Khao San Road as Exotic Destination

Even before they arrive, most Thailand visitors know of Khao San Road as a famous backpacker enclave, either through travel guides or via the best-selling book and film The Beach. But few are aware of the Thai scene that makes it one of the most culturally diverse and entertaining areas in Bangkok.

Khao San Road is located in the Banglamphu sub-district of Phra Nakhon district about 1 kilometer north from the Grand Palace with Wat Phra Kaew

For many years from the mid-1980s Thais avoided the then grungy guest-houses, shy of encountering the “weird: travelers at close quarters.

But local film and TV directors began using the location as an “exotic” set, and that, plus a growing number of arty, student cafés, attracted young Thais. A crop of boutique bars, street theater and music festivals as part of an organic meld of East and West 20-something culture far more appealing than the often heavy-handed fusion created as downtown business ventures.

Now-a-day tourists use Khao San road as their base for exploring the rest of Thailand as there are many direct coaches from Khao San Road to virtually all major tourist destinations in Thailand, from Chiang Mai in the North to Ko Pha Ngan in the South.