> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://easythailandvisa.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Where to Stay in Bangkok, by What You Can Afford - URL: https://easythailandvisa.com/where-to-stay-in-bangkok-by-budget/ - Published: 2026-09-16T00:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-19T12:24:59.000Z - Description: There are six parts of this city that a visitor should consider and one of them, Rattanakosin, is the one that almost everybody books for the wrong reason and then regrets. - Author: Somchai Jaidee - Tags: Slow Travel, Practicalities Bangkok has no single centre and the choice of neighbourhood matters more than the choice of hotel, because the areas are genuinely different cities with different transport, different food, and wildly different atmospheres. Booking a cheap room in the wrong one costs you an hour a day in taxis. Last verified 20 September 2026. ## Rattanakosin, the old city Where the [Grand Palace](https://easythailandvisa.com/grand-palace-tuk-tuk-tour-scam/), Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the old town are. Beautiful, walkable, and the temples are genuinely at the door. **It is also the most expensive and most touristed area in the city, and much of what is sold as "walking distance to the Grand Palace" is a 20-minute walk in 38 degrees.** The riverside west bank, [Thonburi](https://easythailandvisa.com/thonburi-bangkok-the-city-on-the-other-bank/), is the same thing at a third of the price and ten minutes away by boat. **Budget: 1,500 to 4,000 baht for a decent room, 4,000+ for a riverside hotel with a view.** **Best for: a first trip where the temples are the point, and a short stay.** Two nights is right. A week here is a mistake, because there is no nightlife and the food, while excellent, is a limited local range. ## Silom and Sathorn Skytrain, malls, the financial district, a lot of high-rise hotels, and a genuine, well-supplied food scene. Enormous. **Budget: 1,200 to 3,000 for a good room in a side street, 3,500 to 8,000 in a business hotel.** **Best for: a** [**long stay**](https://easythailandvisa.com/thailand-90-day-report-long-stay-immigration/)**, or anyone who wants convenience over atmosphere.** You can walk to a skytrain station, there is a supermarket, a gym, a pharmacy and a coffee shop within three minutes of most doors. It is the most functional area in the city. ## Sukhumvit, and the sois off it The default for a reason. The [BTS](https://easythailandvisa.com/bangkok-bts-mrt-rabbit-card/) runs down it, the sois behind it are a maze of bars, restaurants, massage, guesthouses and hotels of every standard, and the airport is 30 minutes away. **Soi 11 and 13, and the sois between Nan Nuea and Asok, are the good ones.** Walking distance to the BTS, walkable to everything, and a real neighbourhood rather than a strip. **Budget: 700 to 1,800 for a clean guesthouse or a decent small hotel, 2,000 to 5,000 for a boutique hotel in a soi.** **Best for: the default two-week trip, first or otherwise.** The density of things within walking distance is unmatched. ## Thonburi Across the river from the old city and almost nobody stays there, which is the point. A riverside walk, the Wat Arun and Wat Pho views from the opposite bank, a genuine local neighbourhood, and half the price of the east bank. **Budget: 500 to 1,500 for a nice guesthouse, 1,500 to 3,000 for a river-facing hotel.** **Best for: budget travellers who want the old city without the old city prices, and for anyone who likes being somewhere quiet and taking a 5-minute boat to the middle of everything.** ## Chatuchak and the areas north of it Only worth it if the market is why you are here, or if you are on a long stay. Some excellent cheap guesthouses, good local food, and the market on weekends. ## Where to skip **Ratchapruk and the far west.** A long way from everything, and the reason to be there is usually a specific destination, not the city. **The river tourist pier area in the evenings.** Not a residential area. There is nowhere to stay here and people book rooms near the piers and then wonder why the walk back at 11pm is unpleasant. **Bang Rak as a first choice.** It is genuinely good, on the BTS, close to the river and to Sathorn, with a good food scene. It is simply less good than Sukhumvit for a first trip and you will not miss anything. ## Matching the area to your transport **If you land at Suvarnabhumi, the Airport Rail Link runs to Phaya Thai.** Staying near Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi or the BTS line from there saves an hour on arrival and departure, which is worth more than a slightly better room elsewhere. **If you land at Don Mueang, the Airport Rail Link goes to the MRT end, and the Chatuchak and Bang Sue area is a reasonable base.** It is the opposite end of the city from Suvarnabhumi and people who book on the assumption that it is close are frequently surprised by a 90-minute transfer. ## The decision in one line each **Two nights: Rattanakosin or Thonburi.** Temples, and get out of the heat on day two. **A week or more: Sukhumvit near the BTS, or Silom.** Everything you need, walkable, and no wasted taxi time. **Budget: Thonburi or a guesthouse in a Sukhumvit soi.** Both are excellent and both are less than a quarter of the price of a riverside old-city hotel. **Long stay: a serviced apartment in Sukhumvit or Silom.** Prices drop dramatically after about a week, and a weekly rate on a decent one is cheaper than a decent hotel for the same week. **More on this** - [Bangkok Has a Second River and Almost Nobody Gets on It](https://easythailandvisa.com/bangkok-klongs-canal-boat-hidden-city/) - [Bangkok Has Free Things That Are Better Than the Paid Ones](https://easythailandvisa.com/bangkok-lumpini-park-and-the-free-city/) - [The Chao Phraya Boat Is the Best Transport in Bangkok and](https://easythailandvisa.com/chao-phraya-commuter-boat-bangkok/) - [The Train to Malaysia Still Has a Change of Train in the](https://easythailandvisa.com/thailand-to-malaysia-by-train-padang-besar/) - [The Kids Do Not Need a Holiday Planned and Neither Do You](https://easythailandvisa.com/travelling-with-kids-in-thailand/)