Old Quarter in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
For two centuries the old city was the awkward part of Bangkok to visit: no train, heavy traffic, everything a hot walk apart. Then the MRT Blue Line pushed under the river in 2019 and Sanam Chai station opened with a vaulted, teak-and-plaster interior grander than much of what stands above it. Rattanakosin is the original island city, bounded by the Chao Phraya and a pair of dug canals, and it is still built low: deco boulevards, two-storey shophouses, fresh markets that have not changed hands in generations, and piers working as everyday public transport.
What to walk
Ratchadamnoen Klang is the set-piece boulevard, deliberately modelled on European avenues and lined with 1940s art deco blocks. From Democracy Monument, Dinso Road runs south past the Giant Swing towards Bamrung Muang, where shops sell brass and monks' robes by the metre. Phraeng Phuthon is a quiet circular square of old shopfronts and well-known noodle stalls. West of that, Phra Athit Road follows the river past Banglamphu's cafés and Santichaiprakarn Park. Nang Loeng, north-east of the monument, is one of Bangkok's oldest fresh markets and still has the shell of the Chalermthani cinema standing behind it.
Getting there and timing
MRT Sanam Chai and Sam Yot put you inside the quarter. Sanam Chai is closest to Museum Siam, which uses the old Ministry of Commerce building for a genuinely well-made social-history exhibition. The Chao Phraya express boat is the pleasant alternative: orange flag, a few baht, and piers at Tha Tien, Tha Chang and Phra Athit. Start early, because there is almost no shade and the Grand Palace queues build through the morning. Late afternoon suits the market lanes and the riverside better, when the light drops and food carts appear along Phra Athit and around Nang Loeng.