Chinatown - Bangkok
Chinatown - Bangkok
4
About
As one of the largest Chinatowns in the world, this area in Bangkok is renowned for its incredible shopping options and tantalizing cuisine. This fast-paced district was founded over 200 years ago and went on to become the main hub for Bangkok’s large Chinese community. Venture down Yaowarat Road, bustling with activity and brimming with shops offering an array of souvenirs, jewelry, and trinkets. Then, stop at a family-run restaurant to grab an oyster omelet or dim sum. You can ride the metro to reach Chinatown. It's also within walking distance from landmarks like the Wat Traimit Temple. – Tripadvisor
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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  • Wanderlust
    Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom190 contributions
    OK but wouldn't go out of my way to visit again
    We visited on a Thursday afternoon, and as expected was extremely busy when we eventually found it. Signage is poor do unless you can track on Google maps the streets are a maze. Lots of stalls selling the same products, I have never seen so many stalls selling shoes in one area in my life! Most of the stalls sell low end products as expected, lots of plastic gimmicky things and cheap jewellery to turn your ears green! Good to soak up the atmosphere and see the many small food vendors too but you have to constantly dodge scooters, mopeds, vehicles coming down the crowded alleyways do probably not the safest for young children. We didn't buy anything on our visit, not sure how anyone makes a living down there given the number of stalls selling the same things.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 9, 2020
  • Pia Maria H
    Espoo, Finland119 contributions
    The biggest Chinatown outside of China
    It's worth a visit. You can still find the small alleys with stalls selling whatever you can think of. Also, gold is sold everywhere. As we're not for the shopping, it leaves us with very little to do in Chinatown. There are also good Chinese restaurants outside Chinatown, so you would not need to go there for a nice Chinese meal. But, obviously, it's nice to experience the atmosphere of this Chinatown. You can easily access it by the regular river boats (orange line) and it only costs you 15 Bath.
    Visited January 2020
    Written January 2, 2020
  • Sloth82
    5 contributions
    Sensationful
    Very busy in the evenings when the food markets really open up. All the highly reviewed places had HUGE lines for take away and seating so don’t expect to get a look in unless you want to visit just one place in the night. Pa Tong Go Savoey, is the only line I queued in for 40 minutes. It is the Michelin Starred Pa Tong Go (doughnut) stall. I was extremely disappointed. Although the doughnuts were very tasty, they used Ammonium Bicarbonate as their raising agent. It’s generally considered safe in food uses. However, it is usually used in things like cookies as they’re porous and allow the ammonia gas to escape. In these doughnuts the pockets of gas escape into your nose and mouth when you bite into them. It irritated my nose and throat and gave me a headache. I ended up throwing over half my bag away. The ammonia smell was really strong and acrid. Other than that, I tried steamed fish dumplings and crispy pork belly from a couple of the less busier stands and they were delicious. 100baht for a large portion of dumplings. 120baht for 2 plates of pork and rice. Oh and a fried scorpion for 40baht. Lovely. Over all it was more of a walking and senses experience. There’s plenty of stalls without ratings that you can visit to eat rather than spending all night queuing for the reviewed places. We stood and ate our dumplings next to a stall down at the end of a side street and loved it more than sitting and eating our pork on the Main Street. There’s something for everyone.
    Visited January 2020
    Written January 2, 2020
  • ontheroadmaryg
    London, Canada150 contributions
    Bangkok Must do - but get off the beaten path and explore
    Extraordinary, vital, chaotic. It is sensory overload, shopping and food..the food!! everywhere delicious. So many people, motorcycles and vendors give this area a vitality that is unmatched. We were lucky and had guide through Chinatown who took us off the usual shopping/food stall track and we explored the back alleys and old Chinatown sections. Extraordinary. The older mansions in disrepair, alleys housing Bangkok's reuse and recycling breaking down all sorts of mechanical things. Beautiful massive trees, old fashioned tea houses. We walked for hours and saw a side of Chinatown and Bangkok that was certainly unique and off the beaten path.
    Visited January 2020
    Written April 6, 2020
  • Goh J
    9 contributions
    Yaowarat walking street
    Bangkok is closing the streets on Sunday nights at Yaowarat Road for the food stalls, only one lane of traffic is closed on Fridays and Saturdays for the food stalls. Many food stalls are available at Yaowarat, including some that came up on the Michelin guide. There are also some performances along the streets. It gets very crowded at about dinner time and long queues can been seen at those popular food stalls, like the kway chap, T & K seafood and the patonggo.
    Visited December 2019
    Written January 7, 2020
  • Håvard
    323 contributions
    Busy, but not stressful
    China town, and Bangkok in general, is in our opinion busy but seldom stressful. China town is probably the most packed place we’d been to on our trips to Bangkok so far. Great food and alot of interesting exotic stuff to eat. We do miss the small shops that we at least think was there earlier. Large blocks and alleys are now deserted, and only locked booths and shops are found
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 11, 2020
  • Carl R
    Portland, Oregon687 contributions
    Huge and fun
    If you like crowds, photo ops, and great street food, this is the place for you. Steamed buns, roasted crickets, fake rolexes, real gold, yuk Turks... and a zillion people on the hustle. Put your wallet in your front pocket and wade in foe a fun, authentic, exotic, few hours of craziness
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 7, 2020
  • Kolja
    Bielefeld, Germany17 contributions
    Chinese Cultural Heritage in Bangkoks City Center
    I went on a weekday but it’s was busy anyways, maybe because it was shortly before Christmas. It’s a nice place to buy smal stuff or souvenirs also you can find good prices for gold there. Many Food Stalls around but some Food is truly Chinese and may not for everyone. The Side streets are packed and many people are trying to make their way through them sometimes even a scooter appears in all the busyness. In general it seem everything can be brought most of the stalls are no chains and therefore truly local so spending some money their supports the local economy. I would recommend a visit and walk through China town for everyone who stays longer than 3 Days in Bangkok. It’s good for souvenirs, every day items and also Chinese food and drinks as well as herbal medicine. Fresh fruit and meat is also sold in some side streets which is quite interesting to get a touch of another culture. There are also shops for gold and Jewellery around which I never brought something but seems to sell genuine and for fair prices. COVID-19 Situation: Everyone wears a mask or at least most people do nevertheless the side streets are very small so it gets crowded which increases the risk of infection means take care and do not try to touch your face without proper hand cleaning procedures before.
    Visited December 2021
    Traveled with family
    Written January 9, 2022
  • Joe
    Budapest, Hungary3,367 contributions
    Must see
    A thriving energetic place full of sights, sounds and smells. You really get a throwback to Cantonese life from days gone by. Many of the street sellers and stores have been there for a long time, possibly even generational so you really get a good idea of the authenticity. You can check the markets, buy the local products and of course eat the food. Chinatown is known for its heritage buildings, graffiti murals and advertising signs. But it's at night that Chinatown transforms. The night market comes out and it is so busy. Tons of food stalls, pop-up seating, loud noises, selfie taking etc. Check it out for yourself. You won't regret it
    Visited September 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 9, 2022
  • danae ts.
    Athens, Greece1,847 contributions
    Bustling
    Soooooo crowded. We barely could walk in the streets. There are many stalls to eat which are so cheap. Search for the Jek Pui Curry, in order to taste the most delicious panang curry for only 2€. Easy accessible by MRT
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 14, 2020
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Be Thais
Bangkok, Thailand7 contributions
Mar 2023
Every big city in the world has Chinatown, unique one is Chinatown in Bangkok.
Chinatown in Bangkok actually have more than just exotic street foods.
There are more to explore and gain experience specially traditional Chinese
medicine and herbs. The particular store for nature scents that used since
the ancient time. Sin Thai Agarwood is an pioneer exporter nature scents specially
Agarwood since 1975. Over 40 years, this shop provide variety of nature scents
such as Agarwood Chip & Oil, Natural Incense, Incense Powder, and more.
Just visit the store about 30 to 60 minutes before dinner time to learn more about
the ancient natural scents that will take you way back in time as well as keep
your mind and body relax. A natural scent that bring you a wellness living.
Written March 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sandolphon815316
Hong Kong, China21 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
Wondering where this is? It’s Chinatown!

Important Info: The night food market at Chinatown opens every day from 6pm to 1am. 

And with the opening of Wat Mangkon MRT Station in July 2019, getting here has become so much easier (less than 5 minutes walk to the main area)! So there isn’t an excuse not to come here anymore!

Written March 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trebor-scotland
Balloch, UK86 contributions
Jul 2022
China town is one of your must see in Bangkok. Just getting lost in the side street is fun and exciting . Stop for lunch, let your noise take over and find something new and taste. Do some shopping your are going to find something. getting there is easy you could take taxi from Ekkamai about 170 baht or take MRT to Hua lamphong cross the street they is motorbike taxi cost 40 baht. They drop you of at Restaurant just head down into the market area.
Written August 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maher H
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates3 contributions
Sep 2022 • Solo
I was able to buy some stuff which normally cost almost double the price somewhere else, like tumblers, patches, purses , souvenirs. Very Friendly sellers, though you may need to adjust to the language as they speak less English,nevertheless it's a must visit. Oh yeah if you go on September or October, bring an umbrella. Rainy season. It's also close to the Mega Plaza, anime toys dream land 😀
Written September 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Proud A
Orlando, FL92 contributions
Dec 2021
Kaye (Florida - USA)

Due to COVID - this was the only area of town that was open after 9pm and full of people enjoying the street food and main strip. We went here several times during our December 2021 stay in Bangkok due to everything closing around 9pm. I would say it was open until 11pm or perhaps a little later. But we got there shortly after 9pm. You absolutely MUST try the freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (you will eventually walk past the vendors who are selling it)! And the orange juice tastes more like super sweet tangerines!! YUMMY!!
Written December 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ThaiTrav.com
Bangkok, Thailand94 contributions
Nov 2020
This unique place is a mix of Chinese and Thai cultures. Opening all day but lively at night. It's an outstanding atmosphere to walk at night and find many good Thai and Chinese street foods for your dining.

Most of the restaurants open at night but if you come early you can visit Mangkon temple first. It's founded in 1871, perhaps the oldest Chinese temple in Bangkok.
Written March 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rachel P
Perth, Australia773 contributions
Feb 2020
We visited Chinatown around 4pm in the afternoon. Sampled some yummy food. I would think it would be better to visit in the evening when more stores opened up. No complaints and great to wander around and appreciate other cultures.
Written February 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bob M
Elizabethtown, PA200 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Wandered around Chinatown for a few hours in downtown Bangkok this morning. I have never seen anything like this, with all the merchants crowded into miles of alleyways. With motor bikes constantly delivering goods too the stalls. But it all works somehow amongst all the chaos. Pretty exotic, thriving market place. Thoroughly enjoyable experience, don’t miss it when in Bangkok!
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Seatroutfisher-1
Hexham, UK440 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
A great place to visit, especially with Chinese New Year approaching. A bust vibrant atmosphere with endless amounts of street food of all kinds. Bustling in the early evening. A heady mix of people, lights and street food aromas that jostle the senses. It may not be in China, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nicole
18 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
A place to go if you are looking for good bargain. They have lots of fashion accessories like bracelets & earrings...10 pairs for THB120. You can go there by Grab/ boat. If you are going by boat, get off at Yaowarat...just listen carefully to the announcement. IconSiam has free shuttle boat service.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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