The top 20 best things to see in Hua Hin

Hua Hin, a small provincial town located on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, two hundred kilometers south of Bangkok, quite falls under the definition “Potemkin Village”. The fact is that it was chosen as the summer residence of the royal family. Therefore, it cultivates an exemplary Siamese province – such as the king himself would like to see. Many attractions in Hua Hin are created especially for tourists. For example, traditional for Thailand floating markets. However, sightseeing tours in Hua Hin are quite an interesting and informative way to spend time.

Train Station

This Hua Hin landmark is protocol and for Thais it is sacred, almost sacred. So is everything associated with the name of a deceased king. Built in 1911, it was a symbol that the monarch honored the city and chose it as his residence, after which it blossomed into a resort. It now carefully preserves the waiting room built in 1920 especially for the King and his family. This is in spite of the fact that the crowned heads have not sought to travel by rail in recent years. All official guidebooks on Thailand state that this is the most beautiful railway platform in the country. Read more about Thailand Railways and how to how to book train tickets for travel between some provinces.

Cicada Market

If you have no idea at all what to see in Hua Hin on a weekend evening, head to Cicada Market, operating on Khao Takiab Street in the southern part of the city. This is its main hangout spot, where not only tourists but also locals gather. Artists open open-air galleries there, theatrical shows are staged, and live music is played. Working souvenir shops where you can buy handmade crafts, inspired by the hand of a master, rather than the standard consumer goods. There you can go shopping and alternate with relaxation to the music of local bards. Interestingly, the various snacks are not sold there for cash, and the coupons for which you exchange baht at the entrance. All sorts of delicious European, Thai or Chinese cuisine can be tasted by sitting down at a free table.

You can try it at a free table.

Night Market

Another attraction in Hua Hin that is visited after sunset. The market on Soi Street 72 begins at 5:00 pm. In general, for Thailand revitalization of life after the heat of the day – it is quite usual. Such night fairs and food courts are also on other streets. The range of goods is quite standard: souvenirs, clothes, shoes … Next to the rows of shops are cafes and macashnikas. Many dishes, including seafood and huge, two-kilogram lobsters, are cooked in front of customers, using an open fire. Be sure to know how to bargain in Thai markets, in order to save a few extra baht.

Wat Ampharam Temple

The Wat Ampharam temple, which, pardon the pun, is nothing remarkable. There are more beautiful places of worship in Thailand. It’s all about, again, the proximity of the royal family. It is a functioning complex consisting of a monastery, a temple and a columbarium.

Monkey Mountain – Khao Takiab

Khao Takiab is the mountain, the visual dominant feature of the city, which gave its name to a street and an entire neighborhood. It’s 272 meters high. Don’t expect to see “herds” of monkeys there. A few elderly monkeys live out their lives on top of it, and there’s also a temple, Wat Khao Lat, whose architecture combines Chinese and Siamese styles. On the half-mountain, facing the city, there is a statue of Buddha 20 meters high. There are several vantage points.

Sam Roi Yot National Park

This Hua Hin attraction is the largest, as it covers 98 square kilometers. It would be more correct to call it “Kingdom of Siam in miniature”. The natural landscape, where there are mountains and beaches and pristine rainforests full of bizarre animals, is decorated with temples. The park was created in 1966. It is worth setting aside two or three days to visit it, and to travel around the territory in a rented car.

Waterfall Pala-U

Sixty kilometers west of Hua Hin, almost on the border with Myanmar, is Kaeng Krachan National Park. Its jewel is the Palau Waterfall (Pa La-U, Pala-U), the highest in Thailand. It consists of sixteen steps. If you manage to climb to its peak, you will enjoy a view of Central Thailand and neighboring Myanmar. The border jungle is almost untouched and full of exotic animals. On the road from Hua Hin to the waterfall, you can find free walking elephants.

Trading complex Venezia

The Venice Shopping and Entertainment Complex is located twenty kilometers north of Hua Hin, on the road to Bangkok. Something similar, but in the French style in Pattaya (TC “Mimosa”). Two streets in the Italian style, a canal on which visitors ride gondolas. There are a few stores, a restaurant. There is an interactive zoo (sheep only). The exhibition of 3D paintings is very interesting. In each of them you can “embed” and take an original photo as a memento.

Baan Silapin–artist village

The Baan Silapin Artists’ Village is sure to appeal to lovers of fine art. It is located four kilometers west of the city center, in a shady grove. This artistic village was founded in 1989 by the artist Tawee Kesa-ngam, who left bustling Bangkok for the countryside for inspiration. The community of free artists organized around him is close to the hippie subculture in lifestyle and outlook. You can talk to masters working in different genres, as well as buy unique works of art in their own way. For example, wooden etchings of Buddha, terracotta figurines and landscapes.

The Wat Huay Mongkol Temple Complex

A true Buddhist shrine to which people travel from all over the world to worship. Its spiritual center is a huge statue of the monk Luang Phor Tuad, revered in Thailand and beyond. Because of the color, the sculpture is called the “Black Monk”. Around the complex is a park with traditional Thai canals, bridges and ponds with goldfish. You can satisfy your physical hunger in the cafe, where there is quite a good meal.

The complex is also a place to eat.

Floating markets

The floating markets in Hua Hin are three, they are not spontaneous, they were specially organized to attract tourists. Therefore, there is no picturesque folkloric chaos in them, everything is very orderly. They are relatively sparsely populated, walking there is much more interesting than shopping. One of them is near the complex Wat Huay Mongkol, the other two are also outside the city, in Soi 112. Read more about shopping in Hua Hin.

Vineyards

The Hua Hin Hills Vineyard vineyards are spread thirty kilometers west of the city. They are on the list of official Hua Hin sightseeing tours. From half past nine in the morning until half past seven in the evening, you can walk there and even taste the growing grapes. Juice or wine is sold in a restaurant nearby. Among other things, this place is also a wonderful vantage point.

Royal Palace

Mrigadayavan Palace is the attraction of Hua Hin to which this city owes its actual birth. Built in 1923, the Teak Palace transformed a fishing village into a royal resort. The residence of Rama IV is a must on excursions in Hua Hin. There is a fee to enter it, but that’s not all the conditions for visitors. They must take their shoes off and behave as befits a royal audience.

Ship temple Wat Ta Nod Luang

Buddhism is a religion tolerant of almost everything. So among the places of worship you can find some very unusual temples in Thailand. For example, Wat Ta Nod Luang – a ship temple, located near the village of Bang Khao, a few kilometers off the coast. Its appearance combines traditional Buddhist attributes and elements of ship’s equipment. The elephant, which is ubiquitous in the temples of Thailand, holds a helm on his head, and the central panel of the temple depicts scenes of shipwreck. Its roof is decorated with thousands of little bells ringing in the wind. The temple was built recently, mostly to attract tourists. However, there is a really old monastery nearby that has a sculpture of the revered monk Luang Phor Thong Suk.

Turtle Temple Wat Khao Tao

Fifteen kilometers south of Hua Hin there is a very beautiful beach called Sai Noi. It is also notable for the fact that nearby built Wat Khao Tao – Temple of the Turtle. It can be considered a Buddhist park, because the landscape is decorated with man-made caves, picturesque paths, stairs, rocks with unusual shapes. As the cherry on the cake, all this romantic splendor crowns the temple. There you can perform a ritual to attract good luck. Leave a 100 baht offering as a token of appreciation.

Khao Luang Cave

The cave temple, a Hua Hin landmark, is a must-visit despite its considerable remoteness. It is located near the town of Phetchaburi, a walk through the streets of which is a good addition to the tour.

Kaeng Krachan National Park

National park, the largest in Thailand. It is located on the border with Myanmar. The closest settlements to it are the towns of Hua Hin, Phetchaburi, Cha-Am. The area is almost untouched by man the mountain rain forest, teeming with exotic animals and plants. It adds scenic numerous rivers, waterfalls and caves. There is a hot spring. It is located sixty kilometers west of Hua Hin. The road itself can be an unforgettable adventure. On it you can meet wild elephants.

Hin Lek Fai observation deck

It’s more like a whole complex of observation decks located on the slope of the 162-meter-high Khao Hin Lek Fai mountain. The six sites, which offer stunning views of Hua Hin’s surroundings and the Gulf of Thailand coast, are connected by scenic walkways and bridges. They are surrounded by a park full of orchids and other exotic plants.

Mangrove Forest

A attraction in Hua Hin that is part of the larger Forest Park, where you can walk through a very common landscape in Southeast Asia, the mangrove forest, without risking your life. Tourists walk along suspended bridges, which are closed to each other. Get lost there is impossible, at each turn there is a scheme of the park and the exit sign. The main “chip” of the place are hordes of mangrove crabs, swarming among bunches of aerial roots. The coastal part of Forest Park is interesting to visit, not because it is full of curiosities, but because of the possibility of relaxation. Under the canopy of trees there are benches and tables. Before entering the park there is the sandy beach of Pran Kiri, a wild, unequipped beach.

Black-beach

There is Pak Tien beach near Cha Am town. It is known for a statue that has no official name, and therefore is simply called the “Black Sheepskin.” It depicts a female sea demon, which stretches out his hand in the direction of the young Siamese prince, sitting on a small island. At low tide, you can walk up to the baba itself, which is six meters high. Because of the constant contact with the elements of the sea, the cyclopean structure is gradually crumbling.

Thai installation of the Russian proverb about evil love and goat some well-wishers decorate with wreaths and flowers. All this obscenity is watched by a wise turtle, the figure of which was sculpted on one of the islands nearby. Interestingly, on the beach there are also ground sculptures, standing close to the sun loungers and beach umbrellas. This is a favorite vacation spot of Thais, so you probably won’t find common ground with the staff of coastal restaurants and cafes. English, much less Russian, they probably do not understand.