Khao San Road

 Khao San Road

Khao San Road is a small road, about 410 meters long, located about a block from the riverside of Chao Phraya River in the northern side of Rattanakosin Island. The street is placed in the heart of the Old City, and it is about 1 km north of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, and close to the capital's main waterways, the majestic Chao Phraya River and its canals Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem and Khlong Saen Saep. Built in 1892 during the reign of Rama V, due to its privileged position, Khao San Road was a major Bangkok rice market; in fact, its Thai name can be translated into "milled rice". In the last decades, the road has developed into a world-famous "backpacker mecca", with some of the cheapest accommodation and travel options in Thailand. The street itself and the surrounding area offer a wide range of cheap guest houses, 3-star hotels with reasonably priced, restaurants, internet cafes, coffee shops, massage parlours, travel agents, shops and entertainment venues. Originally dedicated only to backpackers, currently the street is one of Bangkok's most famous attractions and it is visited by a wide variety of tourists, most of whom are not backpackers. The whole area is well known as a center of dancing, partying and transgressive nightlife that attracts everyone, from tourists to Thai university students. Khao San Road is quite easy to get to from any areas of Bangkok, although there are no SkyTrain or Subway stations close to it or to anywhere else in Rattanakosin Island. The easy way of getting to Khao San is to use the cheap Bangkok's taxis, which would mean no more than an 80-100 baht fare from Silom area, 100-150 baht from Sukhumvit area, and around 300-400 baht from Bangkok's airports, plus 75 baht for the tollway fee from Suvarnabhumi. More