Khao San Road

Khao San Road

A lively stop on the Bangkok audio-guided tour, Khao San Road is one of the most famous streets in the city despite being barely four hundred and ten metres long. Created in 1892, it once housed a large rice market, of which its name keeps the trace: Khao San means milled rice.

The zero kilometre of backpackers

It was from the 1980s that the street gained its reputation: its proximity to the temples and historic sites made it the gathering point for backpackers from all over the world. It is sometimes nicknamed the zero kilometre of backpackers. Its fame exploded in 2000 with the release of the film The Beach.

What to see

By day, there are cafes, clothing stalls and travel agencies. But it is at night that it truly transforms: music, bars, street food, dense crowds and continuous effervescence. Khao San Road is at once a symbol of freedom, a permanent party and a must-see of modern Bangkok.

Practical information

Khao San Road is in the Phra Nakhon district, near the historic sites. Freely accessible, it comes to life mostly in the evening; it can be walked at any time.

Where does the name Khao San come from ?

Khao San means milled rice, in memory of the large rice market once held there.

Why is the street so well known ?

It has become the gathering point for backpackers from all over the world since the 1980s.