Chinatown / Yaowarat Hotels
8 Stays Steps from
the Street Food!

Mention a Chinatown hotel and the first name most people reach for is Shanghai Mansion — a boutique inside an old shophouse on Yaowarat Road, done up in 1930s Shanghai style. The building was once a Chinese opera house, an early stock exchange and a department store before it became a hotel in 2005. Every room has a carved wooden bed, Chinese lanterns, velvet drapes and a red glass chandelier, and it scores 9.1 on Trip.com with no negative reviews for months. It sits right in the middle of Yaowarat — step out the door and the street food is there, and it's a 3-minute walk to MRT Wat Mangkon. A good fit for design lovers who want to be in the heart of the food.

ASAI Bangkok Chinatown is a design hotel by the Dusit group, set in the I'm Chinatown building on Charoen Krung Road, just 120 metres — a 1–2 minute walk — from the Wat Mangkon MRT exit, the closest to the station in this list, scoring 9.0 from over 1,490 reviews. The draw is the smart, compact rooms that pack in a lot of function, especially the Biggy King Bunk with its built-in bunk bed and sofa, good for friends or a small family. It's a few minutes' walk to the Yaowarat street food, Wat Traimit and Talat Noi, and guests rate the location and the soundproofing. A good pick if you want a newer property right on the train in the middle of Chinatown.

Grand China Bangkok is a high-rise hotel on the corner of Yaowarat Road and Ratchawong Road, right in the heart of Chinatown, scoring 8.9 from over 1,000 reviews. The draw is that the rooms sit high up, with open views over the city and the Chao Phraya River, plus a revolving restaurant on the 25th floor that turns for a 360-degree panorama, and a rooftop pool. You're in the middle of it all — step down to the Yaowarat street food and Sampeng, and it's about a 6-minute walk to MRT Wat Mangkon. The building and rooms lean older in style, but the view and location are good value. A fit for those who want a high room with a view in the middle of Chinatown.

Hotel Royal Bangkok @ Chinatown is a mid-range hotel right on Yaowarat Road whose draw is a rooftop pool, rare at this price in the area, rated 4.1/5 on TripAdvisor from 1,069 reviews. Rooms are clean and modern at a comfortable size, and the breakfast buffet earns guest praise. You're in the middle of the food: step down and there are hundreds of restaurants and street stalls within a few hundred metres, and it's about a 10-minute walk to MRT Wat Mangkon and Wat Traimit. A good fit for families and anyone who wants a pool and an easy room at a reachable rate in the heart of Chinatown.

Ago Hotel Chinatown is a new boutique in the heart of Talat Noi, the riverside quarter of old shophouses full of cafes, street art and cats on the rooftops, rated 8.6–8.7 by couples. The owner has dressed the lobby with antiques and family heirlooms, and the rooms have wood floors, new showers, Villeroy & Boch basins and a Sino-Portuguese design. What guests single out is the Teochew-style rice-soup breakfast, ordered as much as you like. It's a 5-minute walk to MRT Hua Lamphong and about 10 minutes to Yaowarat Road (nicest in the evening). A fit for those who like a quiet, characterful quarter while still walking to the street food.

Talakkia Boutique is a good-value boutique on Charoen Krung Road in the heart of Talat Noi, done in an industrial style with a Chinese touch, clean and simple, scoring 8.1 on Booking from over 880 reviews. The location sits in the riverside quarter of old shophouses, with cafes and street art to photograph all around. Guests rate the staff (9.0) and the location (8.8), there are bikes to borrow for the lanes, and it's about an 8-minute walk to MRT Hua Lamphong, with Yaowarat a further walk on. A fit for a mid-budget traveller who wants to be in the characterful old quarter near Chinatown, without resort-style amenities.

@Hua Lamphong is a budget hotel directly opposite MRT Hua Lamphong and the old Bangkok Railway Station — just a 2-minute walk onto the train, scoring 8.6 from over 400 reviews. The strength is the location next to the station, making it easy to get into town and to catch trains upcountry, with friendly staff, a rare free luggage-storage service after check-out, and a breakfast cafe guests like. It's one MRT stop to Wat Mangkon in the middle of Yaowarat, or you can walk into Chinatown past Wat Traimit. A fit for budget travellers who care more about being on the train than about luxury.

Loftel 22 is a loft-style hostel, the best value in this list, on Soi Charoen Krung 22 in Talat Noi, beside Ratchawong pier on the Chao Phraya River, scoring 7.9 on Booking. There are both dorm beds and private rooms in a polished-concrete-and-wood design with Chinese-style window grilles, plus a coffee shop downstairs and a rooftop terrace where travellers gather. It's about a 5-minute walk to the pier for the Chao Phraya express boat, and roughly 10 minutes to the Yaowarat street food and Hua Lamphong. A fit for backpackers and budget travellers who want the old riverside quarter near Chinatown.