Khao San Road

The Gateway to Southeast Asia

Khao San Road is the meeting grounds for many a backpacker, both green and seasoned. English is spoken fluently here, and hostels and street stalls cater eagerly to tourists. Everything from roasted scorpions to DVD’s may be found here.

A backpacker's haven

Back when Bangkok was established in 1782, the Grand Palace area was the center of town. Khao San road, which is only 20 minutes from the palace, remained a quiet residential area for two centuries. The road turned into a Mecca for travelers on the brink of the economic boom of 1982. Tourists poured in from all over the world, and backpackers not able to afford the overpriced rooms, asked locals on Khao San if they could rent a vacant room. The locals realized a before unheard of source of income from these room rentals, and to this day business on Khao San has proliferated with guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops.