and by far the most promising addition to Bangkok's modern art scene, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) finally managed to open its doors to the public in 2008 after eight frustrating years of delays and false starts. Cleverly located close to the trendsetting youth hub of Siam Square, the centre promotes a dynamic and constantly changing programme of exhibitions that straddles the entire artistic spectrum, from traditional paint and sculptural works to more avant-garde video installation and conceptual theatre.

Although the centre spreads over an impressive 11 storeys, only the top three are dedicated exhibition spaces, leaving plenty of room on the remaining floors for art and design stores, an art library, and cool design cafes. But the BACC's pièce de résistance is its cylindrical central atrium, which—with the help of its colourful mural—leads the way to the aforementioned top floor gallery spaces.