Chinatown and Khao San Road are two popular areas to stay in the historical parts of Bangkok. These two areas have a vibrant atmosphere, budget-friendly accommodations, and close proximity to the city’s most famous cultural attractions like Wat Pho and the Grand Palace.
In this article, I will help you to look at the differences and similarities between Chinatown and Khao San Road. I’ll focus on their locations, public transportation, hotel options, nightlife, shopping, food, and attractions.
If you are looking for whether you should stay in Chinatown or Khao San Road, keep reading. I stayed in several areas in Bangkok including Khao San Road and visited Chinatown. I hope to give you the best advice from my firsthand experience.
Is it better to stay in Chinatown vs Khao San Road?
Khao San Road and Chinatown are located on the historic part of Bangkok and are convenient bases for sightseeing, enjoying the local food, and lively nightlife. They are both budget-friendly areas to stay in Bangkok, ideal for backpackers and solo travelers.
I personally prefer staying in the area near Khao San Road more because it is closer to major cultural attractions like Wat Pho and Gland Palace than Chinatown. I can easily visit these sites on foot from my hotel around Khao San Road.
I didn’t want to stay directly on Khao San Road because this street is very noisy and crowded with party crowds from afternoon to early morning. I stay in the surrounding areas like Chakrabongse, Rambutri, Dinso, or AH 123 Road, for a quieter atmosphere but still an easy walk to the nightlife on Khao San.
Chinatown is better than Khao San Road if you’re looking for a more vibrant street food scene, a unique cultural atmosphere with colorful neon lights illuminating the streets at night, an art district, and ancient houses.
These two areas are located just around 4km apart, so you can stay in one place and visit another on tuk tuk, Grab Taxi/ Bike, or even walk.
My recommended places to stay in Bangkok Chinatown:
- mid-range: Shanghai Mansion Bangkok
- budget: Lhong Yaowarat hostel
Top stays in and around Khao San Road:
- mid-range: Buddy Lodge, Khaosan Road
- mid-range: Lamphuhouse Bangkok
Location
Both Chinatown and Khao San Road are located in the old part of Bangkok, on the east side of Chao Phraya River.
Khao San Road is the 400m long road that links Chakrabongse Road and Thanon Tanao Road. This road is close to some local attractions like Democracy Monument, Giant Wing, the Grand Palace, and Wat Pho.
The main area of Chinatown is the area around 1.5km long Yaowarrat Road. This area is home to Sampeng Market, Chinatown Night Market, and Wat Tramit temple. Other major points of interest in Chinatown are Talat Noi and Hua Lamphong Station.
Khao San Road is closer to all historical and cultural attractions in the Old Town. The two areas have similar distance to the main airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
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Public transportation
Both Chinatown and Sukhumvit are very well-served by the boat system on Chao Phraya River and the surrounding canals. Chinatown has a better connection to the MRT underground train system. There are no BTS Skytrain lines running through either area.
There are two train stations in Chinatown including Wat Mangkon and Hua Lamphong Stations. You can use this train line to get directly to the old town, Silom, Sukhumvit, Jodd Fairs Night Market, and Chatukchak Weekend Market.
The closest train station to Khao San Road is Sam Yot MRT station, located 20 minutes walk or 5 minutes tuk tuk ride apart.
Chinatown is home to Ratchawong Pier and Maritime Department Pier along Chao Phraya River. You can easily take a boat from these piers to get to the old town and many attractions along the river like Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Grand Palace, Icon Siam, and Asiatique.
There is also a boat system along Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, which connects Hualamphong Railway Station in Chinatown to Banglamphu area and to Saen Saep Canal.
From Khao San Road, you can walk to Phra Arthit Pier along Chao Phraya River or the pier near Golden Mount on Saen Saep Canal. These boats will take you to most major attractions in the old town, Siam, Pratunam, and Sukhumvit.
Accommodations
Both Khao San Road and Chinatown have a wide range of budget-friendly guest houses and hostels. There are many small family-run and boutique accommodations, which offer a homey atmosphere.
Like many other popular areas in Bangkok, accommodations in both Khao San and Chinatown are often in high demand in the peak tourist season from November to May. So, always make sure to book your accommodations well in advance to secure a quality spot.
If you want to avoid crowds and noise, it is best to avoid staying in the hotel that is located directly on Khao San San Road. You can easily find good places to stay in the surrounding areas of Khao San for a quieter night sleep but still within easy walking to the action.
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Nightlife
Both areas have a lively nightlife scene but a bit different atmosphere. If you want a cheap bar scene and loud music, Khao San is the better place to go. If you want to eat great street food, Chinatown is the place to go.
Khao San Road is lined with bars, clubs, weed shops with loud music and cheap drinks. There are also stalls selling reasonably priced food and typical Thai souvenirs.
There are also many trendy, less loud bars in the nearby areas of Khao San in Soi Rambutri, so if you want to relax at night with a good range of bars and clubs, head to Rambutri Alley.
The nightlife Yaowarat Road in Chinatown town is mostly around the food scene. This area is lit up with colorful neon signs, creating a scenic atmosphere. There is a night market around Yaowarat Road Soi 11, as well as many restaurants and street food stalls along the main road and its side alleys.
Chinatown is one of the best places to go in Thailand for street food. You can try seafood on the side of the road, as well as many Chinese and local Thai street food. There are several trendy bars along the main road in the area around Shanghai Mansion Hotel.
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Shopping
There are no significant shopping malls in both Chinatown and Khao San Road. If you want to do your shopping, it is better to take the MRT train to downtown Bangkok for more options.
Around one hour by train from either Khao San Road or Chinatown, you can get to Siam Shopping district and Sukhumvit, where the city’s majority malls are located.
Shopping scenes in both Chinatown and Khao San Road are bargain shopping at the street stalls or in the local markets. In addition to typical Thai souvenirs in both places like elephant pants, handicraft items, accessories, you can find traditional Chinese medicines and gold shops in Chinatown.
Chinatown is home to Sampeng Market, which is the famous wholesale market in Sukhumvit. You can find almost everything here at affordable prices, especially if you’re buying in bulk.
Food
Both areas offer a great food scene with more reasonable prices than other areas of Bangkok like Sukhumvit. You can find lots of street food stalls and small family-run restaurants.
The food scene in these areas are mostly about local Thai food. They don’t offer as much international cuisine or diversity as you’ll find in Sukhumvit.
From my personal experience, I prefer the food scene in Chinatown more than in Khao San Road. Khao San Road is more toward tourists and with tourist prices. Chinatown is cheaper and you’ll see more local eating around.
You can check out the food stalls along Yaowarat Road and its small side alleys. There are restaurants and vendors serving seafood, bird net, dim sim, grilled meat, noodle soup, and lots of other Thai and Chinese dishes in Chinatown.
Attractions
Both Khao San Road and Bangkok Chinatown are full of cultural and historical attractions. Khao San Road is a bit closer to the city’s most iconic sights like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Depending on your location in Chinatown, you can walk to these places or need to take a short tuk tuk ride.
In addition to major attractions in Bangkok Old Town, Chinatown has its own cultural and historical characteristics. There are temples, museums, ancient houses to explore like Wat Tramit temple, Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center, Chinatown gate, or Talat Noi art quarter.
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So there you have it, my comparison between Chinatown and Khao San Road about their location, hotel options, nightlife, shopping, dining, and attractions. Both areas offer a lively nightlife scene, budget-friendly accommodations and proximity to the city’s most famous cultural attractions.
Overall, Chinatown is a better place to stay if you want an unique cultural atmosphere with colorful neon lights and street food. Sukhumvit is more ideal for those who want to stay in the heart of the backpacker hub of Bangkok, enjoy parties and meet other travelers.