City Layout

Vintage 19th-century photographs of Bangkok tell of the busy life on the Chao Phraya River, where a rag-tag range of vessels, from humble rowboats to royal barges, crowded the busy port. This was the original gateway for early foreign visitors who traveled upriver from the Gulf of Siam. Rama I, upon moving the capital city from Thonburi on the west bank to Bangkok on the East, dug a series of canals fanning out from the S-shaped river. For strategic reasons, the canals replicated the moat system used at Ayutthaya, Siam's previous capital, in the hopes of protecting the city from invasion. The city waterways represented the primordial oceans that surrounded the Buddhist heavens. A small artificial island cut into the land along the riverbank became the site for the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaeo (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and Wat Po. To this day the island is still known as Rattanakosin. This is the historical center of the city, the main tourist destination and the best starting point for getting your bearings in Bangkok.

The canals, or Klongs, continued eastward as the city's population grew. Chinese and Indian merchants formed settlements alongside the river, southeast of Rattanakosin. The Chinatown of today still bustles with commerce, now along back alleys instead of canals. The main thoroughfare through Chinatown, Charoen Krung Road (sometimes called by its former name, New Road) snakes southward, following the shape of the river. On the eastern edge of Chinatown, Hua Lamphong Railway Station, the hub for rail travel in the country, is centrally located but adds to the local congestion.

Just beyond Chinatown along the river bank, in an area called Bangrak, foreign diplomats built European-style buildings to house their embassies. The Oriental Hotel, the grande dame of Bangkok's plush hotels, sits along the riverbank in this early cosmopolitan neighborhood. Bangrak's main thoroughfares, Suriwong Road, Silom Road, and Sathorn Road originate at Charoen Krung and run parallel all the way to Rama IV Road. Within Bangrak you'll find many embassy buildings, fine hotels, and high-rise office buildings, restaurants and pubs, plus the Patpong nighttime entertainment hub and market.

Back to Rattanakosin, as you head north upriver in the other direction from Chinatown, you'll hit Banglamphu, home to Bangkok's National Museum, Wat Suthat, The Giant Swing, and Klong Phu Khao Thong (Golden Mount). The center point, the huge Democracy Monument, marks the traffic circle where the wide Ratchadamnoen Klong Road intersects Dinso Road. But Banglamphu's biggest claim to fame these days is Khao San Road, a small street that, over the years, has become the main congregation center for backpackers -- with budget accommodations, inexpensive restaurants, numerous travel agents, and good nightlife.

Further north of Banglamphu, the area known as Dusit is home to Wat Benchamabophit, Vinmarnmek Palace, the Dusit Zoo, and the city's greenest parks.

As Bangkok began to sprawl, Thonburi, the brief site of the former capital across the river from the Grand Palace, continued in relative isolation. Many temples here pre-date those of Bangkok, and the area remained mostly residential. In the twentieth century, automobiles replaced boats, and as a result, paved roads replaced Klongs. Bangkok was quick to fill in most canals. Luckily many in Thonburi survived. A long-tail boat ride through back canals is a high point of a trip here. Thai riverside houses, both traditional and new, and neighborhood businesses (some housed in floating barges) reveal glimpses of life as it might have been 200 years ago. On dry land, you'll have to cross the Phra Pinklao Bridge from Banglamphu to reach Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal in this area.

Meanwhile back on the other side of the river, Bangkok was thriving. Over the two centuries since its founding, the city fanned eastward. From Rattanakosin, beyond Banglamphu and Bangrak, the area called Pathumwan became home to many residences, the most famous of which is Jim Thompson's house, a stunning Thai-style house open to visitors. Nowadays this area is better known as Siam Square, named for the huge shopping malls that draw locals and visitors day and night. The area's hotels, cafes, and nightclubs glitter with modern style -- many come here to stroll along Rama I and Ratchadamri roads to see and be seen.

Beyond Pathumwan, Wireless (Witthayu) Road runs north to south between Rama IV (at the edge of Bangrak) to Rama I Road (at the edge of Pathumwan). Here, huge embassy complexes and exclusive hotels cater to diplomats, business people, and well-heeled travelers.

From the Siam Square area, Sukhumvit Road extends to the east and north, it's length traced by the convenient skytrain. Sukhumvit's fame today is its huge expatriate population. Many foreign residents live along the small numbered streets, or sois, that branch-out from this Sukhumvit. With foreign residents comes demand for good restaurants, entertainment spots, shopping, and services. Along Sukhumvit, you'll find luxury hotels alongside inexpensive accommodations, fine dining and cheap local eats, first-rate shopping malls, and street-side bazaars. While Bangkok's major attractions are elsewhere in the city, Sukhumvit's fine accommodations and dining options are connected by the BTS skytrain to all points in town (just 15 min. by train to the Chao Phraya River). Sukhumvit leads all the way to Pattaya along the east coast, and, fittingly, you'll find Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal, at Ekkamai BTS skytrain stop on Sukhumvit Soi 63.

Most visitors arrive via Don Muang International Airport, a 40-minute drive north of the city center off the Chalerm Mahanakhon Expressway. Nearby, the Chatuchak weekend market and Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal provide good excuses for visitors to venture here.

Finding an Address -- It's important to remember that even-numbered addresses are on one side of the street and odd-numbered on the opposite side. Most addresses are subdivided by a "/" symbol, as in 123/4 Silom Rd., which is a variation on sequential numbering that accounts for new construction. Be aware that 123 and 124 Silom Rd. will be on opposite sides of the street, but not necessarily close to each other. You'll find the term soi frequently in addresses. The term soi simply means "street" in Thai, but numbered sois are usually small lanes off of major streets. So, 45 Soi 23 Sukhumvit (sometimes written 45 Sukhumvit Soi 23) is found at number 45 on Soi 23, a lane that runs perpendicular to Sukhumvit Road. Even-numbered sois will be on the north side, and odd-numbered on the south side; closely numbered sois are not necessarily close by (for example, Soi 21 and Soi 20 may be far apart along the same longer boulevard).

Street Maps -- There are a number of excellent Bangkok maps. Nancy Chandler's "Map of Bangkok" is an extremely detailed, fun, colorful source, great for finding specific hotels, restaurants, and shopping and chock-full of good recommendations (even comes with a short handbook). It costs just 160B ($3.90) and is well worth it. For good bus route specifics, the "Latest Tour's Guide to Bangkok and Thailand" -- affectionately called "The Bus Map" -- as well as the "Bangkok Thailand Guide Map" both have good details and are available at bookstores for just 60B ($1.50). The free "Thaiways Map of Bangkok" and "Metropolitan Map" are both chock-full of adverts and good detailed city maps with specific insets (available in most hotels).