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Bangkok · Mysteries & legends

Spirits, dragons and a hidden Buddha: secret Chinatown

When Rama I founded the capital in 1782, he asked the Chinese merchants to leave the site of his future palace and settle downriver. That's how the district we now call Yaowarat was born: a maze of shrines, incense and alleys where the Buddha, Taoist gods, ancestors and the spirits of the land all live side by side. This route, made for the late afternoon, takes you from the wharves of Talat Noi to the heart of Chinatown just as the neon lights flicker on and the food stalls start to smoke.

  • 5 stops
  • 2.4 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit seen from behind in its hall

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Talat Noi and its spiritsA riverside neighbourhood where every house has its invisible guardian.
  2. 2 Wat Traimit and the Golden BuddhaThe solid gold statue nobody knew was gold until it fell.
  3. 3 Leng Buai Ia ShrineA Chinese shrine that claims to be the oldest in the country, with a date nobody has been able to prove.
  4. 4 Wat Mangkon KamalawatThe Dragon Lotus Temple, the great home of Chinese Buddhism in Bangkok.
  5. 5 Sampeng LaneChinatown's original street, a trading corridor that hasn't stopped bustling since 1782.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Spirits, dragons and a hidden Buddha: secret Chinatown

The Golden Buddha

Five and a half tonnes of gold hidden under stucco for centuries, until an accident in 1955.

The world of spirits

Spirit houses, Chinese shrines and the legend of Mae Nak, Thailand's most famous ghost.

Chinatown at dusk

Temples with dragons on their roofs and trading alleys that have been open for two centuries.

Keep exploring

More routes in Bangkok

Back to Bangkok
HistoryFrom 1782 to 1932: the birth of Bangkok and modern Siam MixedBangkok highlights: from the Emerald Buddha to the Temple of Dawn

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Bangkok?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Bangkok in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Bangkok in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Bangkok in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary