Chinatown is a confusing but delightful area full of narrow alleys, shophouses, temples and food stalls selling everything from hot chestnuts to live fish. Odeon roundabout is a tall red gate mixing Chinese and Thai architecture. It?s adorned by ceramic dolls of Chinese deities and magic animals, such as swans, sea horses and lions, to chase away evil spirits.

A labyrinth for first-time visitors to Bangkok, Chinatown is a whole lot easier for those coming on public transportation thanks to a shuttle service operated by BTS (the Skytrain).

Take the train to the National Stadium Station and wait for a red, white and blue shuttle bus (#73) that plies the windy roads past the train station, before proceeding down Yaowarat Rd. Unfortunately, the shuttle operates only on weekdays, so if you?re determined to not hail a cab, and you?re coming from a Skytrain stop and/or Sukhumvit, you?ll have to try your luck with public bus #25 or #40, which run from Sukumvit to Siam Square, past Hualamphong train station and Yaowarat.