Gulf of Thailand · 180 km north of Ban Krut

Hua Hin

Thailand's original royal beach resort — night markets, seafood and a famous railway station, an easy train ride north of Ban Krut.

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Royal beach resort
Night markets
Seafood
Historic railway station
Khao Takiab
Golf courses
Beach horses
Day trips to national parks
Introduction

Thailand's original beach resort

Hua Hin became Thailand's first beach resort in the 1920s, when King Rama VII built his summer palace here — the town has been the royal family's seaside retreat ever since. Today it is a lively mid-sized city with a long sandy beach, a compact old quarter built around the fishing pier, and some of the best night markets on the Gulf coast.

Fishing harbour in Hua Hin

For anyone staying in Ban Krut, Hua Hin is the natural big-town excursion: two to three hours north by train or car. People go for the shopping, the international restaurants, the hospitals and the cinemas — everything the quiet coast further south deliberately doesn't have.

Transport

Tickets & connections

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Tours

Tours & activities

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Quick facts

Hua Hin

  • About 180 km north of Ban Krut — 2½–3 hours by train
  • Thailand's first beach resort, royal summer residence since the 1920s
  • Long sandy beach with horse riding and kite surfing
  • Famous night markets and seafood restaurants
  • Good hospitals, malls and golf courses
Boats on Hua Hin beach
Getting there

Getting there from Ban Krut

The train is the classic way to arrive. All northbound trains from Ban Krut stop in Hua Hin — the ride takes roughly 2½ to 3½ hours depending on the service, and the arrival itself is part of the experience: Hua Hin's wooden railway station with its royal waiting pavilion is one of the most photographed buildings in Thailand.

Train on the southern line

By car, follow Phetkasem Road (Highway 4 / AH2) straight north — around two hours' driving. Minivans and buses running the Bangkok route also pass through Hua Hin; ask to be dropped at the clock tower in the centre.

From Bangkok, Hua Hin is about 3 hours by car or minivan and 3½–4½ hours by train from Krung Thep Aphiwat terminal.

Good to know

Hua Hin

  • Book train seats a few days ahead on weekends — Hua Hin is a popular Bangkok getaway.
  • The railway station is in the town centre, walking distance from the night market.
  • Green songthaews (shared pickups) run fixed routes around town for 10–20 baht.
  • Avoid driving into town on Friday evenings — Bangkok weekend traffic.
See & do

See & do in Hua Hin

Hua Hin Railway Station
Landmark

Hua Hin Railway Station

The 1920s wooden station with its red-and-cream royal waiting pavilion is Hua Hin's icon. Trains still roll through all day — come in the late afternoon when the light is best.

Khao Takiab (Monkey Mountain)
Viewpoint

Khao Takiab (Monkey Mountain)

The headland at the south end of the beach has a hilltop temple, sweeping views back over the coast, and a resident troop of cheeky macaques — keep bags and sunglasses close.

Hua Hin Beach
Beach

Hua Hin Beach

Five kilometres of firm white sand with pony rides, kite surfers and beach restaurants. The nicest stretch starts just south of the Centara's gardens.

Khao Sam Roi Yot & Phraya Nakhon
Day trip

Khao Sam Roi Yot & Phraya Nakhon

An hour south of town, this coastal national park hides the Phraya Nakhon cave with its royal pavilion lit by a sunbeam — one of Thailand's most magical sights.

Naresdamri Road & the pier
Old town

Naresdamri Road & the pier

The old fishing quarter is now a lane of wooden guesthouses and seafood restaurants built on stilts over the water — best at sunset with a plate of grilled prawns.

Cafés & beach clubs
Relax

Cafés & beach clubs

Hua Hin does laid-back luxury well: lotus-pond restaurants, beach clubs and dozens of excellent coffee shops hidden in the sois between Phetkasem Road and the sea.

Food

Seafood first

Hua Hin's kitchen is built on the fishing fleet you can still watch unloading at the pier. Grilled lobster, blue crab curry, sweet mantis shrimp and salt-crusted sea bass are the signatures — eaten either at the stilt restaurants on Naresdamri Road or at the plastic-stool stalls in the night market.

Beyond seafood the town has everything from old Hainanese coffee shops (try a patongko breakfast) to serious European fine dining, a legacy of its long history with Bangkok high society and Scandinavian winter guests.

Grilled lobsterBlue crab curryMantis shrimpSalt-crusted sea bassHainanese coffeeMango sticky rice
Lobster at Hua Hin night market
Markets

Night market town

The Hua Hin Night Market on Dechanuchit Road is the town's living room — every evening from about 6 pm the street fills with seafood grills, noodle carts, fruit stalls and souvenir vendors. It's touristy, but the cooking is genuinely good.

For something more local, Chatchai day market sells fruit and curry pastes from dawn, Cicada weekend market (Fri–Sun) is an arty open-air affair with live music near Khao Takiab, and Tamarind market next door adds craft beer and street food theatre.

Cicada weekend market in Hua Hin
Where to stay

Where to stay

Hua Hin's hotel scene runs from grand colonial-style resorts to cheap old-town guesthouses. Beachfront south of the centre is quietest; the old town is best for walking to restaurants and the night market.

Hua Hin

Colonial grandeur

The Centara Grand (the original 1923 Railway Hotel) and its topiary gardens are an attraction in their own right — high tea is open to non-guests.

Hua Hin

Beachfront resorts

Hilton, Anantara, Marriott and dozens of mid-range resorts line the sand north and south of the centre, most with pools facing the Gulf.

Hua Hin

Old town guesthouses

Wooden guesthouses on Naresdamri Road put you on stilts over the sea for a fraction of resort prices — simple rooms, unbeatable location.

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Travel guides

Travel guides

Step-by-step transport guides for this stretch of the Gulf coast.