The Khao San Road. Infamous amongst backpackers having gained it its status of the main backpacking hub in Asia since the 1980´s. If you are backpacking in Thailand or heading our there on a Thailand gap year, at some point you will end up strolling down the khao san road. The experience is an assult on your senses, with so much thrown at you in such a short strip, you can´t help but be sucked into the atmosphere, especially at night time when the 5000 different shades of Neon compete for you hard earned Baht.

There are a few certainties on the khao san road, some things that you are guaranteed to encounter. Tuk Tuk drivers offering you cheap “tours” of the city, to the uninitiated these turn out to be a tour of the various jewellery shops or tailors as the drivers get commission to deliver customers. Tribal women from Northern Thailand wearing crazy hats and rubbing wooden carved frogs. Bars, Bars and Bars, Massage shops, Knocked off T-shirt shops, stalls selling everything from weapons to books to buckets of Alchol next to tanks of feet nibbling fish

. Not necessarily what you would call authentic Thai, but entertaining none the less. There is even a boots chemist and of course the now obligatory starbucks and Burger king. 700 seven eleven stores line the road,  Ok maybe that is an over exaggeration but they do seem to be pretty popular.

All of these things are certain discoveries, but the main thing you will see on the Khao San Road has got to be Tourists. Many many tourists. It is in fact one big party.

With Xtreme Gaps Thailand programmes, you will encounter the Khao San usually on your first night in the country, we put you up in the Viengtai hotel which is located on the parallel street to the Khao San Road, and is by far the nicest place to stay in the neighbourhood.

This is a great base to explore the rest of Bangkok too. At night time the area comes alive with bars and travellers and you will be in a prime position to enjoy the heady craziness on offer, but safe in the knowledge that it is not far to crawl back to you plush hotel when you are done.

Xtreme Gaps recommended Bangkok Activities

So you have 2 or 3 days to kill in Bangkok, what should you do? Our Thailand Backpacker Experience  (Insanely good value too  – 10 days for under £400) covers some of the cool things to see in Bangkok and these are:

Check out the Khao San Road and find a Thai restaurant or eat Pad Thai from a street seller in one of the back alleys

One of the great things about the Koh San Road is having a cheap Pad Thai (a Thai Noodle Dish) from a street seller. As long as you go for the vegetarian option these are perfectly safe to eat! 20 pence is enough to get you filled up and line your stomach before a massive chang binge. (This is not universal advice for all street sellers, sometimes they are definitely worth avoiding – like the Squid Jerky sellers in Vietnam – definitely avoid).

Have a massage in a Massage Shop.

Honestly the first time I went into a massage shop, I had no idea what to expect, but since I gave it a go, I am a compete convert. That is convert, not pervert, because although there are certain areas in Thailand where “Massage” means something else, the majority of massage shops are legitimate and unbelievably good. They certainly know what they are doing and having  massage in Thailand, it is in our opinion anyway, an essential part of the Thailand Experience.

Check out the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha

The Grand palace is the Royal residence in Bangkok and in the mornings it is open to the public. The King is everything in Thailand, and it certaily shows judging by where he lives. It is an incredible place to visit.  In the palace you will also find the Emerald Buddah.

Take a trip down the Chao Phraya River

The Chao Phraya River flows through Bangkok and getting on a passenger boat is one of the best ways to see different parts of the City. Bangkok, as you will no doubt discover is a mesh of pure traffic Chaos, so it is best if you can avoid getting in a car.

There are cruise boats that tour the river, but the smart move is to just get on a Taxi Boat and ride a few stops. This will cost you very little may be 30 pence, and you get to see all the sites from the river. The Video below explains in more detail.
The Chao Praya River is just up the top of Rambuttri Road, where you will be staying at the Viengtai hotel if you are on an Xtreme Gap Programme. Just go out the front door take a right and walk up to the end of the road (you will cross a main intersection half way up) and you will be at the pier in 2 minutes.

Take a trip to the floating markets

Ok so whilst not technically in Bangkok, the floating markets are a must see. About 2 hours from Bangkok you will find Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, this is a river that has been used by the Thais to trade for centuries. Intricate Stalls, shops and curious can be found, and the experience of visiting is a good laugh. Make sure you learn how to haggle before you go!