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Hua Hin

Thailand’s original beach resort is no palm-fringed castaway island and arguably is the better for it. Instead, Hua Hin (หัวหิน) is a refreshing mix of city and sea with lively markets, good golf courses and water parks, excellent accommodation and an ambience that just keeps getting more cosmopolitan. In fact, many visitors never even step foot on the sand.

By the mid-1920s Hua Hin was a full-fledged resort town for the Bangkok-based nobility – even Kings Rama VI and VII built summer palaces here. There’s still a lot of money swirling around Hua Hin, but it remains a good budget destination: seafood is plentiful and cheap, there’s convenient public transport and it takes a lot less time and effort to get here from Bangkok than to the southern islands.

Explore Hua Hin

  • C

    Cicada Market

    Vastly better than the city-centre Hua Hin Night Market, this popular place 3.5km to the south is a fun mix of food, shopping and performing arts. It's…

  • W

    Wat Huay Mongkol

    Colloquially called the big-headed monk, this statue of the revered Luang Phor Thad is a beloved Buddhist pilgrimage site. The southern Thai monk is said…

  • R

    Ratchaphakdi Park

    Standing 14m high and weighing in at 30 tonnes each, the beautiful bronze statues of Thailand's most revered kings tower over this park with an impressive…

  • B

    Baan Silapin

    Local painter Tawee Kasangam established this artist collective in a shady grove 4km west of town. The galleries and studio spaces showcase the works of…

  • P

    Pa La-U Waterfall

    Pa La-U Waterfall is located in Kaeng Krachan National Park, but far away from the main park area, about 62km from Hua Hin. Unlike the rest of the park,…

  • Hat Hua Hin

    Hua Hin Beach is a pleasant, but not stunning, stretch of fine white powder lapped by calm grey-green waves. Remarkably shallow, it's made for strolling…

  • Mrigadayavan Palace

    With a breezy seaside location 12km north of Hua Hin, this summer palace – Phra Ratchaniwet Mrigadayavan – was built in 1924 during the reign of Rama VI…

  • Hua Hin Train Station

    Probably the most beautiful train station in Thailand, this red-and-white icon was built in 1926 to replace the original station. It has a Victorian…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Hua Hin.

  • See

    Cicada Market

    Vastly better than the city-centre Hua Hin Night Market, this popular place 3.5km to the south is a fun mix of food, shopping and performing arts. It's…

  • See

    Wat Huay Mongkol

    Colloquially called the big-headed monk, this statue of the revered Luang Phor Thad is a beloved Buddhist pilgrimage site. The southern Thai monk is said…

  • See

    Ratchaphakdi Park

    Standing 14m high and weighing in at 30 tonnes each, the beautiful bronze statues of Thailand's most revered kings tower over this park with an impressive…

  • See

    Baan Silapin

    Local painter Tawee Kasangam established this artist collective in a shady grove 4km west of town. The galleries and studio spaces showcase the works of…

  • See

    Pa La-U Waterfall

    Pa La-U Waterfall is located in Kaeng Krachan National Park, but far away from the main park area, about 62km from Hua Hin. Unlike the rest of the park,…

  • See

    Hat Hua Hin

    Hua Hin Beach is a pleasant, but not stunning, stretch of fine white powder lapped by calm grey-green waves. Remarkably shallow, it's made for strolling…

  • See

    Mrigadayavan Palace

    With a breezy seaside location 12km north of Hua Hin, this summer palace – Phra Ratchaniwet Mrigadayavan – was built in 1924 during the reign of Rama VI…

  • See

    Hua Hin Train Station

    Probably the most beautiful train station in Thailand, this red-and-white icon was built in 1926 to replace the original station. It has a Victorian…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Hua Hin

Uncover the heart of travel and be inspired to see new sights with one of Lonely Planet’s in-depth, award-winning guidebooks.