Khao San Road
#5of 9 places to visit in BangkokBangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand
Also known as Khaosan Road · ถนนข้าวสาร
Quick answer
Opening hours: 18:00–02:00 and 09:00–22:00. Entry is free. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 19:00 – 23:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- 18:00–22:00
- Open 24 hours as a public street; stalls and bars are busiest from approximately 18:00 to 02:00, with daytime shops and travel agencies typically operating 09:00 – 22:00
- Entry fee
- Free
- Time needed
- 1.5 hrs
- Best time of day
- 19:00 – 23:00
- Best months
- Nov – Feb
- Address
- Talat Yot Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok 10200
About Khao San Road
Khao San Road is a 410-metre street in Bangkok's Banglamphu district, built in 1892 during the reign of Rama V as a rice-trading market — the name translates literally as 'milled rice road.' The trading-district character persisted for most of the 20th century before the street shifted in the 1980s into a backpacker hub, driven by a cluster of cheap guesthouses that grew up around what was then an unremarkable side street roughly one kilometre north of the Grand Palace. Today the street functions as a dense evening market and nightlife strip in one, combining street-food carts, bars with speakers facing the road, tattoo parlours, budget clothing stalls, and travel agencies selling onward bus and boat tickets, with a walkable footprint that most visitors cover in under two hours even with stops.
Best time of day: 19:00 – 23:00. When food stalls, bars, and street performers are in full operation; daytime visits (before 17:00) show a quieter, more commercial street with far fewer vendors set up.
Khao San Road timings
Khao San Road is open 18:00–02:00 and 09:00–22:00. It keeps the same hours on Saturday and Sunday.
- Opening hours
- 18:00–22:00
Mon–Sun 18:00–02:00 and 09:00–22:00 - Open 24 hours as a public street; stalls and bars are busiest from approximately 18:00 to 02:00, with daytime shops and travel agencies typically operating 09:00 – 22:00
- Closed on
- Open every day
Opening hours compiled from tourismthailand.org and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Khao San Road ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | Free |
| Concession (student / senior) | Free |
| Children | Free |
No entrance fee — Khao San Road is a public street. Costs are per purchase (food, drinks, souvenirs, tours) and vary widely by vendor.
Prices compiled from tourismthailand.org and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Khao San Road
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
09:00 – 17:00
DaytimeBest time to go
Most food stalls and bars are not yet set up; travel agencies, guesthouses, and a handful of daytime shops operate at a quiet pace.
Quiet17:00 – 19:00
Evening Setup
Street-food carts and bar staff begin setting up; the street fills gradually as dinner-hour visitors arrive.
Moderate19:00 – 23:00
Peak Night Market
Full nightlife operation — bars, street food, live music, and dense pedestrian crowds fill the roadway, which is partially closed to traffic.
Very busy23:00 – 02:00
Late Night
Bars remain busy; crowd composition shifts toward late-night drinking rather than shopping or dining.
Busy
History of Khao San Road
Khao San Road takes its name from its original function as a rice market during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), part of the wider Rattanakosin old-town commercial district that grew up in the decades after Bangkok became the Chakri dynasty's capital in 1782. For roughly a century, the street operated primarily as a local trading lane rather than a destination in its own right.
The transformation into a backpacker centre began in the 1980s, as budget travellers on the overland Southeast Asia route began favouring the area's cheap guesthouses; the street's reputation grew through word-of-mouth guidebook coverage through the 1990s and 2000s, cementing its status as the default first stop for many independent travellers arriving in Bangkok, a role it retains despite the broader growth of budget accommodation across the city since.
Rules & etiquette at Khao San Road
There is no dress code on Khao San Road itself, unlike the nearby temples, but modest clothing is still advisable for the short walk to and from Wat Chana Songkhram, the neighbourhood's local temple, or any onward trip to the Grand Palace or Wat Pho.
Street vendors and bar touts can be persistent; prices for food and souvenirs are rarely fixed, and asking the price before ordering avoids the small number of overcharging incidents reported by travellers. Counterfeit goods (clothing, watches, DVDs) are openly sold along the strip and are illegal to bring into many home countries — buyers assume that risk themselves.
Pickpocketing and bag-slashing are occasional risks in the densest evening crowds, consistent with any busy nightlife strip rather than a specific local danger; keeping valuables in a front pocket or zipped bag is standard precaution.
Tips for visiting Khao San Road
- 1
Khao San Road is best treated as an evening activity rather than a daytime sightseeing stop, since the food stalls, bars, and street performers that define its reputation set up from around 18:00 onward; a midday visit shows mostly closed-up stalls and ordinary shopfronts.
- 2
The street sits within easy walking distance of the Rattanakosin old-town sights — the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun are all under two kilometres away — making it a practical base for budget travellers wanting to cover the historic core on foot.
- 3
Phra Athit Pier, a short walk from the street's northern end, gives direct river-boat access to the Chao Phraya Express Boat network, a cheaper and often faster alternative to road traffic for reaching the temples or Chinatown.
How to reach Khao San Road
Talat Yot Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok 10200Directions in Google Maps
From Phra Athit Pier
0.7 km · 8–10 min walk
16–33 THB express boat fare
From Grand Palace
1.2 km · 15 min walk
Free (on foot)
From Don Mueang Airport (DMK)
18 km · 30–45 min
250–350 THB metered taxi plus airport surcharge
Nearest airport
From Don Mueang Airport (DMK)
18 km, approximately 30–45 minutes by road.
Nearest station
From Phra Athit / Ratchadamnoen pier (Chao Phraya Express Boat), roughly 700m walk; no direct BTS/MRT station serves the Banglamphu area.
Khao San Road FAQs
Is there an entrance fee for Khao San Road?
No. Khao San Road is a public street with no admission charge; visitors pay only for individual food, drinks, or purchases from vendors along the strip.
What does 'Khao San' mean?
It translates as 'milled rice,' reflecting the street's origin as a rice-trading market built in 1892 during the reign of Rama V, well before it became a backpacker destination in the 1980s.
Is Khao San Road worth visiting during the day?
Not particularly, since most of the street's defining food stalls, bars, and street performers operate from around 18:00 onward. A daytime visit shows a much quieter commercial street with far fewer vendors set up.
How far is Khao San Road from the Grand Palace?
About 1.2 kilometres, a roughly 15-minute walk south via Rachadamnoen Klang Road. Wat Pho and Wat Arun are similarly within a two-kilometre radius, making the area a practical walking base for the old-town sights.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
