It’s hard to believe this road is in Bangkok!!! The most tourists (99% backpackers) ever over here and only a few Thais!!!
The backpacker street has grown to be one of the largest travel metropolises in Bangkok. It is considered by many as a “must see”, “must go” and “must do”!!!
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The word “khao san” itself means rice and is based from the historical role of this street in the rice trade…and the full name in Thai is Thanon Khao San – “Thanon” is the Thai word for road…
You now just say “Khao Sarn Road” – it’s locally recognized by this name now.
Trip: you can make it sounds like “Cow San”.
Today the area became famous and well-known in the movie The Beach with Leonardo Di Caprio. 
(Picture from The Beach Movie – Youtube)
Khao San Road is fairly easy to get to from anywhere in Bangkok. Express boats, buses and taxis are your main options. But let us show you how to get there by boat taxi – it’s kind of adventure (even for a Thai) and the trip can be as much fun as the destination!!!
Start from BTS at Siam station.
Look for the Silom line towards Wongwian Yai…
The center pier or Saphan Taksin Station, is the 6th station from Siam…
Once you get off at Saphan Taksin station, walk out at exit#1.
We will walk down and through the yellow arrows – the first pier in front of you, it’s the ferry pier. We will turn left to the pier for the boat services.
This is a main pier connected with Hotel Shuttle’s a ferry (that goes across), long tail boat rides, tourist boats, and water taxi (kind of like water bus service)…
For the boat service or water taxi you pay on the boat, the ticket office that you see when you walk up is for the tourist boat only.
The tourist boat (BLUE FLAG) is a good deal if you plan to spend the day on the water, it’s one price hop on/hop off all day and you’ll have an English speaking guide on the boat telling you what’s at each stop…. This is a nice day activity.
But today we didn’t take the tourist boat (we don’t need English speaking!)
We were in line and wait until once the microphone guy says something that even the Thai’s can’t understand – Let’s guess, he tried to tell you that the boat is coming, it’s time to get ready.
Today, we took the ORANGE FLAG boat- The different flaged boats have different stops!!! For Khao San Road, it’s N13 stop (it’s N1 at Center Pier).
We finally got in the boat and got seated!!! The conductor made her rounds and we paid 15 baht each for our ride. It doesn’t matter where you get off, it’s still 15 baht, but if you get off and then on again, it’s another 15 baht, so no need to save the ticket stub that she hands you.
It took us about 40 minutes from Center Pier to N13 Phra Arthit, the stop for Khao San Road. But when you got exit from the Pier, it doesn’t mean you will get into Khao San Road right away!
You may have to walk and ask for direction from local people to get Khao San road, or take motorcycle taxi or Tuk tuk for short ride but it can make your life easier! But the area all around Khao Sarn has a lot to offer as well (It’s fun), so walk around!
Across the street from pier N13 you’ll see a 7-11 (it’s across and to the left), turn in that street, it’s called Soi Chana Songkram! It’s a nice walking street with little restaurants and coffiee shops with a street market atmosphier.
This allyway opens up to a wider walking street (turn left) that winds its way to another main road… Khao Sarn road is across this main street just a block on your right. But the street directly across this main street is full of nice resturants and this is the street that we eat our lunch on.
The real road for Khao San road will have a sign (both sides of street).
The street is closed and filled with the shops. There are only tuk tuk and motorcycle allowed to drive around this road…
Shopping for Cheap Flights and Tours – Khao San Road has a plethora of cheap travel agents who can book everything from cheap flights around Thailand or out of the country, to day trips in Bangkok, buses to Phuket, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai and just about everything else. Like everywhere on Khao San Road, comparison shop before you buy, but you can get some great deals on your travel needs here.
More than that, all the stuff are selling here, are kind of cheap!!!
Good for girls….
Good for guys…
And good for kids, or for all ages!!!
Khao San Road offers some of the cheapest and most diverse food selections anywhere in Bangkok. Travellers from all over the world attend the road, so there is a high demand for all kinds of ethnic food. Alongside the usual Thai dishes, Indian, Italian and Jewish cuisine are especially well-represented, as are restaurants specialised in vegetarian food.
But if you don’t want to sit in the resturants, the food carts in this road are popular too, especially Phadthai!
Fruit cart is also popular here, especially (yellow) mango and sticky rice!
Henna Tattoos and Dreadlocks/Hair Extensions – If you want to get a henna tattoo or have your hair done in dreads, or get hair extensions, of course, Khao San Road is the place and you’ll find some of the cheapest pricees here as so many people will do it for you
The street is getting start busy in afternoon and it’s will be more busy crazy at night! Because all pubs and bars upstairs will start about 7pm and late until 2am!
It’s getting dark, so we decided to end the trip to Khao San road just for dinner and make a Tuk Tuk ride back (as I think the boat taxi will get more busy and scary in evening). The best price we got from tuk tuk driver were 80 baht to MBK (Nation stadium, BTS) or 120 baht to Victory monument (BTS) and or 150 Baht for Ari (BTS)…
It wasn’t bad price…but you need to try to make a deal with them.
Or the more, the merrier like this!!!
The most famous thing to do in Khao San road is during Thai New year, called Songkran festival – the water play time for all Thai. But it becomes more festival for this road in last 10 years and it seems gettingmore popular in this area…click here to see our pictures during Songkran Festival!
By the way, you can make some trips in the morning to Grand Palace, Wat Arun or Wat pho before step in Khao San Road in the afternoon!!!
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First step in Bangkok?Welcome to the Grand Palace, a REAL Palace!!! |  |
Wat Pho, the Reclinning Buddha and home for Thai massage school. |
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Wat Arun…The Temple of Dawn…Climp up and touch the history. |  |
Venice of the East!The Bangkok Canal Tours and Snake Farm |
