In every to-do list it is mentioned, ‘go to Khao San Road in Bangkok’. The promise: a cosy backpacker atmosphere, lots of street food, a fun market and a vibrant nightlife.
That sounded like, maybe something for us, we’ve had some parties in Thailand by now, we’re big fans! And so we headed there. In this blog, you will read my sincere opinion on this ‘cosy’ street that – according to many – should not be missed during your stay in lively Bangkok.
Khao San Road: the place to be?
If you’ve read our 3-day schedule in Bangkok, you might notice something. Khao San Road is not mentioned in it. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been here, quite the contrary.
It is Friday night, one of our last days in Thailand. After some cocktails at a rooftop bar, we decide to head to Khaosan road. We take the local bus (quite an experience, super fun!) and get off nearby. We have a pint somewhere and then take a leisurely stroll to Khao San street.
A piece of alligator, anyone?
What. The. Hell. Loud music on the left, loud music on the right. Rows of staff almost begging us to choose their bar. Not one or two promotors, no, a whole queue. After saying ‘no’ six times with a smile, I’m kind of done with it.
The street is packed. On the terraces, there are not many people. Mainly groups with their drink buckets. Maybe we are not the only ones who don’t find the terraces so appealing?
It’s like being on The Strip in Albufeira, Portugal, but 10 times worse. I have to be stupidly drunk to like this.
We don’t understand the hype, after 19 days in Thailand, this is the ugliest thing we have seen.
At festivals, you talk about sound bleeding when you hear the music from another stage on your stage. On Khao San Road, the sound literally bleeds from all sides. OK, not fair, you probably don’t come here for the good music. But still, it seems like a competition here: bet my music can be louder than yours?
We see some street food stalls and a Thai waiting for (drunk) tourists who want to indulge in eating a scorpion. Or insects. A little further on, a grilled crocodile is on display. Is this it, then?
Step by step, we go down the street. What a crowd of people. We are looking for the thing that people like so much here.
Bars with drunken youths, people in rows with their feet in a fishbowl, some massages here and there, a market like we have seen many, and more weed shops than Amsterdam has. And promotors. Lots of irritating promotors.
I mutter that we are leaving here. And then we see this sign: Garden with not very loud music. Hallelujah, what a relief.
The garden without noise
Once in the alley, we end up at a nice bar, Mischa Cheap. Here you can have a cosy drink. I want to emphasize ‘cosy’. By this I mean nice decor, including flags, lights, a disco ball… There is live music, people are dancing, there’s friendly staff, and we can talk to each other sitting down, we don’t have to shout. This is nice.
We order 4 Changs and ask for an ice bucket. This way we might get into the Khaosan road mood faster.
We don’t give up easily.
We give it one more chance. We stroll through Khao San road, taking in the atmosphere. We are trying. No, this terrible. It’s too loud and garish.
We head back to the ‘Garden with not very loud music’. This time, we enter the club that sits on the same premises, Tropical Galaxy. There is a lovely atmosphere here.
Until deep into the night, we dance to some nice deep house beats. We’re very glad that visiting this street was not 100% wasted time.
Who would have thought that we would find something nice on Khaosan road?
Is Khao san road for you?
If you like loud, commercial music bars full of drunken youths, Khaosan Road might be your place to be. Or if you’re under 22. Or if places like Albufeira, Lloret de Mar, or Magaluf are your thing. Go! Three times no? Skip it, Bangkok (thankfully) has much more to offer than this.
If you still want to have a look, but don’t like it, go to Mischa Cheap and Tropical Galaxy. Also, the street running parallel, Rambuttri road, would be a lot more fun.
If you want to avoid this street after having read this story, you’re absolutely right. The good news is: we have much better tips for you, activities that are worthwhile. Check out our recommendations for Bangkok here!
Do you totally (dis)agree with me? You may. Be sure to let me know in the comments, I’m curious!
Has corona been the death of this street?
We were a bit appalled. Is it just us, or why are people a fan of this street? We asked around a bit.
Before Corona, Khaosan road would be a very nice street, say people who went before Corona came. ‘Before’, people used to come here to ‘socialize’, people-watching, get a massage, walk around the market… Everything was a lot less loud.
Whether this is true, I don’t know. In my eyes, this street has nothing to do with Thailand at all, and I doubt it ever did. It’s hard for me to judge that. Then again, I don’t like the Strip in Albufeira, for example, which thankfully doesn’t reflect Portugal either.
It’s hard to believe this used to be a relaxing street for a massage. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather hear sea or yoga sounds during a massage than Thai pop music.
My conclusion about Khao San Road in 2023
I’m writing this blog to say: if this story doesn’t appeal to you either, don’t waste your time here. You’re better off enjoying a rooftop bar or a Thai café. Bangkok has so much to offer—just not this part.
To me, Khao San Road is a plain entertainment district. Great if you want to party to loud, commercial music, but that’s about it. I don’t understand why staying nearby or putting it on ‘must-do’ lists is such a thing.
Maybe Khao San Road was once a cosy street. Perhaps it’s like Ao Nang, which we also didn’t enjoy. Many say Ao Nang used to be charming, but now it’s over-touristy, tacky, and way too commercial (at least in our opinion). Whether that’s due to corona, I’m not sure.
Perhaps many have gone out of business and other people have taken over.
Or… maybe it just turns out to have a different definition of the word ‘cosy’?
