Reader’s E-mail
Hello, I am planning a trip to Thailand later this year. It is my first time in the country. I want to do the sights in Bangkok for a few days and then head up to Chiang Mai for some trekking. My question is where should I stay in Bangkok – Khao San or Sukhumvit? I am on a tight budget. Thanks!
Reply from Thailand Life
Nowadays there is little price difference between staying in Khao San and Sukhumvit despite Khao San having a reputation as ‘backpacker central’.
The Cheapest Rooms are in the Khao San Road area
You can look around the back streets of Khao San and around the temple and find cheap rooms. They are often just a wooden box with bed and fan. There are also hostels in Khao San if you don’t mind sharing a room with others. If you look around you could get a bed in Khao San for about 400 Thai Baht a night ($13)
There is Better Mid Range Accommodation on the Sukhumvit Road Area
For around a 1,000 Thai Baht a night you can book a decent room in a 3 star hotel in Sukhumvit.
Khao San Road is Nearer To The Temples and Palaces Than The Sukhumvit Road
Another thing to consider is that whilst the Sukhumvit Area has much better public transport links than the area around the Khao San Road, it is farther away from the main tourist attractions in Bangkok. In Khao San you can walk to Phra Arthit Pier in 5 minutes. From there you can catch cheap ferry boats to get you to Wat Pho, Grand Palace and Wat Arun. On the other hand, from the Sukhumvit Road you can travel to the International Airport and the main shopping areas like Siam Square and around the Silom Road by elevated train (known as the ‘Sky-train’ in Bangkok) or by the metro, which terminates at Bangkok’s main train station.
