Not far from the Tatanakosin sights, and within fifteen minutes’ walk from Siam Square, Chinatown (Sampent) is one of the most frenetic and quintessentially Asian parts of Bangkok. Staying here, or in one of the sois around the conveniently close Hualamphong Station, can be noisy, but there isalways plenty to look at, and some people close to base themselves in this area in order to get away from the travelers scene in Bangamphu.
Hualamphong is on the subway system, and Chinatown is served by anumber of useful bus routes, including west-bond air-conditioned #507 and ordinary buses #25, #40 and #53, which all go to Ratanakosin (for Wat Pho and the Grand Palace); the east-bond #16, #25 and #40 buses all go to Siam Square, where change on the Skytrain.
