Hua Hin Thailand

Hua Hin is a popular beach-side holiday town located 3 hours drive south of Bangkok. There are loads of international resorts lining the beach at Hua Hin including Hilton Hotel, Hyatt Regency, Marriott and Intercontinental. You can either catch the train down from Bangkok, leaving from Bang Sue Central Train Station or get a car/taxi both take 3 hours +. 3 hours is the fastest on the train (Special Express Train) or a car will take anywhere from 3 – 3.5 hours depending on traffic.

Hua Hin Beach is 6km long, with soft white sand. There is no surf at Hua Hin Beach but there is good kite surfing or windsurfing (without the surf) best time for kite Surfing is between November and March. The water quality at Hua Hin is quite good but at different times of the year, there are large jelly fish in the water that can give you a nasty sting.

Popular Tourist Attractions in Hua Hin

Best Things to do in Hua Hin Thailand

Close to Hua Hin is a limestone mountain range running parallel to the coast. Within these mountain range are a network of limestone caves, a few have been fitted out as Buddhist Temples or Shrines. The closest to Hua Hin is Lub Lae Cave which is around a 45 minute drive west of Hua Hin. There is also the beautiful Khao Luang Cave which is 1 hour north of Hua Hin next to Phetchaburi town. 1 hour south is the amazing Phraya Nakhon Cave but there is a 45 minute trek up the side of a mountain to get to this cave.

Day Trips from Hua Hin

Temples in Hua Hin

Best Temples to Visit in Hua Hin
Best Temples to Visit in Hua Hin

There are so many temples and shrines all around Hua Hin which is very common for a regional town in Thailand. The best remples to visit in Hua Hin are:

Nightlife in Hua Hin

Hua Hin Nightlife
Hua Hin Nightlife

There are 3 main nightlife areas of Hua Hin;

  1. Soi Bintabaht – a small block of around 60 beer bars, close to Hilton Hotel in the heart of Hua Hin
  2. Soi 80 walking street – next to Hua Hin Train station, a street of 400 meters long lined with beer bars
  3. Wonderland – on Soi 94, a beer bar complex with around 40 small bars seating around 6 – 8 customers.

Read morea about the Nightlife in Hua Hin

Catching the train to Hua Hin

There are many trains leaving Bangkok to Hua Hin but most take around 4 hours to get there. Once a day there is a Special Express train which takes about 2 hours 55 minutes to get to Hua Hin from Bangkok’s Bang Sue Central Station. A standard 2nd Class ticket is 330 Baht and the seats are fairly comfortable. For the other direction, Hua Hin to Bangkok, the fatest train takes around 3.5 hours, leaving Hua Hin around 3pm and getting into Bangkok after 6pm.

Special Express Train Bangkok to Hua Hin
Special Express Train Bangkok to Hua Hin

Read more about Catching the Train between Hua Hin and Bangkok

It is best to book the Special Express before you travel to ensure you get a seat. I tried to book a few days before my trip and they said they only sell the tickets 1 day before.

A taxi from Bang Sue Central Station to downtown Sukhumvit will take about 20 minutes.

Taxi between Hua Hin and Bangkok

There are many travel stalls setup in the tourist central of Hua Hin which you sell you a small car and driver to take you to Bangkok for 1600 Baht.

Cost of taxi from Hua Hin to Bangkok
Cost of taxi from Hua Hin to Bangkok

Hotels in Hua Hin

The 6km beach front of Hua Hin is lined with beach resorts, including many international brands like Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott and Intercontinental. There are a few local Thai branded resorts which are also top quality. Check out Centara Grand and Anantara Resort.

There are also plenty of budget hotels in the town centre, just a short walk from the beach. On the cheap side, you should be able to find a comfortable hotel starting from 500 Baht per night. The international beach resorts will start at around 6000 Baht per night.

Check out the most popular attractions, restaurants and bars in Hua Hin: