Hua Hin is a laid back beach town only a couple hours from Bangkok! While many tourists are familiar with Pattaya to the east of Bangkok, it is just as easy to go to the west and relax in Hua Hin! While many attractions close to Hua Hin require you to have your own transportation to get to (such as the amazing Sam Roi Yot National Park), there are plenty of things to do within the city itself to make for an amazing weekend getaway!
What to do in Hua Hin City
Chopstick Hill aka Wat Khao Takiap
The first thing on our list has to be Wat Khao Takiap! Also known as Chopstick Hill and even Monkey Mountain. If you walk to the beach and look right, you should see this mini mountain at the end of the beach. We walked about an hour up the beach to get here and it did not disappoint! Before we even started to climb up the hill, we were amazed by all the monkeys at the base of it! And even better than just lots of wild monkeys, there were tons of monkeys jumping and swimming in the ocean! The monkeys were amazing to watch.
As if Chopstick Hill wasn’t already amazing, we started to climb up it. On the way up, you walk past multiple little restaurants. We actually stopped at one of these for lunch and it was the best place to eat cheap Thai food in Hua Hin! Most of the restaurants along the beach were overpriced resorts, however the places on Chopstick Hill were great!
As we continued up the hill the views were amazing!! It is definitely worth the climb up just to see the ocean go the whole way up the beach!
At the top of Chopstick Hill is Wat Khao Takiap. Keep in mind that this is a temple so you need to dress respectfully to enter it (covered legs and shoulders). Unfortunately we only planned on going to the beach so we didn’t have clothes to cover up. Although I imagine the views would be even better at the top!
The Hua Hin Train Station
If you visit Hua Hin, make sure you stop by the train station before leaving town! The train station is known as one of the most beautiful train stations in all of Thailand! While it isn’t the fastest way to get to Bangkok, it is right in the center of Hua Hin which makes it easy to stop by for some quick pictures during your stay.
Night Markets in Hua Hin
We were blown away by the night markets in Hua Hin!!! They were actually some of our favorite night markets we’ve been to!
The Hua Hin Night Market
I’ll put this one first as this is what we excepted to be the main night market (I mean the name is Hua Hin Night Market). This market was more like a typical local market. It is the cheapest night market and much less touristy than the other two.
Cicada Night Market
Cicada Night Market was probably the most trendy night market we had seen in a while! It was an ‘upscale’ night market about halfway between the city center and Chopstick Hill. There were lots of foreigners here as well as tons of touristy souvenir stands. At the back of the market there was a huge seating area with live music! There were also lots of stands to get food and drinks, however this market was the most expensive.
Tamarind Night Market
This was the best night market in Hua Hin! It is right next to Cicada Market (literally two minutes walking). Tamarind feels a little more local while still being just as cute! There is a huge stage in the front so you can see the music throughout the market, as well as lights hung up all over the tables! There were many more food and drink options here also at a better price than Cicada Market. You need to stop by this market on the weekend when you visit!
Enjoy the Beach
After all, Hua Hin is a famous beach city! Find one of the places along the beach that has beach chairs you can rent. There are also many resorts along the water where you could enjoy a drink and the nice view.
Get a Massage
This is on my list for everywhere we go in Thailand and Hua Hin is no exception! Our first day on the beach we got a little burned so we weren’t sure how we would do getting a massage. However the massage shops even had massages specifically for burns!
How to get to Hua Hin
Like I said, Hua Hin is very easy to get to from Bangkok! It is only 200km from the center of Bangkok which you can drive in about 2 and a half hours. If you don’t want to drive, you still have options! Find the best options here.
Hua Hin by Train
You can easily take the train from Bangkok to Hua Hin, however this isn’t the fastest option. The train can take between 4-5 hours to arrive! Although, luckily when you arrive, the train station is right in the center of the city and it’s also considered to be the most beautiful train station in Thailand!
We’ve been told that they are looking at building a high speed train from Bangkok to Hua Hin in the near future! While this is not yet made, it will definitely make train travel there much more convenient!
Hua Hin by Minibus
We use minibuses for almost all of our weekend trips within a couple hours of Bangkok! The minibuses travel very frequently and are usually very cheap! You can get a minibus to Hua Hin from either Mochit or Ekkami minibus stations for only a couple hundred baht!
Hua Hin by VIPbus
There are also some larger VIPbuses that go from Bangkok to Hua Hin. Usually we only take these for long bus trips, however it is an option! Sombat Tours has two buses a day from Bangkok to Hua Hin that take a little over 3 hours. However it is complete with personal TVs and even massage chairs for less than 300 baht per person!
How to get around Hua Hin
Rent a Motorbike
Once you arrive, you can rent a motorbike to get around. While this would give you the most freedom to travel around on your own (including outside of the city) we didn’t think it was necessary.
Songthaew
Songthaew are pickup trucks converted into shared taxi type vehicles. We were amazed at how easy and cheap they were to use in Hua Hin! They drive the whole way along the main road from the center of the town down to Chopstick Hill! You can flag them down (they come by every 10 minutes or so), jump on the back, and press the buzzer when you want to get off. We only paid 10 baht each from one side of the town to the other! Unfortunately they stop working around 7-8pm so after that you need to find other transportation, however they are so convenient during the day!
Motorbike Taxi/Normal Taxi/TukTuk
If you don’t rent a motorbike and you don’t take a songthaew (or it’s too late for them) you always have these options to fall back on!
The Best Time to Visit Hua Hin
Generally the best time to visit Hua Hin is between November and February, however this is also when it is the busiest! After February it can be very hot and humid during the summer months. While before November you need to be prepared for rain!
Where to Stay in Hua Hin
There are so many options of places to stay in Hua Hin! We stayed at the King Haad Beach Hua Hin Hotel and absolutely loved it! While it was a very budget friendly option, it was only a 2 minute walk to the beach. It was also right across the street from multiple massage shops and coffee shops! There were many restaurants close by that we could walk to or jump on a songthaew to. It was also closer to the Cicada and Tamarind Night Markets than the city center. I would definitely recommend you to stay here!
There are plenty of other options in Hua Hin! Including many fancy beachside resorts. Make sure you check Agoda for the best deals!
Check Out Our Video of Hua Hin!
Want some more ideas for weekend trips from Bangkok?! Check out our posts about Erawan Falls and Bang Krachao (it’s an island in Bangkok)!
[…] If you want some ideas of weekend trips to do from Bangkok, check out our posts on Erawan Falls and Hua Hin! […]
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
Thank you!!
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