Khao San Road has been the world capital of backpacker travel since the 1980s, and whatever you think of what it represents, it is undeniably a Bangkok experience. The 400-metre strip is dense with guesthouses, travel agencies, clothing stalls, tattoo shops, food carts, and bars from which music thumps until the early hours.
At night the street fills with travellers from every country, and the energy is chaotic and particular to this place. The food is worth attention: mango sticky rice, pad thai cooked in front of you, scorpion-on-a-stick for those inclined, and the famous bucket cocktails. Day-time Khao San is a different animal — quieter, used by residents, with cheap breakfast cafes and fruit juice stalls. The streets immediately off Khao San (Rambuttri Road, Chakrabongse Road) offer the same convenience with considerably less noise.