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German Khao San Road is one of the most famous streets in Bangkok. Find out here whether it's worth paying a visit to this notorious corner of the city.
Every good backpacking trip through Thailand starts right here: Khao San Road is the gateway for anyone who wants to explore Thailand or the whole of Southeast Asia with a backpack. In this article, I’ll show you what the myth of Khao San Road is all about and give you a few insider tips if you want to experience more than morning hangovers from all-nighters and grilled scorpions on the side of the road.
Where is Khao San Road located?
Khao San Road is located in the Banglamphu district of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Although it is difficult to identify a real city center in the megacity of Bangkok, Khao San Road is relatively central and close to popular sights such as the Grand Palace with the famous Wat Phra Kaeo temple, the Wat Pho temple and the lesser-known Wat Suthat temple.
By the way, another beautiful temple in Bangkok is Wat Traimit with its Golden Buddha!
Why Khao San Road is so famous
Somehow, Khao San Road has always been a major attraction in Bangkok. The mix of shops, street food stalls, bars, and restaurants keeps the street bustling around the clock. But Khao San Road didn’t really become a must-see for every backpacker until 1996, with the publication of Alex Garland’s novel “The Beach.” In the book, the protagonist begins his trip to Thailand right here, amid the hustle and bustle of cheap bars and the wild nightlife. The subsequent film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio did the rest, and the legend of Khao San Road was born.
Hi, I’m Tatiana, the blogger behind The Happy Jetlagger. I love sharing honest, passionate, and authentic stories about my travels. All tips are carefully researched by me.
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Khao San Road: Now for everyone
Originally more of a meeting place for low-budget vacationers and backpackers, Khao San Road is now actually a must-see for any Bangkok visitor. In the evenings, the atmosphere ranges from parties to social gatherings, while during the day there are endless shopping opportunities. Street food is available around the clock anyway. Particularly popular photo motifs are snack stands with grilled insects, worms or scorpions, which are always used for culinary tests of courage. Even tattoo studios can be found here. I don’t want to know how many people wake up early in the morning with a tattoo as a souvenir: The nights on Khao San Road can get wild!
If you’re not into dancing the night away, you can take it easy around Khao San Road. Between the bars, there are always individual massage parlors where you can have your feet massaged in comfortable armchairs right on the street, for example. Personally, I don’t find it particularly appealing and always somehow a bit unhygienic, but people seem to be into it!
Rambuttri Road: The laid-back alternative to Khao San
The parallel street, Rambuttri Road (or Rambuttri Alley), is much quieter. There you will find not only tourist hangouts, but also very cozy bars and unexpectedly hip food locations!
From the Molly Bar, you can watch the hustle and bustle on the street, listen to music and enjoy the nightlife with a cocktail. And Camp Burger has really good burgers if you’re not into Thai cuisine.
Insider Tip: Samsen Road
I’ve been to Bangkok several times and I’m not necessarily one of those people who has to start a Thailand trip compulsorily near Khao San Road. For many, this is simply part of a perfect trip to Bangkok. What I can also somehow understand is that the vibe around Khao San Road is very special. During my last stay in Bangkok, I also ended up there rather by chance, because I had booked a hotel so spontaneously that I didn’t really realize where it was. But it was still a 20-minute walk to Khao San Road. That way, I’ve discovered quite another insider tip!
If you’re in the mood for a cozy, tropical-warm evening with good food and want to escape the hustle and bustle of Khao San Road for a while, you only need to walk a few streets further in the direction of Samsen Road. Around Soi 2 (the side streets of a main street are often just numbered) you’ll find a cute little neighborhood with nice restaurants, like So Samsen, which is really nicely decorated. Along Samsen Road itself there are also some less touristy, exciting locations like Neighbourhood (address: 59, 61 Samsen Rd) for evening/nighttime or Ganja Café for daytime.
Shopping on Khao San Road
You can shop endlessly on Khao San Road and the surrounding area. However, the stores are very focused on tourists. So if you can no longer see the infamous Elephant Pants either, I recommend a visit to Chatuchak Market or The One Ratchada night market, which replaced the formerly popular Ratchada Train Night Market after the pandemic.
If you don’t have time to browse through the huge markets, I have a little shopping tip for you near Khao San Road: At something about us, you will find beautiful little things such as costume jewelry, accessories and fine stationery by local artists.
Where to stay near Khao San Road
In the immediate vicinity of Khao San Road, you will mainly find low-budget accommodation, but now also typical tourist hotels. If you want to stay in the middle of the party and tourist hustle and bustle, this is the place for you!
However, I find that there are so many great neighborhoods and exciting locations to stay in Bangkok that I tend to avoid the direct area around Khao San Road.
I was really happy with my hotel, which was located a little further away from Khao San on Samsen Road. Overall, I found the area surprisingly cool for staying overnight—very local and safe (though, to be honest, I rarely feel unsafe in Bangkok anyway). And I can highly recommend Lost in BKK, whether as a hotel or a hostel (they offer both private and shared rooms): friendly staff who go above and beyond!
How to get to Khao San Road
There are direct bus connections to Khao San Road from both the major Suvarnabhumi Airport, where all long-haul flights land, and Don Mueang Airport, which is often served by low-cost airlines. Alternatively, you can take a cab or the Thai equivalent of Uber, Grab.
Suvarnabhumi Airport is also connected to the city by the Airport Rail Link, a skytrain. While this is super convenient and fast, it only has a few stations. To use it to get to Khao San Road, you would have to get off at Phaya Thai station, and then transfer to bus or cab.
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