Hua Hin
Royal Seaside Resort Since The 1920s; Home Of The Klai Kangwon Palace · Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Hua Hin is Thailand's oldest beach resort, on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand about 200 kilometres south of Bangkok, and it grew up as a royal seaside retreat in the 1920s, when the railway south made it reachable and the king built the Klai Kangwon palace here, still a royal residence and not open to the public. North of town the teak seaside palace of Maruekhathaiyawan, built for an earlier king, can be visited. Hua Hin's railway station, with its red and cream wooden buildings and a royal waiting room, is one of the most photographed in the country. Today the town mixes a long sandy beach with pony rides, a busy night market, the weekend Cicada market of crafts and food, golf courses, resorts and a large community of retirees. To the south, Khao Takiab hill has a temple and many monkeys, and further on Sam Roi Yot National Park has Phraya Nakhon cave, where a royal pavilion stands in a shaft of sunlight. Trains from Bangkok take about four hours, and the drier months are roughly November to April.
Hua Hin Beach, Hua Hin, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan, 77110, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the beach is open at all hours, the night market runs every evening from about 5 or 6 pm to around 11 pm, and Cicada market runs on Friday to Sunday evenings from about 4 or 5 pm to about 11 pm. Maruekhathaiyawan palace has opened from about 8 or 8.30 am to about 4 or 4.30 pm, with last entry before closing, and has been closed on some weekdays, commonly Wednesday; check. Sam Roi Yot's park areas are open in daylight, and boats to Laem Sala run from morning to late afternoon. The traps that ruin a day are arriving at Maruekhathaiyawan on its closing day, trying to visit Klai Kangwon, which is never open to the public, missing the last boat back from Laem Sala, and road closures for royal events. Confirm current times before relying on them.