How to get to Chinatown from Sukhumvit

Sukhumvit is a district in Bangkok that is more popular with ex-pats and foreign visitors and Chinatown is very popular for those looking for delicious street food and an almost festive and eclectic atmosphere. Getting to Chinatown from anywhere in Bangkok is quite easy thanks to the many ways that are available including the metro, by boat, taxi and several bus routes. Let's take an in-depth look into how you can get to Chinatown.

Using the Metro

In Bangkok, the metro system is called BTS for the Skytrain and MRT for the subway. You can get to Chinatown from one of the 4-star hotels in Sukhumvit Bangkok as well as most of central Bangkok. That could mean, Lumpini Park, the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Siam Square and Silom among others. To get to Chinatown, you will have to get out at Wat Mangkon Station after taking the Blue MRT Line. When you get down here all you need is to walk for about 4 minutes to get to Chinatown. You can't use the BTS line to go straight to Chinatown so if you are coming from the SkyTrain, you can make a transfer to the MRT at either Asok BTS Station, Mo Chit or Sala Daeng. The Metro is very cheap and runs from 6 am to midnight daily so it is often the best choice of transport, especially given Bangkok's terrible traffic.

Taking the Boat

This is a point that not many people talk about especially in tourist guides and that is the fact that you can take a waterway to get to Chinatown as it is located conveniently close to the Chao Phraya River. The closest dock where you can disembark is Rachawongse Pier. From there if you walk for about 8 minutes you will get to Chinatown. You can make the journey quite easy if you approach from Wat Arun, Grand Palace or Khaosan Road if you are walking and prefer to get there quicker.

All boats on the Chao Phraya River that operate as ferries are owned by the Chao Phraya Express Boat company whose website you can find online. It is technically a bus, except it is on water, it has schedules and is used by both locals and tourists. There are 5 routes for the express boats that you can check the timetables for when and where they are headed.

Bus Routes

Some of the cheapest bus fares in the world can be found in Bangkok so if you want to travel this way but are afraid of budget constraints, wonder no more. There are convenient apps that you can install that will tell you which bus to use to go to any part of Bangkok. The routes operate from 5 am to 11 pm and all additional information that you might require is available on their website. An important tip to remember is to make sure you have small change when you get on the bus as you will have to pay cash to a conductor who rides the bus alongside the driver.

Taxis

The best way to avoid being scammed when you are riding a taxi is to have your hotel the likes of Maitria Hotel Sukhumvit 18 book the taxi in advance for you. But if you can't do that, it is highly recommended that you ask the driver to have the meter running when you get into a taxi and have a basic idea of where you want to go, the rough route of getting there and how much it might cost. Then you would know if you are being scammed.