Bangkok's best rooms for quiet contemplation

Need to get away from that screaming baby or the busy body mother-in-law? Looking to question the meaning of life in inspirational surroundings?
Bangkok offers some amazing places to work, contemplate or just sit down and read a good book. 

Neilson Hays Library 

The Neilson Hays Library is a gorgeous little study space off Surawongse Road (BTS: Saladaeng). First founded in 1869 by the Ladies Bazaar Association to serve the library needs of the English speaking public, the space is continuously renovated and the grounds now boost multiple galleries in addition to the library itself.

Here’s a little tidbit: It is the first nonprofit organization in Thailand. One day’s entrance is only 50 baht to access the facilities while a full year’s membership is 3,000 baht and entitles patrons to check out books. There’s a great children’s program that includes a massive book collection to pacify those ‘busy’ kids. 

Thailand Creative Design Center 

The TCDC was the brainchild of he who must not be named (ok, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra) in a bid to boost Thailand’s ability to create diverse minds that think outside of the box.

Fast forward five years and Thaksin is exiled, his ventures in taters, but the TCDC still remains. Sitting at the top of the Emporium shopping complex (BTS: Phrom Phong) the TCDC is an eclectic mix with an art space, café and library. You can pay to enter for a daily fee or buy a year-long membership which includes access to design books, free wifi, a quiet workspace and a plethora of street cred with all the artsy ‘dek neaw’ who frequent the design centre. 

Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre 

The Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre is that beautifully ugly building built adjacent to Siam Discover and opposite to MBK. The space is actually a giant modern art gallery with little shops and showrooms on the first two floors that house the Thai Mime Society, the Royal Photography Society as well as ThaiFilm.com and other things.

The top floors are used to house the best and brightest of contemporary Thai art with a new display going up every two weeks. The basement houses the Art Library, which is free and open to the public, featuring public computers and contemporary books on art and design.

The entire space is littered with chairs and tables and on any given day (except Monday when it’s closed) filled with the Bohemian inclined sectors of Thai society. It’s usually quiet and a wonderful place to study in, from the library all the way to the special gallery at the top.

The Reading Room 

The dive bar of inner city workspaces, the Reading Room is a privately run library in a petite shop house on Charoen Krung Road. Stacking over 1,000 books and other media, this contemporary work space is a throwback to the past and feels more like a living room than a library.

That being said it’s quieter than any of the other workspaces and you’re probably less likely to be distracted there. It is free and open to the public but you might struggle to find it as the exterior is hidden and from the outside it looks like any other shop.

The Reading Room 2351/4 Charoen Krung Road. Tel: +66 (0) 2289 0395

Stock Exchange of Thailand's Maruey Library 

The only library in Thailand that keeps its doors open until late, the Maruey Library attached to the Stock Exchange of Thailand is open from 8:30am to 11:00pm every day.

While it might get loud and full of students during exam times, during the other periods of the school year it is a quiet contemplative study hall with access to the Internet and the biggest collection of economy related books anywhere in Thailand.

The Asok Based library also has the added bonus of free access to financial statements and news and trading data from SETINFO databases. The library itself is three stories tall and with its glassy exterior is both contemporary and scholarly.