Chinatown Walking Tour (Self Guided), Bangkok

Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. Founded in 1782, the core of it lies along Yaowarat Road, which serves as the main artery and sometimes lends its name to the whole area.

The district has been the center for trading by the Thai Chinese community for almost 200 years, progressively evolving from a vast wilderness outside the city walls to a major commercial and cultural hub throughout the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Presently, despite gradual assimilation of the Chinese population's into Thai society, Chinatown still remains a home base for Chinese cuisine, crafts and religion.

Yaowarat Road, well known for its variety of foodstuffs, at night turns into a large "food street", stretching for 1.5 kilometers, starting from the Odeon Circle near Wat Traimit, or Temple of Golden Buddha. Definitely one of the best places to eat in Bangkok, this bustling thoroughfare never sleeps, filled with a vibrant mix of colours, scents and flavours coming from the roadside restaurants and all-day markets, and surrounded by neon lights after sunset.

Venturing a little further from the main road, you escape the crowds and discover a totally different world of daily life in its purest form. The latter, in part, is manifested in the hidden shrines, tucked away from the chaos, such as the Leng Buai Ia and Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (Dragon Lotus Temple).

If you wish to explore one of Bangkok's brightest, most vibrant and interesting districts in its entirety, complete with its top tourist spots, amazing temples and colonial-style architecture, the best way to do it is on foot and with the help of this self-guided tour of Chinatown. Just don't forget to take small bills and an umbrella while embarking on it!