Rattanakosin & Khao San, Bangkok
The old royal town, backpacker land and how to visit with no BTS

What makes the area so good to walk is how different adjacent corners can be. Khao San Road will be dense with stalls and travellers from all over the world, but step out to the Phra Athit side by the river and everything goes quiet at once — cafés in old buildings, benches by the water, and locals coming to sit in the cool of the evening. You can feel that you are in a place where life actually happens, rather than a constructed scene.

• 1
  For travellers here mainly for the temples and palace

  Grand Palace · Wat Pho · Wat Arun

  This is the number-one reason people come to Rattanakosin. The Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun are in one area, chained together on foot and by boat. Staying nearby means you can be inside the temples before the crowds and before the heat, which is worth a lot. Mornings are quietest and have the best light. We cover all the temples in the Bangkok attractions guide.

• 2
  For backpacker energy and cheap eats

  Khao San · Phra Athit · backpacker Bangkok

  Khao San Road and the neighbouring Soi Rambuttri are packed with budget guesthouses, bars, made-to-order food, pad thai carts and travellers from every corner of the world. After dark the area becomes a loud, lively pedestrian street. For the full picture of Khao San, we've written a separate Khao San Road guide.

• 3
  For staying somewhere with a story

  Heritage stays · old-town hotels · stays with character

  Beyond the backpacker hostels, the area has small hotels with character in old buildings and wooden riverside houses that give you the feel of old Bangkok. Wake up to a temple or the river, then step straight out into the old town. No chain hotel over in Siam can give you that. But we'll flag the genuine trade-off — getting around without rail — honestly in the where-to-stay section below.

• 4
  For riverside evenings

  Chao Phraya riverside · sunset · evening stroll

  The Chao Phraya borders the area, a few minutes' walk down from the Grand Palace to Tha Tien or Phra Athit pier. In the late afternoon the light on Wat Arun across the water is beautiful; locals come to sit by the river, and the express boats still pass, giving you the city from the water. For how to ride the river boats well and read the flag colours, see the Chao Phraya boat guide.

The case for staying in Rattanakosin is atmosphere and a central old-town location. You can be inside the Grand Palace or Wat Pho before the crowds, walk to the river, and take the Chao Phraya boat down to ICONSIAM or Asiatique. The area runs from cheap backpacker stays around Khao San to small hotels with character in old riverside buildings — a wider price range, and generally better value, than Siam or Sukhumvit.

But here is the honest trade-off: the core of the area has no BTS. The nearest rail is MRT Sanam Chai, which is walkable to Wat Pho but still some way from Khao San. Getting to shopping districts like Siam or Sukhumvit means a taxi, a boat or a transfer. And Khao San Road is loud at night — if you're travelling with kids or want quiet, choose the Phra Athit side or a soi set further back, and read the reviews carefully on noise. If you can accept getting around without rail, the old-town atmosphere you get in return is well worth it, especially if this trip is built around the temples and palace.