When planning a trip to Thailand and you decide to spend a couple of days in Bangkok, it can get very overwhelming choosing where to stay in Bangkok. Bangkok has many different neighborhoods. The main areas you hear about downtown are Sukhumvit/Siam, Chinatown, or Silom/Sathorn. Here I will write why you would choose these three areas to stay as a family and the key is deciding what kind of experience you want during your stay. In the end, there is also one area I would choose not to stay in – a very popular tourist area of Bangkok – and my reasons for staying away!
Sukhumvit/Siam
The Sukhumvit/Siam area is one area to choose to stay in Bangkok. Sukhumvit road is the center of shopping, hotels, and vibrant daily local life. Siam Center is the crossroads between the two main BTS Skytrain lines that take you east/west and north/south across the city.
Why we love it:
- This whole downtown area is catered by the BTS (Skytrain), so transportation is easily accessible from wherever you are.
- Readily available foods that your children know as there are international grocery stores in many malls and food chains that sell western food (and many familiar restaurant chains)
- If you would like to get over to the river and see tourist sights such as Wat Arun, the Grand Palace, etc., you can ride the BTS out to the Saphan Taksin station (the skytrain stop at the river that links you to the boat ferries) from Siam station.
- The Ratchaprasong Walk is a self-walking tour created on the walkways over Sukhumvit road. You can see the sights and read information from high above the street. You can also exit on and off. The view of Bangkok from above helps you more easily see the sidewalk stalls, the spirit houses, the traffic, and people watch without being in the middle of it.
- As there are many malls along this road, air conditioning is available to beat the heat.
- Most important to us, this is where you can see the local daily life of many Bangkokians as they go about their business.
Chinatown
The second area we want to highlight to stay in Bangkok is Chinatown. Chinatown gives you the old time feel of Bangkok with the bustling streets of Chinatown, the mighty Chao Phraya River, and the major sightseeing hubs at your doorstep.
Why we love it:
- Staying in Chinatown means you are near many of the major tourist sights – Wat Arun, Chinatown, Grand Palace, Wat Pho
- Lots of shopping to be had in Chinatown
- Right next to the Chao Phraya River, the main river that flows through Bangkok. You can take a dinner cruise, a private long-tail boat ride, or hop on with locals for a ferry ride to the next stop down the river.
Silom/Sathorn
The third option for an area to stay is the Silom/Sathorn area. Silom/Sathorn is in the center of downtown Bangkok without the intensity of the other two areas. That does mean the distance of getting places takes longer,so that is something to consider.
Why we love it:
- Silom Area is an area in the middle of all the areas, so to speak. You can use the BTS (skytrain) to get to both the Sukhumvit area and the river stop (Saphan Taksin near Chinatown)
- Lumpini Park, the largest park in downtown Bangkok, is very close to the Silom area and a great place to visit with kids.
- Another place to spend a day in Bangkok is at Ancient City, a short taxi ride from the Silom area.
One Area We Do Not Recommend to Stay in Bangkok With Kids
Khao San Road is the backpacking area of Bangkok. We have stayed at backpacking hostels as a family in other places around the world, but the reason we would not recommend Khao San Road is the atmosphere around the hostels. The crowded vendors trying to sell things, very inauthentic Thai vibe, and the adult activities occurring in that area, make it not a good atmosphere for children.
Choose these three areas instead – Sukhumvit, Chinatown, or Silom for a better Bangkok experience. If you want specifically kid-friendly activities during your time in Bangkok, check out our post on Bangkok on 3 budgets. If you require information on how to get into the center of Bangkok from the airport read our article on how to use the Bangkok Airport Rail Link to get to your destination area.