Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
togenic fresh-food market.
Enjoying Bollywood-style markets and the city's cheapest and best Indian food in
Explore: Chinatown
Chinatown embodies everything that's hectic, noisy and polluted about Bangkok, but
that's what makes it so fascinating. The big sights - namely Wat Traimit and the street
markets - are worth hitting, but be sure to set aside enough time to do some map-free
wandering among the neon-lit gold shops, hidden temples, crumbling shopfronts and
pencil-thin alleys, especially the tiny winding lanes that extend from Soi Wanit 1 (aka
Sampeng Lane).
For ages, Chinatown was home to Bangkok's most infamous traffic jams, but the arrival
of the MRT (Metro) in 2005 finally made the area a sane place to visit. Still, the station is
about a kilometre from many sights, so you'll have to take a longish walk or a short taxi
ride. An alternative is to take the Chao Phraya Express boat to the stop at Tha
Ratchawong, from where it's a brief walk to most restaurants and a bit further to most
sights.
The whole district is buzzing from dawn until after dusk, but Chinatown is at its best
during these two times. The best time to eat is from 7pm to 9pm, as there aren't many in-
teresting lunch options in the area.
Local Life
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Street Food
Although it's dominated by restaurants serving shark-fin and bird's nest
soup, the true China- town meal is what's prepared by the street vendors that line Th
Yaowarat after dark. Locals come from all over Bangkok to eat at Chinatown's stalls, and
so should you.
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Markets
Phahurat (
Click here
)
and Chinatown districts have interconnected markets
selling fabrics, clothes and household wares, as well as shops for every imaginable bulk
item and a few places selling gems and jewellery.
