Khao San Road, The Backpacker District

Khao San Road, The Backpacker District

Khao San Road is the go-to destination for backpackers from around the world who converge at the same place to shop, share stories and relax before heading back to the road.

This area of Bangkok has countless bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, hotels, massage parlours, bookstores, market stalls, tattoo parlours, and more. Shopkeepers sell handcrafts, paints, clothes, local fruits, CDs and DVDs, used books, and more…

Its light and carefree atmosphere make it a unique place where foreign and local visitors enjoy meeting. Over the years, this district has even become the favourite place for young hipsters and art students in the capital.

Khaosan which translates as “White Rice” recalls the time when its grand avenue was an important rice market in Bangkok. This district, famous in the world, is today a place of transit. It is also the starting point of road trip, (under circuits or trips) in South East Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc.) or even in Thailand (Chiang Mai in the north, Koh Pha Ngan in the south) and organized by the many travel agencies present in the streets of Kaosan. A wide range of hotels and guesthouses also offer low-cost rooms.

At dusk, the streets come alive under the colourful lanterns and turn into a giant bar. The peddlers sell grilled insects and exotic snacks. Backpackers meet in several pubs and bars to share their travel experiences.

During Songkran, the Thai New Year ceremony (April 13-15th), the district becomes the scene of a clash of giant water battles.