Chatuchak travel guide

Chatuchak, Thailand

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Chatuchak

Introduction

Chatuchak is one of the districts of Bangkok, Thailand, bordered by seven other districts: Lak Si, Bang Khen, Lat Phrao, Huai Khwang, Din Daeng, Phaya Thai, and Bang Sue. Its position among these neighbours makes it part of the city's northern spread rather than its historic core.

Before you go

Phahonyothin is a vast district, stretching some 30 kilometres from north to south, and getting from its fringes to the southern part can take two hours or more depending on traffic. Plan your days around that: the southern end holds the major highlights, while the northern part sees barely any foreign visitors. Shopping is the main activity in the south, and a trip to Bangkok isn't complete without the huge Chatuchak Weekend Market, the largest market in Southeast Asia with over 8,000 stalls. Soi Ari, still off the beaten track to foreigners, has grown into a hip, artsy neighbourhood with plenty of cheap dining options.

Don Mueang Airport shaped this district for decades, drawing hotels and businesses and pushing Bangkok's growth northwards. Since Suvarnabhumi Airport opened, Don Mueang has handled mostly non-connecting domestic flights, and the commercial engine that once powered the far north has cooled. Many Bangkok residents still live here and commute downtown daily, so expect the area to be busy with locals rather than tourists.

Getting there

Phahonyothin is served by Bangkok's Skytrain and metro, and the BTS Sukhumvit Line runs above Phahonyothin Road itself, passing Sanam Pao, Ari and Saphan Khwai before stopping at Mo Chit, near the Chatuchak Weekend Market and the Northern Bus Terminal. The line comes directly from Siam Square and Sukhumvit; from Silom you transfer to the Sukhumvit Line at Siam. At Mo Chit the Skytrain meets the MRT at Chatuchak Park, so you can continue on to Ratchadaphisek, and the line carries on north along Phahonyothin Road to Wat Phra Sri Mahathat. For the market or Bang Sue Grand Station, the metro is the most convenient option: Kamphaeng Phet MRT station drops you right in front of the main entrance of Chatuchak, while Chatuchak Park MRT station also gets you there but leaves you a walk to the eastern entrance.

Bang Sue Grand Station, the terminus of almost all long-distance train services in the country, is reached on the MRT Blue Line and is also the current starting point for commuter lines north towards Rangsit and west to Taling Chan. Bus travel here is troublesome, with north-south journeys taking two hours or more depending on traffic; the key route is Bus 59, which runs around the clock from Sanam Luang in Rattanakosin via Ratchdamnoen Klang Road, Panfa Leelard pier, Lan Luang Road, Phetchaburi Road and Victory Monument before heading north along Phahonyothin Road past the market, Don Mueang Airport and on to Rangsit. A metered taxi is the most comfortable way in and around the district; always insist on the meter, and if the driver refuses, get out and take another.

Getting around

Chatuchak sits in the north of Bangkok along the Phahonyothin artery, and the Skytrain and metro are the most practical ways to reach it. The BTS Sukhumvit Line runs above Phahonyothin Road, passing Sanam Pao, Ari and Saphan Khwai before stopping at Mo Chit, near the Chatuchak Weekend Market and the Northern Bus Terminal; it comes directly from Siam Square and Sukhumvit, and if you are starting from Silom you transfer from the Silom Line onto the Sukhumvit Line at Siam. The MRT is the most convenient way to reach the market or Bang Sue Grand Station: Kamphaeng Phet station drops you right in front of the market's main entrance, while Chatuchak Park station leaves you with a walk to the eastern entrance. At Mo Chit the Skytrain meets the MRT at Chatuchak Park, so you can continue on to Ratchadaphisek. Bang Sue Grand Station, the terminus of almost all long-distance train services in the country and the starting point of SRT commuter lines north towards Rangsit and west to Taling Chan, is reached on the MRT Blue Line.

Buses can be troublesome here, and getting from north to south can take two hours or more depending on traffic, but certain routes are useful. Bus 59 runs 24 hours a day from Sanam Luang in Rattanakosin, passing Ratchdamnoen Klang Road (for Khao San Road) and Panfa Leelard pier, the western terminus of the Saen Saep Express Boat, before heading north along Phaya Thai Road past Victory Monument and up Phahonyothin Road past the market, Don Mueang Airport and on to Thammasat University in Rangsit. Metered taxis are the most comfortable and most expensive option; always insist on the meter, and if the driver refuses, get out and take another. Walking works well for the final stretch: the market, the park just north of it and the surrounding stations form a compact area you can cover on foot once you arrive.

Where to stay

Most accommodation clusters within a fifteen-minute drive of the old Don Mueang airport, so your choice depends on whether you want to be near the terminal or deeper into the residential sois. In the budget range, Bansabai Hostel sits far out in the sois of Lat Phrao, a quiet residential neighbourhood where the staff have limited English but are hospitable and responsible; rooms are large and clean with a balcony, air-con, pool, fridge, cable TV and room service, but you should budget for long taxi rides to get anywhere. Matini Hostel Grand Station is a newer building with dorm beds, lockers, hot showers, a coffee machine and free luggage storage.

For mid-range stays, Amari Don Muang Airport is connected to the terminal buildings by an enclosed overhead walkway, handy if you are flying out, though its breakfast, service and rooms are less impressive than they once were and only one restaurant remains. Rama Gardens is a large, pleasant hotel with spacious, comfortable rooms, an elegant lobby, front gardens and a big breakfast, useful mainly if you are departing from Don Mueang or heading toward Ko Kret. At the top end, Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao sits far from downtown but close to a convention centre, a shopping centre, and with easy expressway and metro access.

Food & drink

The Ari neighbourhood, centred on Phahonyothin Soi 7 and the surrounding sois, is where you'll find much of the area's eating and drinking. Musicians and artists have gravitated here over the years, and the bars and restaurants cater to that crowd. Ari Soi 1 has a busy market packed with food stalls, while the trendier and pricier places cluster around Soi 2 and Soi 3. More options lie along Rama VI Soi 30, also known as Soi Ari Samphan. For cheap eats, the street stalls just off the BTS and around the corner on Soi Ari serve Chinese-style wonton noodles, Isaan specialities such as som tam, larb and gai yaang, plus pad thai, Thai desserts and much of the wider Thai repertoire. A few sit-down spots stand out: the two neighbouring beef noodle eateries on Soi Ratchakru, popular with lunchtime regulars and Thai-menu only; Pad Thai Aree, a small shophouse in a soi between Phahonyothin Soi 6 and 8; Thanee Khao Moo Daeng on Soi Phahonyothin 5, a no-frills spot known for its crispy pork belly; and Pathe, a retro diner-style place near the Phahonyothin, Lat Phrao and Viphavadi Rangsit junction.

For something more substantial, Baan Puengchom sits in a large garden with rabbits and offers indoor or outdoor seating. Basilico serves Italian food, with pizzas and a decent wine list, while T-House is a Vietnamese restaurant sharing a courtyard with the Chinese restaurant next door. Lao Lao is a Chinese-style seafood place that stays busy late into the night, and Pladib pairs a creative fish-focused menu with live bands on weekends. Suan Kularb is an Ari institution with a vast Thai and Chinese menu. For drinks, several bars aimed at young Thais have appeared around the Or Tor Kor farmer's market near Chatuchak, where a cluster of small pubs, bars and restaurants operates every day of the week close to the Kamphaeng Phet MRT station. Ari Bar is a simple, quirky local spot with eclectic music, and Tawandang German Brewery Ramintra is a German beer hall with food, a stage show and a following among upper middle-class Thais.

What to see and do

The area around Chatuchak is home to some of Bangkok's more unusual sights. The Elephant Building on Phahonyothin Soi 26 is a high-rise shaped unmistakably like a grey elephant, complete with eyes, ears and tusks, and used for homes, shops and offices. Near Chatuchak Park you'll find the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, where a large cage holds hundreds of butterflies of many kinds amid rocks, ferns, wild flowers and a waterfall, along with touch-screen displays and a mini-theatre on insects and their ecology. The Children's Discovery Museum, across the road from the weekend market, spreads interactive galleries over several buildings and an outdoor space, while the Museum of Contemporary Art on Viphavadi Rangsit Road devotes five floors to Thai painting and sculpture since Western ideas entered Thai art, alongside European, Chinese and Japanese works. Smaller collections include the Philatelic Museum, tracing the Thai postal service and stamp design, and the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, with planes and helicopters from biplanes to modern jets, some of which you can climb inside. The privately run State Railway Hall of Fame displays steam engines, train models and miniature trains. For open space, Chatuchak Park is a long strip of green beside Phahonyothin Road, wrapped by an artificial lake crossed by bridges and dotted with ASEAN sculptures. Queen Sirikit Park, built to mark the queen's birthday anniversary, centres on a pool with fountains and a collection of Thai and foreign lotuses, and Wachirabenchatat Park, a former railway golf course, offers a large children's playground, a kids' pool, sports facilities and bicycle rental near its northern entrance. For an evening out, Major Cineplex Ratchayothin shows new Hollywood releases and Thai films with English subtitles.

Three days in Chatuchak

Day one: Base yourself in Chatuchak and get your bearings along Phahonyothin Road, using the Skytrain and the BTS Sukhumvit Line to move between Sanam Pao, Ari, Saphan Khwai and Mo Chit. Soi Ari makes an easy first stop for its neighbourhood character, and from Mo Chit you can reach Chatuchak Park and the Northern Bus Terminal. If you arrive at Don Mueang Airport, the MRT and Skytrain connections make the trip into Chatuchak straightforward; arrivals via Suvarnabhumi Airport can link up with the same network.

Day two: Give the Chatuchak Weekend Market your full attention. It is one of the largest markets in Southeast Asia, and its scale rewards a slow, unhurried approach rather than trying to see everything at once. Plan around the heat, which can be warm and humid, and break up the browsing with time in Chatuchak Park. The surrounding districts of Lak Si, Bang Khen, Lat Phrao, Huai Khwang, Din Daeng, Phaya Thai and Bang Sue all sit within reach if you want to see how the market area fits into the wider city.

Day three: Use the Skytrain and MRT to compare Chatuchak with the rest of Bangkok. Head south toward Siam Square, Sukhumvit and Silom for a change of pace, then return via the Sukhumvit Line and Siam. Back in the north, Wat Phra Sri Mahathat and the Ratchadaphisek corridor round out the day, with Mo Chit and the Northern Bus Terminal handy if you are continuing your journey. Many Bangkok visitors treat Chatuchak as a single market stop, but three days lets you see it as a district in its own right.

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