Hua Hin Guide: Where to Stay, Parks, When to Go

Stay near the clock tower on Phetkasem Road if you travel by minivan, and plan a Friday to Sunday evening at Cicada Market. The parks nearby charge foreign adults THB 200 at Sam Roi Yot and THB 300 at Kaeng Krachan. Aim for the cool season.

Hua Hin is one long beach town strung along Phetkasem Road, with a royal palace to the north and national parks to the south. Base yourself near the clock tower if you are using minivans, and save one Friday to Sunday evening for Cicada Market. Trains, coaches and airport fares are on their own page, Bangkok to Hua Hin.

Where to stay

The clock tower on Phetkasem Road is the transport hub, where minivans from the north arrive and minivans to the south leave. If the beach matters more, the sand runs six km south from the Hilton to a headland with a temple, and it is pretty and relatively clean. Check the tide first, because on some stretches most of the beach disappears at high tide.

Getting around is cheap. Green songthaews run along Phetkasem Road all day for 10 baht, and a motorbike costs THB 150 to 200 a day depending on the season. If you walk, cross with care, because the road is fast and has few crosswalks.

Day trips and park fees

Park fees follow a national schedule, and a child means anyone aged 3 to 14 or no taller than 140 cm.

Khao Sam Roi Yot is a Group 2 park, and a foreign adult pays THB 200. Its famous stop is Phraya Nakhon Cave, open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day. The cave has a hole in the roof that lets sunlight fall on the Kareuhat Throne, and it is the shot everyone wants. Going in June? Some caves and a viewpoint close for the whole month.

Kaeng Krachan is a Group 3 park, so a foreign adult pays THB 300. Its main areas open from 1 November to 31 July, so confirm the dates before you make the drive.

Mrigadayavan Palace, a short hop north in Cha-am, is three large buildings along the beach inside a police camp.

Cicada Market

Cicada Market opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 16:00 to 23:00. Arrive before dark, because the street performers start playing at 19:45. For something closer to your hotel, the tourist night market in the middle of town is the easy alternative.

Swimming and jellyfish

Look for the flags before you swim: lifeguards work at designated beaches, and red flags mean stay out. Strong riptides have drowned people, mostly in monsoon season.

Jellyfish are the other risk, especially from May to October. If you see remains on the sand, skip the sea that day. For questions, the Department of Disease Control hotline is 1422. Never hand your passport to a motorbike or jet-ski shop as a guarantee, because it may be kept against claimed damage.

When to go

Aim for the cool season, from mid-October to mid-February. Hua Hin sits in a drier corner of the coast, but rain still comes with the rainy season from mid-May to mid-October, and the heaviest falls arrive in August or September. The hot season runs from mid-February to mid-May.

If something goes wrong

Call 1669 for a medical emergency and 1155 for the tourist police. More numbers are on the emergency numbers page, and the tourist police guide explains what they handle. Hua Hin and Khao Takiab both fall under the beach smoking ban.

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Not confirmed: Mrigadayavan Palace entry fee and opening days are not on an official page, so confirm at the ticket window. Hua Hin jellyfish months are not published, so watch the beach flags.

Prices, timetables and opening hours change; check with the operator before you travel. See how guides are checked.

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