Yaowarat Road
The main street of Chinatown
Gold shops, neon signs and, after dark, a long line of street-food stalls along both pavements. The busiest stretch is around the junction with Phadung Dao Road.
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Bangkok, Thailand
Chinatown — Yaowarat
Bangkok's Chinatown: gold shops, temples and narrow market lanes by day, and one of Asia's great street-food streets after dark.
Favourite places
Wat Traimit — the Golden Buddha
Near Hua Lamphong, at the east end of Yaowarat
A seated Buddha of solid gold weighing about five and a half tonnes. Its gold was hidden under plaster for centuries and only discovered in 1955, when the image was dropped while being moved.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
Charoen Krung Road
Bangkok's most important Chinese Buddhist temple, also called Wat Leng Noei Yi, busy with incense and worshippers, especially at Chinese New Year and during the vegetarian festival.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Sampeng Lane
Soi Wanit 1, parallel to Yaowarat
A narrow, crowded wholesale lane selling everything from fabric and beads to toys and kitchenware. Best in the morning before it gets too packed.
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Riverside, south-east of Yaowarat
An old riverside neighbourhood of machine workshops, small shrines, street art and cafés in old warehouses — quieter than the main street.
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Local food
Kuay jap (rolled noodle soup)
Bangkok, Thailand
Rolled rice noodles in a peppery broth with crispy pork belly and offal — a Chinatown classic at night.
Oyster omelette (hoi tod)
Bangkok, Thailand
Oysters or mussels fried in a crisp batter with egg and bean sprouts, served with chilli sauce.
Pa thong ko (Thai doughnuts)
Bangkok, Thailand
Small fried dough sticks eaten in the morning or evening, often dipped in sweet pandan custard or condensed milk.
Where to eat
Yaowarat Road street food
Yaowarat Road, evenings
From early evening, stalls line the road selling noodles, dim sum, grilled seafood, fruit and desserts. Walk the length of it and graze.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Seafood corner at Soi Texas
Corner of Yaowarat and Phadung Dao roads
Big open-air seafood restaurants face each other on this corner, cooking grilled prawns, crab and fish late into the night.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Talat Noi cafés
Riverside lanes of Talat Noi
Small cafés and Thai-Chinese eateries in old shophouses and warehouses, quieter places for a daytime break.
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Where to stay
Chinatown
Bangkok, Thailand
Staying in Yaowarat itself puts the evening food streets on your doorstep, with boutique hotels in converted shophouses and MRT Wat Mangkon for quick connections.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Riverside (Charoen Krung & Sathorn)
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok's classic hotel strip along the Chao Phraya, next to Sathorn pier and BTS Saphan Taksin. Easy to reach the Old Town by boat and the rest of the city by Skytrain.
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Culture
Chinatown mixes Thai and Chinese customs: you will see joss sticks and red paper offerings, and during Chinese New Year the streets fill with lion dances and lanterns. In October, the vegetarian festival turns many stalls yellow-flagged and meat-free. In Chinese temples, as in Thai ones, dress modestly and do not step on door thresholds.
History
Chinese traders were moved here in 1782 to make way for the Grand Palace, and Yaowarat Road, built in the 1890s, became the heart of Bangkok's Chinese community. Gold shops, herbal pharmacies and wholesale markets still line the street.
Look for Wat Traimit with its five-tonne solid-gold Buddha, the Chinese temple Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, and Sampeng Lane's endless wholesale stalls.
Tour plans
Chinatown by day and night
Half dayStep 1: Wat Traimit
See the Golden Buddha in the late afternoon.
Step 2: Sampeng Lane and Wat Mangkon
Walk through the market lanes to the Chinese temple.
Step 3: Talat Noi
Wander the riverside lanes, street art and old shophouses.
Step 4: Dinner on Yaowarat Road
Graze the food stalls after dark.
Map
Travel information
Best time to visit
Evenings, any day except Monday.
How to get there
MRT Blue Line to Wat Mangkon station, which opens onto Yaowarat Road.
Getting around
Chinatown is best explored on foot — the lanes are too narrow and busy for cars. MRT Wat Mangkon opens onto Yaowarat Road, and MRT Hua Lamphong is close to Wat Traimit. The Chao Phraya Express Boat stops at Ratchawong pier, a short walk south of the main street. Traffic on Yaowarat is slow at night, so do not count on a quick taxi.
Travel tips
Come hungry after 6 pm when the stalls set up. Many shops close on Mondays.
