Hua Hin Travel Guide: Thailand’s Royal Beach Resort

Hua Hin: The Beach Town Near Bangkok

Hua Hin is the closest proper beach to Bangkok — 200 km south, three hours by road or train. It is the oldest resort town in Thailand: the royal family has maintained a palace here since 1926, and the railway hotel built in 1923 is still operating as a luxury resort. That history has given Hua Hin a character quite different from Phuket or Samui: it is a real town with real residents, a proper market, golf courses, and a seafront that feels lived-in rather than constructed for visitors.

Bangkok residents come to Hua Hin for long weekends. The beach is not the finest in Thailand — it is wide and sandy but the water can be murky, and kite-surfers occupy the southern end most of the year — but the town is relaxed in a way that the purpose-built resorts to the south are not.

The Beach

Hua Hin Beach runs 5 km along the town’s seafront, backed by a wide promenade. The northern end (near the railway station area) has the best sand. The centre fills with horse rides and beach chair vendors. The southern end has the kite-surfing area — Hua Hin is one of the best kite-surfing spots in Southeast Asia, with consistent winds from June to September. The sea is generally calm from October through May.

The Night Market

Hua Hin’s night market on Dechanuchit Road is one of the best in Thailand: a dense maze of food stalls, seafood restaurants, and souvenir shops that sets up every evening from 17:00. The seafood here — grilled prawns, whole fish, crab, squid — is excellent and priced by the kilo. The market is popular with Thai families, not just tourists, and the atmosphere is lively without being overwhelming. Nearby, Cicada Market (weekends) has artisan crafts and live music in an outdoor park setting.

Maruekhathaiyawan Palace

Twelve kilometres north of Hua Hin, Maruekhathaiyawan Palace is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Thailand: a series of interconnected wooden pavilions built in 1923 entirely above the beach on stilts, painted in cream and sage green, with latticed verandas overlooking the sea. Built as a seaside residence for King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), it was abandoned after his death and only restored in the 1970s. The walkways between the pavilions, just above the sand, give the feeling of walking through an elegant Thai dream. Entry 30 baht. Closed Tuesdays.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park

Sixty kilometres south of Hua Hin, Khao Sam Roi Yot (‘mountain of three hundred peaks’) is a national park of dramatic limestone hills rising from a coastal plain. The highlight is Phraya Nakhon Cave: a large cavern with a hole in the roof that lets in a shaft of light illuminating a royal pavilion built inside the cave for a 19th-century royal visit. The trail to the cave takes 30 minutes from the pier, including a boat ride across a lagoon and a climb up steep stone stairs. The park also has freshwater and saltwater marshes with excellent birdlife. Entry 200 baht.

Hua Hin Hills Vineyard

In the hills 25 km inland from Hua Hin, the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard grows Colombard and Shiraz grapes at 400 metres altitude. The winery offers vineyard tours, a tasting room, and a restaurant with views over the vineyards and the coastal plains. It is smaller and less well-known than Chateau de Loei in the north, but the Shiraz is solid and the setting on the hillside is beautiful.

Practical Information

Hua Hin is 200 km south of Bangkok. The most pleasant way to arrive is by train from Hua Lamphong or Bang Sue — 3.5 to 4 hours, 65 baht in third class. The train station in Hua Hin is one of the most photogenic in Thailand: a Victorian-era wooden platform pavilion that has appeared in every travel article about the town. Buses from Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) take 3.5 hours and cost 170–200 baht. Minivans from Victory Monument take 3 hours, 180 baht.

Within Hua Hin, the town centre is walkable. For Maruekhathaiyawan Palace and Khao Sam Roi Yot, you need a rental motorbike (200 baht/day) or a taxi. Songthaews run along the main roads for 10–20 baht. Golf is a major activity — Hua Hin has six courses within 20 km, green fees from 1,000 to 4,000 baht including caddy.