The best part about Chinatown in Bangkok

Attempting to go from the Suvarnabhumi Airport arrival lounge straight to Pattaya, Phuket or another resort in Thailand, much is lost without seeing the most interesting attractions of Bangkok. The capital of the country is no less interesting to visit, and the colorful places in it are endless. One of them is The Chinatown of Bangkok which is a must-visit, no matter how briefly. It’s a memorable experience.

China Town in Bangkok is located south-east of The Great Royal Palace, along Yaowarat Road (Yaowarat). The Chinatown was organized at the command of King Rama I when his palace was built in Bangkok. Until 1782, Chinese peasants who had fled their homeland because of various oppressions lived freely on the banks of the Chao Praya River. Originally it was one of the poorest and dirtiest areas of the capital, with a mass of opium brothels, brothels and other dubious establishments.

Bangkok’s Chinatown had changed dramatically by the middle of the 20th century, with the construction of fashionable hotels, skyscrapers, stores, cinemas and even its own opera house. Now it’s quite a safe and beautiful district, quite free from the dubious reputation and full of unique Chinese flavor. Its residents still adhere to national superstitions: on the walls of many houses are fixed mirrors “pat-qua”, protecting residents from evil spirits. The ban on settling elsewhere is no longer in force, but 60 percent of the Chinese of the entire metropolis still live there.

What to buy?

Chinatown in Bangkok is a permanent fair, and its narrow streets are almost entirely small stores and cafes. There are always a lot of parade-goers there, and when you’re not used to it, you’d think all of Bangkok would gather there for some unidentified flash mob.

There you can buy jewelry, fruit, oriental spices. This mix of offerings is dominated by textiles, a traditional Chinese craft in which they have achieved excellence. There’s another enticement – the opportunity to buy exclusive gold and silver jewelry (where to buy silver in Bangkok?). Perhaps the quality of precious metals will not be at the top, but you will get from the hands of a master jeweler almost a hot (literally) thing, which will not be repeated anywhere else.

What to eat and drink?

Want to find out what authentic Chinese food is like? Shopping in Bangkok’s Chinatown is easy to combine with a gastronomic tour. From Peking duck and roasted chestnuts to exotic shark fins, black tofu mushrooms, cuttlefish and mussels. If you wish, you can find something that is even more indigestible to the European eye. Surprisingly, the Chinese eat anything they can chew.

Most of the cafes, restaurants and just diners are located on Yaowarat Road. They charge 30 to 100 baht for a portion of rice noodles, and the average bill for dinner is no more than 200 baht. On weekends the eateries are open until 11 p.m., on weekdays they close two or three hours earlier.

Walking through Chinatown in Bangkok, you’re sure to come across offerings of various oriental medicine potions, as well as blends for herbal Chinese and Thai teas: teguanyin, oolong, puer.

What to do?

China Town in Bangkok is still more of a bazaar fair, so there’s not much cultural entertainment there. But all the historical monuments are literally right next door, about a kilometer to the west. Even though it has become quite safe and somewhat fashionable, you can still find places that offer forbidden entertainment. Bars with girls are concentrated along Phadung Dao Street, where an entire block is unofficially named Texas because of a restaurant with the talking name Texas Suki (read more about sex tourism in Bangkok). It’s best not to go into the alleyways there alone.

The Golden Buddha Image

Where to settle?

We would like to provide a list of the most popular hotels and hostels in Bangkok’s Chinatown that you can book at Hotellook.ru and RoomGuru.ru. If you decide to spend a night or two in the Chinatown district, you don’t need to book expensive hotels. Here is a sufficient number of decent, comfortable and inexpensive hostels, which can save travelers a few hundred baht.

How to get there?

The closest Bangkok subway station to Chinatown is Hua Lamphong, the classic MRT subway, marked blue on the diagrams. From it, there are buses number 37, 49, 75. For better orientation, remember that the train station is to the north of it, and the “Chinatown” itself is to the west, along Rama 4 Road. You can hire a cab or a traditional scooter tuk-tuk.

If you see an arch like this, you’re on the right track!