Where To Stay In Bangkok – Visit Bang Rak – Budget Travel In Thailand

Bang Rak is a great area of Bangkok to use as a base from which you can easily explore the rest of the city.

Bangkok book-ended our year-long travels in Southeast Asia. We began and ended our incredible journey in this amazing city of adventure.

Which Area Of Bangkok To Stay In?

If you are planning to visit Bangkok, the first question you may ask yourself is which area of Bangkok to stay in? All the information we had received from friends was based around whether we should go to Khao San Road or not.

We decided to stay around the area of Bang Rak to begin with. It seemed a lively area with plenty of food and drink options as well as good connections to the rest of the city. Once we had chosen the area, we then looked for a place to stay.

The 10 Best Hostels In Bang Rak, Bangkok

Click here to view all accommodation in Bangkok!

These are some of the best budget hostels in Bang Rak, according to user reviews. These are affiiate links to the agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Home Base Hostel
• Dreamcatcher Bangkok
• Bangkok W18 Hostel
• Nap@Pan Hostel Silom
• Loftel Station
• Warm Window Silom
• iSanook Hostel
• Fun Cafe & Hostel Bangkok
• Silom Space Hostel

Urban Hostel Bangkok​

The Urban Hostel Bangkok (map) is situated on a relatively quiet street about 10 minutes walk from the Chao Phraya river. It is in an ideal location to explore the Bang Rak, Silom and Chinatown areas. As it is only a short walk from Hua Lamphong MRT, you can get to most other areas of Bangkok fairly easily. The hostel has local street food literally on its doorstep so you won’t have to go far for some tasty Thai treats. The staff at the hostel are very friendly and welcoming. The hostel provides free water, good WiFi and has an excellent communal balcony to chill out on and maybe meet other travellers.

There is also a washing machine which can be used for 30 baht. Our room (a double with private bathroom) came to around £80 for 7 nights and the room was cleaned every day with fresh bedding and towels provided. It was a perfect start to our trip and I would recommend this hostel to backpackers, solo travellers and couples.

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Click here to book your stay at Urban Hostel Bangkok.

Food And Drink In Bang Rak

On arriving in Bangkok and taking the train and metro to reach Urban Hostel Bangkok, we immediately saw the local street food vendors setting up. Though it was still early in the morning, there were already meat, fish and vegetarian snacks available. Those Bangkok street food videos we’d seen on YouTube were now happening right in front of our eyes. It was our first experience of the culture of Thai street food.

In Bang Rak, you can eat at expensive restaurants and you can sit by the road and tuck into street food for less than 40 baht. There is so much on offer. You really do not know what is around the corner!

Bang Rak Bazaar

Bang Rak Bazaar is a food market that stays open well into the evening. Many stalls here serve traditional Thai dishes but there is also some western food available. You can also purchase alcohol. Dishes start from around 40 baht each. You simply order from any of the stalls, take a seat and wait for your food to arrive. Map.

Yaowarat Road (Chinatown)

A visit to Bangkok’s Chinatown is a must if staying in the Bang Rak area. The Chinatown is located around ‘Yaowarat Road’ (map) but be sure to explore the side-streets to find the best bargains. The Bangkok Vegetarian Festival was happening during our visit. The festival takes place on the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month (usually September or October).

It was also where we first came across the infamous durian fruit.

And the first time we came across these nasty little things!

Obviously, we had left the vegetarian festival by this point.

It wasn’t all weird!

Jack’s Bar

Jack’s Bar is located next to the Chao Phraya river. It offers well-priced beer and great views. We came for beer and ended up staying for food. It is more expensive than street food but the food was delicious, particularly the sun-dried beef. Map.

Street Food of Bangkok

We didn’t get to eat in many restaurants as we took advantage of the street food culture of Bangkok. It seemed that every corner had all kinds of food on offer for as little as 40 baht. Do not be afraid to try the street food. If you are a little apprehensive, just try a vendor who has plenty of locals eating there. Most of the street food in Bangkok is delicious.

Take A Sit Bar

Take A Sit is a small road-side bar in front of the huge Shangri-La hotel. They serve extra cold beer at reasonable prices and the super-friendly host plays great music. This was our first beer in Bangkok. We were off to a great start. Map.

Is Bang Rak, Bangkok Worth Visiting?

Bang Rak is a great place to base yourself in Bangkok. It is home to hundreds of restaurants and the street food is amazing. Depending on what time of year you visit, you may be able to witness the vegetarian festival or the Hindi festival where the whole of Silom is taken over by a huge parade through the streets. If, however, you enjoy the sordid streets of Khao San Road and prefer the seedier side of Thai life, then Patpong Market will satisfy your needs, with its numerous sex clubs and prostitutes. Be careful!

Bang Rak was a great introduction to Bangkok as we were able to easily move around the whole city thanks to its MRT links.