By Kylian Dev
What is Yaowarat?
A street, and the whole quarter that grew around it.
Yaowarat Road
StreetThe main artery of Chinatown, 耀華力路 in Chinese
Samphanthawong
AreaThe district that holds most of Chinatown
About 200 years
HistorySince the Chinese traders moved here from their old site
Thai speakers use the name of the street, Yaowarat, for the whole neighbourhood. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road, and it has been the main trading centre of the Chinese community since it moved from its earlier site, about two centuries ago. The neon signs over Yaowarat Road are the picture everyone knows; the narrow lanes behind them are where the quarter still works.
Where is Chinatown, and how do you get there?
Between the old town and the river.
Chinatown sits in Samphanthawong District, south-east of the Grand Palace and along the Chao Phraya. The Metro (MRT) stops at Wat Mangkon, in the middle of the quarter, which makes it far easier to reach than Khao San Road. The river boats are the other good way in, and a pleasant one.
From the airport, Suvarnabhumi is on the eastern side of the city: take the train into town and change onto the Metro, or go by road. See our Suvarnabhumi Airport guide for the options.
What you find there
Gold, wholesale lanes, temples and a lot of food.
In the daytime Chinatown is a working market: gold shops along Yaowarat, and behind them the covered alleys of Sampeng, packed with wholesale stalls selling everything from fabric to plastic toys. Chinese temples and shrines are tucked between the shophouses, and dried goods, herbs and teas fill the side streets.
In the evening the food stalls take over the pavements of Yaowarat Road. Seafood, noodles, roast duck and Chinese-Thai desserts are the classics. Our guide to Thai food explains the dishes; the floating markets are the other big food outing from Bangkok.
When to go
The quarter changes completely at nightfall.
For the markets and temples, come during the day, when the wholesale lanes are open and busy. For the street food, come after dark: that is when Yaowarat Road fills up. Chinese New Year is the big moment of the year here, with the streets decorated and crowded. Heat and rain month by month: see the Bangkok weather.
What not to expect from Chinatown
So that the first evening is not a disappointment.
Chinatown is not a place for shopping souvenirs either: Sampeng sells in bulk to traders, and the choice for visitors is better at the Chatuchak weekend market or in the malls of Siam Square. To compare neighbourhoods for your stay, see our Bangkok destination guide.