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Hua Hin is Thailand’s first resort destination and the country’s high society has been holidaying there since the 1920s. Conveniently, regular trains run through Hua Hin from Bangkok and the south, making getting here super easy. This travel guide explains why 2 days in Hua Hin is a perfect amount of time for travellers wanting time by the beach and to experience Thailand’s rich culture along the way.
Plus you may be wondering what is the best & most cost-effective way to reach Hua Hin? This Hua Hin travel guide also details all transport options, and the best things to do during your stay.
Getting to Hua Hin
Whether you’re travelling to Hua Hin from Bangkok or coming up from Phuket in the south, this is a great place to stay and spend a few days by the beach. Traveling by land to Hua Hin is a great option as the train and bus stations are located in town and very easy to walk to. Below are some transport options and details of my experience arriving by sleeper train.
Transport bewteen Hua Hin & Bangkok
Bangkok is the closest big city to Hua Hin and a lot of locals from Bangkok regularly book 2 days in Hua Hin for their weekend getaway.
There are three easy options to get between Hua Hin & Bangkok.
*These prices are based on my travels from Hua Hin to Bangkok, in May 2022.
Driving yourself or taking a private taxi will take approximately 2.5 hours
Train travel is always a reliable and cheap option in Thailand, ticket for this journey will cost 44THB per person for a seat and will take 6 hours.
The minivan transport is a great in-between option, not as long as the train and not as expensive as a private car. The Mini Van from Hua Hin to Bangkok was 200THB per person and took close to 4 hours. Then when the bus arrives in Bangkok it’ll stop in the area of Ekkamai.
Phuket to Hua Hin
Traveling from Phuket to Hua Hin the options are similar to if coming from Bangkok, it’ll just take a lot longer.
The quickest and cheapest option to get from Phuket to Hua Hin is by bus. This trip will take about 10 hours and expect to pay around 480THB per person.
To break up the drive there is also the option to get a bus to Surat Thani and then the sleeper train from there to Hua Hin. This would be more comfortable but will end up taking a few hours longer and be more expensive.
Then if you aren’t excited about spending so many hours on the road, there is also the option to fly to Bangkok and travel down from there. But overall this will end up taking a lot longer and more expensive, so not a route I would recommend.
Getting to Hua Hin from Surat Thani
I went to Hua Hin after spending a few incredible days in Khao Sok National Park.
The closest city to the Khao Sok is Surat Thani & we got a sleeper train to Hua Hin from there.
The 84 express train left Surat Thani at 20:14 & was scheduled to arrive at 04:10, although it was 50 minutes late.
Depending on your budget there are a few different classes available, ranging from a seat to a flatbed in a semi-private cabin. We booked ‘class 2’ sleeper and this cost 620THB per person.
Class Two was good, the carriage is a single aisle with a row of bunk beds down either side. Each bed has a curtain for privacy & includes bedding.
Assuming you’re travelling with luggage, your bags will stay with you the whole time. In the carriage, there are some small storage areas but our big bags ended up on the ground in the aisle. Luckily, this never seemed to bother anyone. I kept my small backpack, containing valuables, with me the whole time. It was annoying having it on my bunk but better to be safe than sorry.
Tickets can be booked online at 12GO or directly from the station. We booked with the staff at the station a couple of hours before departure but apparently, we got lucky that it wasn’t already booked out.
When booking the tickets you’ll receive a seat/bed number & if available I would recommend booking the lower bunk as these are slightly bigger.
At Surat Thani railway station there aren’t any fids screens displaying the trains arriving & departing, so you’ll need to be aware of the time. Also, if you have a paper ticket don’t lose it, if you do you won’t be allowed on board or given a replacement.
Sleeper Train Toilets and My Phobia of Bathrooms
After having bad experiences on sleeping trains in India I decided to fast before my journey to Hua Hin. I went to the bathroom at the train station just before we departed.
It cost 3THB and the man taking the money pulled me out three generous squares of toilet paper. They were all squat toilets and to avoid any part of my overalls touching the ground or the toilet, I took them off & wrapped them around my neck. 😂
Hoping that was it for the night I got comfortable in my bunk on the train. But unfortunately ended up laying awake, needing to pee & fearing what the toilets on board would be like.
Eventually, I had no choice and had to go, but the toilets on the train were absolutely FINE. Omg, all that stress for nothing haha. The bathrooms in my carriage were all clean and had everything you’d need (you know, like soap and toilet paper).
I don’t remember the train stopping too many times but each time it did locals would jump on and walk up and down the aisles selling food & drink. Their yelling was kind of annoying while you were trying to sleep, but also very convenient if you ever got hungry.
10 minutes before the train arrived at Hua Hin the staff came to our bunks to let us know that we were nearly there.
From start to finish I found this train journey awesome and all the staff super helpful.
Book tickets online at 12GO or check out Thailand Rails website for timetables.
Best Things to do During 2 Days in Hua Hin
OK, so now that you have arrived safely, what are the best things to do for 2 days in Hua Hin?
Hua Hin Railway Station
If you arrive in Hua Hin by train in the early hours of the morning it’s worth coming back to the railway station during the day to see its beautiful design. The railway station was built in 1910 and the traditional design and the bright colours are beautiful. It almost looks as if the station is a part of a museum and not an active railway station.
Hua Hin Beach
The beach is located in the centre of town and only 800 metres from the railway station.
To be honest it’s not the best beach I’ve ever seen in Thailand but it was still lovely, reasonably clean and the water was clear & warm. Plus I found this beach to have such a fun vibe.
Every day a section of the beach is filled with local restaurants & bars (except for Wednesdays when they all close down for a day of beach cleaning) and it’s a popular place for families and people gathering with friends.
Plus the lines of palm trees surrounding the beach made me feel like I was worlds away on a tropical island.
Locals also hire floaties for use at the beach.
Eating in Hua Hin
Now, I know this is obvious and of course, you’re going to eat for 2 days in Hua Hin but don’t just eat and run.
Hua Hin has some beautiful cafes & seaside restaurants that you could easily spend all afternoon at.
Hua Hin Vegan Cafe & Bar has a massive (and absolutely delicious) menu, the cafe itself is also beautiful and located on the main road so a perfect place for ‘people watching’.
For seafood lovers, there are several restaurants along Naresdamri Road which have balconies with ocean views.
Then of course for a filling & cheap local meal head to Koti Restaurant. The menu here was massive and it was always very busy, which is what first attracted as to it. If a restaurant is busy and full of local people, you know the food will be good!
Treat Yourself with a Massage
You couldn’t come to Thailand’s first resort destination and not get at least one massage. Prices here were pretty consistent with Phuket & Bangkok and start from 250THB.
I did have to laugh though, most of the time when passing by massage parlours, staff wouldn’t even look away from their phones while saying “hello you want a massage”.
Soi Bintabaht Walking Street
Not too far from Hua Hin Beach is Soi Bintabaht Walking Street. Lined with bars and restaurants, I usually love a night out on these vibrant streets while travelling in SE Asia, but unfortunately, when I was there everything was super quiet.
But I’m sure as tourism in Thailand picks up again, their businesses will also.
Hue Hin Night Market
The night market is located on Hue Hin 72, near the corner of Sa Song Rd. This market spans two blocks and is on every night. The road gets closed off to traffic from 5 pm.
I arrived around 6 pm and it was already very busy.
The Night market is a must during your 2 days in Hua Hin. There was so much good food including hot dishes, fruits, sweets & drinks, and also heaps of souvenirs. Plus, I found there were so many good clothes shops, outfits made in Thailand and of really good quality. At a lot of the clothes stores no one was interested in bartering but everything was already pretty cheap.
Cicada Market
This is another night market in Hua Hin but is only open during the weekends. So I wasn’t able to go, unfortunately. It does look fun though, all the usual goodness of a local market plus live music and local theatre performances.
Cicada Market is open Friday–Sunday from 4 pm to 11 pm.
Then if you felt like getting out of Hua Hin for the day here are a few attractions located within an hour’s drive.
Black Mountain Water Park
This water park is massive and has heaps of pools and waterslides. Plus it only opened in 2011 so everything is still fairly newish.
The park is 15 minutes away from town so to get there a taxi or tuk-tuk would be the best option. It’s also open daily and entry cost 600THB per adult.
Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
I, unfortunately, didn’t get to this park during my visit in May 2022, a lot of the park’s activities were still closed after covid.
It looks stunning though and is definitely on my list for the next trip. Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park is located 60km from Hue Hin and some of the main attractions are Phraya Nakhon Cave, Khao Daeng Viewpoint and Thung Sam Roi Yot Freshwater Marsh (the largest freshwater Marsh in Thailand).
Best Accommodation in Hua Hin
I loved that there is such a wide variety of accommodation options here. As we were only spending 2 days in Hua Hin, we opted for a budget property but it was still so close to the beach!
It’s all about location, so below are some accommodation options, all with good locations.
luxury
This would be the absolute best location, right on Hua Hin beach and the pool area looked insane! Rooms aren’t even that expensive but for my trip it was out of my budget, so I’d just lay on the beach in front of the resort acting as if. HA!
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin
This resort is located next to the Hilton and also looked beautiful.
Mid-Range
New Cosy Apartment at Marvest Huahin City Center
These apartments are available for under $100 a night and are a short walk to the train station. Plus the pool area looks beautiful.
GoLocal extra deal LaCasita romantic beach getaway
Another apartment for under $100 and has great reviews. They are also close to the railway station and would be less than a 10-minute walk to the beach. And it even has a waterslide in the pool!
Budget
This is where I stayed and it was so good for the price. We paid just under $15 and it was just a few minute’s walk to the beach. The room was small but very comfortable, and there was heaps of space to hang up wet beach towels and bathers.
This property is located on the beachfront and some nights can be booked for less than $30. It’s also less than an 800-metre walk to Hue Hin railway station. Plus they have a great deck with ocean views.
Is Hua Hin Safe?
Hua Hin has been named one of the safest places in Thailand, and solo female travellers are encouraged to visit this resort town because of the low crime rate and threat against tourists.
Although I wasn’t travelling alone I did always feel very safe. We arrived in Hua Hin at 5 am by sleeper train and hadn’t pre-booked a hotel. We planned to walk down to the beach to catch the sunrise, then as places started to open go out for breakfast and then find a hotel.
So during these early hours, in the dark and carrying around all our belongings, never did I feel uncomfortable or at risk. The few people we can across were very friendly or kept to themselves.
I 100% found Hua Hin a very safe place to be and would be more than happy to go back alone.
Is Hua Hin Worth Visiting?
I would say YES! Particularly if you’re travelling by land and passing through.
2 days in Hua Hin would be enough but if you wanted to stay longer you would still find plenty of ways to pass the time. It’s a beautiful area and it was awesome to see Thailand’s first resort destination after spending so much time in Phuket (Hue Hin is much quieter & laid back).
Find More Tickets & Tours for Hau Hin
In Conclusion….
Hua Hin is the perfect resort destination to spend a few days when travelling between Phuket & Bangkok. Or a great option for a weekend getaway from Bangkok.
In this guide, I detailed the transport options to Hua Hin and mentioned heaps of awesome things to do over 2 days in Hua Hin.
Is Hua Hin on your Thailand bucket list now?
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
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Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
Great Post ! I have read your other posts which are really informative for any traveler before arriving on Thailand. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful informative information on the blog.
You’re welcome, and thank you so much for your comment
This is a great guide to planning your visit to Hua Hin!! I heard about the place but I didn’t have deep knowledge! I hope I can visit when I will go to Thailand in October! Thanks for sharing it!
I love Thailand! The next markets are always so fun! You’ve definitely inspired me to go here now!
What a fantastic itinerary, thank you so much for sharing it! 🙂
Nice post. I would love to travel to Thailand one day. Hua Hin will for sure be on the itinerary. The beach looks amazing.
This sounds like an awesome destination! I would love to check out the beach, and the water park sounds really fun too. Thank you for sharing!
Woah, Hua Hin sounds like such an incredible destination – thanks for sharing this lovely guide!
Quite an informative & insightful post. I’d never heard of Hua Hin before as a destination in Thailand. It seems like an interesting one. 🙂
Such an insightful and informative post! I’ve never heard of Hua Hin as a destination in Thailand before reading this. It sounds like an underrated gem to explore. Thanks for sharing all your helpful tips for visiting.
I have traveled to many places but haven’t been to Asia yet. Thailand is high on my list and now I will make sure Hua Hin makes the list!
Hua Hin looks and sounds like the perfect resort destination to spend a few days when travelling between Phuket & Bangkok in Thailand. So much to do and explore. And loved that you shared your train restroom phobia and that this experience was so much better.