Hua Hin

What Hua Hin is

Hua Hin is a real town on the Gulf coast about 200 km south of Bangkok, with a fishing heritage, a railway station that is a tourist attraction in itself, and a royal palace on the headland.

It has a large resident expatriate and Thai-holidaymaker population, which means it is a functioning town rather than a resort strip: markets, hospitals, schools, and restaurants that serve people who live there.

Its beach is long, wide and calm, with none of the limestone drama of the Andaman coast. What it has instead is proximity.

The beach

The main beach runs along the town and is at its best in the early morning and late afternoon, when the horses that give rides along the sand are out and the heat has gone.

It is a working beach in a way that Phuket's are not: vendors, ponies, kite surfers in the windy months, and food stalls. Swimming is safe and shallow, with no strong currents to speak of.

Khao Takiab, a few kilometres south, is the quieter end, with a hill, a temple, and a large population of monkeys that will take anything you leave unguarded.

In and around the town

Hua Hin is not a place with a long list of sights, and that is part of its appeal. What there is, is pleasant.

• The night market, in the middle of town, for seafood and street food.
• Phra Nakhon Khiri and the Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, the royal summer residence, built entirely of golden teak on the beach.
• Hua Hin railway station, one of the prettiest in Thailand, with a royal waiting room.
• Khao Sam Roi Yot national park to the south, for the Phraya Nakhon cave with its pavilion lit by a shaft of light through the roof.
• The vineyards inland — Hua Hin is an unlikely wine region and several estates offer tastings and tours.

When to go

Hua Hin is on the Gulf, so it shares the Gulf pattern — the wettest months are around September and October, and the best weather is November to February.

It has one advantage over the islands: being on the mainland, it remains usable in the shoulder months when island crossings get rough. For a short break from Bangkok, it works almost year-round.

Getting there

This is the whole point of Hua Hin. It is the most accessible beach from Bangkok.

• By road, about three hours from Bangkok, on a good highway. Buses and minivans run frequently from the southern terminal.
• By train from Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat station — slower, but it arrives at that station.
• By private transfer, which is what most people do if they are going for a weekend.
• Many visitors do it as a two-night break from the capital rather than as a beach holiday in its own right.