From Wikitravel

Khao San Road (ถนน ข้าวสาร Thanon Khao Saan; also spelled Khaosan, Kao Sarn, Koh Sarn and many other variations) is, technically speaking, a small street about three blocks long located about a block from the Chao Phraya River in the Banglamphu district northwest of downtown Bangkok.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By taxi 2.3 By ferry 2.4 By bus 3 See & Do 4 Buy 5 Eat 6 Drink 7 Sleep 7.1 Budget 7.2 Mid-range 8 Get out

Understand

Backpackers and budget tourists are drawn by some of the cheapest accommodation in Thailand - most guesthouses charge around 150 baht a night and a bowl of noodles is 20 baht or less - and great bargains on tour and transport.

The first business to open on Khao San Road was a small hotel aimed at serving civil servants from the provinces who came to Bangkok on business. The hotel was followed by Sor Thambhakdi, a shop selling monks' accessories. It was followed by four similar businesses, and khao San became known as a "religious road".

Word soon spread about the easy lifestyle and friendliness of the locals. Friends told friends, and before long the owner of the house started to charge 20 baht for food and lodging. The first commercial guesthouse, called Bonny, opened with six small bedrooms.

On a more practical level there are also pharmacies, internet cafes, money changing booths, ATMs, shoe stores, laundry, and optometrists.

Accommodations and restaurants are hard to recommend, since places spring up and disappear on a monthly basis.

Get in

Khao San Road is fairly easy to get to from anywhere in Bangkok. Taxis, buses, and river ferry are your main options. While the metro and the skytrain are convenient ways of getting to many places in Bangkok, there is unfortunately no train (yet) that will take you near Khao San Road (or anywhere else on Rattanakosin Island, for that matter).

By plane

The half hourly airport bus, A2, arrives and departs from the corner of Khao San Road. Buy a ticket from the booth at the airport, or on the bus, it will cost you 100 baht. A meter taxi should cost no less than 200 baht, if using the toll roads (known to Thais as Toll way) which costs up to 60 baht. Traffic during the day can make the toll roads very worthwhile, as it will save time and money. The trip takes under an hour in good traffic, but allow considerable leeway during rush hour as the area around Khao San can get very congested.

A tip for budget conscious travellers arriving at Bangkok airport is to band together with fellow back packers and catch a meter taxi from the departure terminal upstairs as this will save you from paying a 'airport waiting fee' (around 50 baht).

See the Bangkok section for info on arriving in town.

By taxi

Even the metered taxis will try to charge you a flat rate of about 200-300 baht to take you to Khao San Road, rather than use the meter (which would mean no more than an 80 baht from the Silom district). The drivers will claim that Khao San Road is "too far away" for the meter, but that's not true; the fact is, they can get away with overcharging tourists, and if you don't take it, the next schmuck down the street will. You can refuse to pay that amount and try to find an honest taxi that will (which is rare), or try to haggle (which may be just as difficult). One trick that appears to work is if you tell the taxi driver to take you to a location that's near Khao San Road, such as Tanao Road. If you don't mind a short walk, memorize a few landmarks in the Banglamphu area and see if the driver will take you there using the meter and then hike the rest of the way to the road.

By ferry

Boats on the Chao Phraya River is the cheapest and most scenic way of getting to Rattanakosin Island from the rest of the city. The Central Pier is just outside the BTS Saphan Taksin station; you can take a Chao Phraya Tourist Boat for 13 baht or the Chao Phraya River Express for 18 baht to Phra Arthit (pier number N.13). From there, it's a short but confusing walk to Khao San Road. A map, a good sense of direction, or help from a local is usually required.

The ferries stop running at around 17.00 (5:00pm), or will run but stop at fewer locations (and Phra Arthit is not one of them). If you want to take the ferry either to or from Banglamphu, plan your time well or be prepared to spend a lot more on hiring a taxi.

By bus

From Mor Chit (the Northern Bus Terminal), catch bus 3 which will drop you right on Khao San Road. 7 Baht, approx. 30 minutes.

See & Do

There aren't any historical sites to speak of on the road itself — head south to Rattanakosin for that — but the Banglamphu area is just an interesting place to walk around for a glimpse of Thai life.

The Banglamphu park, just beyond Khao San Road, has a great view of the Chao Phraya river and the ultra-modern Rama VIII suspension bridge.

Sites walking distance from Khao San Road include: The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew), Wat Po, Sanam Luang Park, Chao Phraya river, Democracy Monument and The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong). See Rattanakosin for details.

Buy

The Banglamphu market is a good place to pick up cheap Thai knock-offs of everything from jeans to Italian sneakers, as well as a few posh Thai silk stores. Food stalls also abound in this area. Khao San road is also home to many wholesale silver jewelry stores.

• Aporia Books, 131 Tanao Road (road that runs at 'T' junction with Kao San Road - opposite end to the road with the stop for airport bus). Tel:+66-3-6292919. Has a good selection of both new and second-hand English titles, and offers a much more pleasant and organized environment for browsing than the other second-hand book shops on Khao San Road.

Eat

Khao San Road offers one of the most diverse food selections anywhere in Bangkok. Since the street sees such a varied nationality of travelers, several ethnic foods can be found here. Street carts that line Khao San Road sell decent phat thai (fried noodles), quail eggs, roti (like a pancake), falafel, hummus, various bugs and some sell just cocktails.

However, it's worth noting that much of it is specifically geared for backpackers — even the local phat thai, especially the 10 baht variety, economizes on the ingredients and uses soy instead of the traditional tamarind sauce. Those looking for truly good food would be advised to head elsewhere, such as to Sukhumvit.

As Khao San leaves its backpacker roots, standards (and prices) are rising. International outlets Burger King and Starbucks have moved in during 2004.

• Siam Oriental Restaurant, lively atmosphere, serve international and Thai foods. "Chicken satay" is recommended to try.

• Tom Yum Gung, the restaurant, is highly rated and great place to try some tom yum gung (spicy shrimp soup).

• Gulliver’s, on the west end of the road, is a decent sports bar with mid range pricing a good offering of Western food.

• Sidewalk Cafe, a great outdoor people watching spot with a large menu.

• May Kaidee's [1] is a funky vegetarian restaurant, serving many foreigners and hippie-types, on the road behind Aporia Books on Tanao Road (There are two 'T' junction roads at either end of Khao San Road; Tanao Road is the one at the other end to the road where the stop for the airport bus is located). May also runs a cooking class for 1000 baht/day; those interested need to give at least a day or so advance notice.

• No.One is another vegetarian restaurant located behind Aporia Books on Tanao Road.

• Wild Orchid is a clean option that offers great green and red curries and delicious tom yum soups at low prices.

• Oh My Cod!, A British Cafe cum Fish and Chips Shop just around the corner on Soi Rambuttri ( In Rambuttri Village - A great location and the best breakfasts in the area.Excellent Thai Food too!

• Prakorb's House, 52 Khao San Road (right side when walking from airport bus stop) - excellent food in this very friendly, family run hotel and restaurant - especially recommended are the vegetarian noodles.

• Mr Yim's 2 Soi Chanasongkram. A small restaurant up a flight of stairs overlooking the wat. A wide selection of good quality food at good prices, including veggie options. The big baguettes are excellent value. 30B-70B.

Drink

Khao San Road has some of the cheapest bars in town, and these days even some Thais head down to knock back a few. A can of Beer Chang is 25 baht at 7-11. Worth a look are a few street side VW vans converted to mobile bars, serving cocktails made from cheap liquor.

• Lava, Middle of Khao San. Go down the steps to one of the more modern and western own bars on the Road. Sunday nights are good.
• Bangkok Bar,
• Susies Pub, The pub that started it all. Owners of the is pub have branched out to owning Austin Pub, Tom Yung Gung, and The Club. Usually packed playing top 40s tunes.
• Gullivers, A sports pub.
• The Club, With a huge neon sign, you can't miss it. Interesting open design.

Coffee:

Most restaurants on Khao San serve freshly brewed coffee.

• There is a branch of the chain Coffee World (great brownies!) across from the Mc Donald's in Buddy's shopping center.
• There is a very nice Starbucks in a converted house around the middle of the street.
• Prakorb's House, 52 Khao San Road (see eat section) has good coffee, a selection of herbal drinks and a peaceful atmosphere in which to enjoy them

Iced drinks:

• Coconut milk, iced and drunk directly from a fresh coconut is a cheap and good way to cool the body. Coconuts are available at all the restaurants on Khao San Road.

Sleep

Khao San Road is Bangkok's main backpacker guesthouse centre.

Note that some Khao San Road guesthouses don't accept Thai guests.

Budget

Keep in mind that anything on the main drag will be loud, and anything with exterior windows will get hot. Try walking a block or two off Khao San proper to find something with a little personality - or at least a little quiet. The street past the police station end of the block (Soi Rambuttri) has reasonable little bars and restaurants that are starting to spill out onto the sidewalk. The road gets darker and quieter as it wraps around the wat (temple) grounds. The post office end also has a few original spots - including a great veggie restaurant and cooking school; the area just beyond the park has a number of small river-front guesthouses which can be an escape from the noise and chaos.

• My House Guest House has clean rooms and good food; singles from around 180 baht.
• New Merry V is a good low budget option; clean rooms with window from 180 baht, left luggage 10 baht/item/day.
• New Siam Guest House 21 Soi Chanasongkram, +66 281 7461. Just enough off the main drag to be quiet, this guesthouse advertises having the largest rooms for the price, and they do seem that way. Clean and well maintained with friendly staff and safe boxes in some rooms and lockers downstairs. The restaurant menu is basic and the food none too exciting. 220B-570B. [2]
• Rambuttri Village Inn [3]
• Sawadee House
• Siam Oriental Inn, +66 2 629-0312. Nice, clean and quiet rooms (both fan and air-con), all with private bathroom, plus a lively restaurant and a quiet internet cafe and photo-processing facilities. From 280 baht. [4]
• Star Dome Inn [5]
• Prakorb's House, 52 Khao San Road. Tel: +66 2 281-1345 - an old guest house with simple but clean rooms.

Mid-range

There are several better class hotels in the area, with swimming pools, minibars, etc. The better one is the Royal Hotel, while the Vieng Tai is also a popular choice.

• Khao San Palace - a large new guest house - rooms overlooking Khao San are noisy at night.
• Buddy Lodge, tel. +66-26294477 [6]. Right on The Road, prices 1600-2500 baht.
• D&D Inn, tel. +66-62905268 [7]. A huge (by KSR standards) hotel with a roof-top swimming pool, massage facilities, and a very clean and efficient 24 hour internet cafe. All rooms have attached bathrooms, air-con and TV; rates include breakfast and use of the pool. Singles 550/450 baht (with/without window), doubles and twins 750 baht, triples (one double and one single) 1000 baht, family/VIP 1,350 baht. (NB: this hotel is undergoing renovation until February/March 2006, which entails drilling and hammering until 20:00 - before accepting a room, ensure that is away from the area that is being renovated)

Get out

Cheap tourist bus, mini-van, and airline tickets are available at any of the dozens of travel agents in the area. Visas for other Southeast Asian countries can also be obtained on your behalf. Popular destinations include Chiang Mai in the north, Phuket in the south, Angkor Wat in the east (in Cambodia), and various islands off the coast. See also the One month in Southeast Asia itinerary.