Explore Bangkok
Immediately north of Ratanakosin, Banglamphu’s most notorious attraction is Thanon Khao San, a tiny sliver of a road whose multiple guesthouses and buzzing, budget-minded nightlife have made it an unmissable way-station for travellers through Southeast Asia. There is plenty of cultural interest too, in a medley of idiosyncratic temples within a few blocks of nearby landmark Democracy Monument, and in the typical Bangkok neighbourhoods that connect them, many of which still feel charmingly old-fashioned.
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Thanon Khao San
Thanon Khao San
At the heart of Banglamphu is the legendary Thanon Khao San, almost a caricature of a travellers’ centre, crammed with internet cafés and dodgy travel agents, the pavements lined with cheap backpackers’ fashions, racks of bootleg PlayStation games, tattooists and hair-braiders. It’s a lively, high-energy base: great for shopping and making travel arrangements – though beware the innumerable Khao San scams – and a good place to meet other travellers. It’s especially fun at night when young Thais from all over the city gather here to browse the clothes stalls, mingle with the crowds of foreigners and squash into the bars and clubs that have made Khao San a great place to party. Even if you’re staying elsewhere, the Khao San area is a cultural curiosity in its own right, a unique and continually evolving expression of global youth culture fuelled by Thai entrepreneurship.
