Khao San Road by day, looking along the street Photo above: Nanthawat Ouysinprasert via Google
Khao San Road is a 410-metre street in Bangkok's Banglamphu area, about 1 km north of the Grand Palace, known for guesthouses, bars and street stalls. There is no official opening time for the street itself, and under the rules in force since May 29, 2026 alcohol may generally be sold from 11:00 to 24:00. The nearest boat pier is Phra Arthit, and Wikivoyage says no Skytrain or metro station serves the street. We checked every fact below on October 4, 2026.
Book tours and tickets
- Khao San Road nightlife guided tour: a guided evening walk through the area's bars and streets, handy if you would rather not pick venues yourself.
- Four-hour Bangkok night tour with a guide: a join-in night tour of the city; check the route on the booking page to see whether it stops on Khao San Road.
- Wat Pho and Wat Arun half-day walking tour: a daytime temple walk that pairs with a night on Khao San Road.
BangkokVacay earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.
What is Khao San Road like today?
Wikipedia gives the street's length as 410 metres and says it was built in 1892 in the reign of Rama V. The name means milled rice, a reminder of the area's older rice trade, and the first guesthouse opened around 1982 in a narrow alley linking the street to Ratchadamnoen Avenue. In 2019 the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration committed 48.8 million baht to turn Khao San Road into an "international walking street", and the works were completed in 2020. A royal temple, Wat Chana Songkram, sits directly opposite the street on its western side, so dress and behave respectfully if you walk across.
Wikivoyage describes a highly commercial, tourist-focused strip of bars, food stalls, convenience stores, massage shops, tailors and travel agencies, with quieter guesthouse streets on Phra Athit Road and Samsen Road nearby. Treat that as a secondary description: we found no official visitor statistics for the street.
What are the opening hours and drinking rules?
| Question | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Does the street have opening hours? | None published. It is a public road with shops, stalls and bars that keep their own hours. | No official source found |
| When can alcohol be sold? | Generally 11:00 to 24:00 from May 29, 2026. Hotels, licensed entertainment venues and approved event spaces can follow other conditions. | Tourism Authority of Thailand, May 29, 2026 |
| How old must you be to drink? | 20. | Tourism Authority of Thailand, May 29, 2026 |
| Where is drinking restricted? | Temples, government offices, petrol stations, public parks and public transport areas, unless the law allows it. Sales can also be restricted during elections and major religious days. | Tourism Authority of Thailand, May 29, 2026 |
| What happened at Songkran 2026? | Nine roads including Khao San Road were closed to traffic from noon to midnight on April 13 to 15, with water play allowed until 10 p.m. and one-way entry via Chakraphong Road. | The Nation, April 13, 2026 |
Some licensed venues may stay open later than the general midnight sales limit. Our guide to what time bars close in Bangkok sets out the legal maximums; we could not confirm which individual Khao San Road venues hold those licences, so ask the bar.
Is Khao San Road safe?
Wikivoyage warns that the area can be a little unsafe at night, with mugging and pickpocketing reported. The UK Foreign Office advice for Thailand, read on October 4, 2026, gives the standard precautions, which matter most on a crowded night street.
- Protect your valuables. Carry cash and valuables securely against pickpockets and watch for bag-snatchers, especially on motorbikes.
- Watch your drink. The UK advice says drink spiking happens in tourist areas around Thailand. Do not leave drinks unattended or accept drinks from strangers, and note that drinks in bars are often stronger than in the UK.
- Plan your ride home. The same advice suggests arranging transport in advance so you do not accept lifts in unlicensed vehicles. Our guides to taxi fares and tuk-tuk fares cover metered rides and haggling.
- Beware methanol. The UK advice reports deaths and serious illness from alcoholic drinks containing methanol in Thailand and says it cannot be detected by taste or smell. Drink at licensed venues.
- Know the numbers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists its contact centre as 1672 and the Tourist Police as 1155.
For a wider view, see Is Bangkok safe?.
Where to go for nightlife near Khao San Road
We do not list individual Khao San bars, because we could not verify current names, hours or prices from official sources and street bars change often. What we can say is how to choose: ask the venue for its closing time, stick to licensed bars, and use the rules above. For other kinds of evenings, see our guides to rooftop bars, night markets and where to watch Muay Thai. If you would rather ride than walk, our bike and tuk-tuk tour guide covers guided night rides.
Where to eat near Khao San Road
Wikivoyage describes street stalls and cafes along the road, but prices and stall lists change, so we did not copy them. For dishes worth ordering anywhere in the city, use our Bangkok street food guide and things to eat in Bangkok. Our listings in the same district, Phra Nakhon, include Jay Fai, Thipsamai Padthai and Methavalai Sorndaeng.
Where to stay
Wikivoyage describes Khao San Road and nearby Soi Rambuttri as a base for budget guesthouses and hostels, with quieter streets such as Samsen Road and riverside hotels on Phra Athit Road. Expect noise late at night on the main street itself; ask for a room away from it. For a hotel base in the old city, see our listings for Riva Surya Bangkok and Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok, both in Phra Nakhon district, or our guide to riverside hotels. For a budget plan, read free and low-cost things to do in Bangkok.
How do you get to Khao San Road?
By boat. The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat's official route map marks Phra Arthit pier (N13) as the stop for Khao San Road. Its timetable, read on October 4, 2026, shows boats leaving Phra Arthit every 30 minutes from 08:30 to 19:00 toward Sathorn, with arrivals at Phra Arthit until 20:15. A single journey is 40 baht and the all-day River Pass is 150 baht, and the operator says schedules may change without notice. The route passes Wat Arun about 10 minutes after leaving Phra Arthit, so it works as a ride to the temple too; see our Wat Arun visiting guide.
By road. Wikivoyage says the Skytrain and metro do not reach Khao San Road and that it is 30 to 60 minutes from Sukhumvit or Silom. A metered taxi is the simplest option; see Bangkok taxi fares. Wikivoyage lists several city bus lines along nearby Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, but we could not verify current routes or fares, so check a live map. From the airports, start with how to get from the airport to the city.
What are the alternatives to Khao San Road?
- Soi Rambuttri and Phra Athit Road, the quieter streets beside Khao San Road that Wikivoyage describes as having small bars and restaurants and riverside hotels.
- Yaowarat for evening street food: see our Yaowarat guide.
- Night markets for stalls and snacks: see Bangkok night markets.
- The old city by day: things to do near the Grand Palace, Old Town Bangkok, Wat Suthat and the Golden Mount.
Planning a trip around it? Our two-day Bangkok itinerary shows where an evening here can fit.
To see the old-city temples close to Khao San, read our Wat Pho guide.
Sources: TAT Newsroom alcohol rules, May 29, 2026, The Nation, Songkran 2026 closures, GOV.UK Thailand safety advice, Chao Phraya Tourist Boat, TAT visitor information, contacts, Wikipedia, Khaosan Road, Wikivoyage, Khao San Road. Checked October 4, 2026.
The street has no official closing time that we could find. Under the rules effective May 29, 2026, alcohol may generally be sold from 11:00 to 24:00, though hotels and licensed entertainment venues can follow other conditions, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Ask the individual bar for its hours.
Wikivoyage says the area can be a little unsafe at night, with mugging and pickpocketing reported. The UK Foreign Office advises securing valuables, watching for bag-snatchers, never leaving drinks unattended and arranging your ride home. The Tourist Police number is 1155.
Wikivoyage says no Skytrain or metro station serves Khao San Road. A taxi is the simplest way, or take the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat to Phra Arthit pier, which the operator's route map marks for Khao San Road.
Wikipedia gives its length as 410 metres. It was built in 1892 in the reign of Rama V and sits in the Banglamphu area, about 1 km north of the Grand Palace.
The legal drinking age is 20. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says alcohol sales or consumption remain restricted in certain public places, including temples, government offices, petrol stations, public parks and public transport areas, unless the law allows it.
Yes for traffic. The Nation reported that nine roads including Khao San Road were closed from noon to midnight on April 13 to 15, 2026, with water play allowed until 10 p.m. Check the district office announcements before any future Songkran.
Wikipedia puts the street about 1 km north of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat timetable shows Wat Arun about 10 minutes by boat from Phra Arthit pier, the stop for Khao San Road.
