Sathorn Unique Tower

Bangkok


Construction on Sathorn Unique – known colloquially as the Ghost Tower because locals believe the plot of land it occupies to be a former cemetery – began in 1990. In 1997, with an estimated 75% of the tower completed, the Asian financial crisis reached its peak, funds disappeared, and construction on the tower was simply halted, leaving it in its partially finished state ever since.

Today, Sathorn Unique is both a cringe-worthy reminder of that era and popular destination for urban explorers. It is officially off-limits to the public, though some curious visitors still find their way inside despite it being extremely risky (the tower's structural elements were completed, but huge holes, a lack of walls and falling debris pose serious threats).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bangkok attractions

1. Number 1 Gallery

0.35 MILES

This gallery has established itself by featuring the often attention-grabbing contemporary work of Thai artists such as Vasan Sitthiket, Sutee…

2. Assumption Cathedral

0.4 MILES

Marking the ascendancy of the French missionary influence in Bangkok during the reign of Rama II (King Phraphutthaloetla Naphalai; r 1809–24), the current…

3. Institute of Islamic Art

0.49 MILES

This institute has a small gallery displaying indigenous classical and contemporary Thai Islamic art, with the objective of reviving the Thai Islamic…

4. Haroon Mosque

0.55 MILES

This is one of Bangkok's oldest mosques, located in the quaint riverside neighbourhood of Haroon Village, a Muslim enclave full of sleeping cats, playing…

5. Thailand Creative & Design Center

0.68 MILES

Taking up a sizeable chunk of Bangkok's art-deco main post office is this 'playground for creativity'. In practical terms, that means an art- and design…

6. Kathmandu Photo Gallery

0.7 MILES

Bangkok’s only gallery wholly dedicated to photography is housed in a charmingly restored Sino-Portuguese shophouse. The owner, photographer Manit…

7. Sri Mariamman Temple

0.71 MILES

Arrestingly flamboyant, this Hindu temple is a wild collision of colours, shapes and deities. It was built in the 1860s by Tamil immigrants and features a…

8. Bangkokian Museum

0.77 MILES

Comprising three early-20th-century wooden bungalows, the charming Bangkokian Museum illustrates an often-overlooked period of Bangkok's history. The main…