Updated: April 2025

While Bangkok buzzes with city energy, it lacks sandy shores for relaxation. Craving a beach escape? If you have more than a few days in the capital (4D3N or longer), consider a trip to Cha-Am and Hua Hin. Located just a 2.5 to 3-hour drive south of Bangkok, these coastal towns offer a perfect seaside retreat.

Hua Hin holds the title of Thailand’s original beach resort and is notably home to a Royal Palace. Neighbouring Cha-Am, just 25km north, offers a quieter vibe. Since you’ll pass Cha-Am on the way from Bangkok, many visitors explore both.

This comprehensive guide is based on multiple personal visits, ensuring firsthand experience backs every recommendation. We’ll cover the best things to do, places to stay, and where to eat in Cha-Am and Hua Hin. Look out for links to more detailed posts on specific attractions!

Ready to plan your trip? Here are our top recommendations for Cha-Am and Hua Hin.

Discovering Cha-Am: A Relaxed Thai Beach Town

Located approximately 170 km south of Bangkok in Phetchaburi Province (around a 2-hour drive), Cha-Am is a popular, budget-friendly Thai resort town known for its laid-back atmosphere. It attracts many Thai tourists and Bangkok residents seeking a weekend escape from the city. If you value peace and quiet beach time over bustling nightlife, Cha-Am is an excellent choice.

While quieter than Hua Hin, Cha-Am offers several attractions and classic beach activities like jet skiing and banana boat rides.

Where To Stay?

The Cha-Am Methavalai Hotel

The Cha-Am Methavalai Hotel is a well-established mega hotel in Cha-Am. Located in the middle of Cha-am’s 5km long beachfront, you can easily access the beach just across the street. In Mathavalai, you can choose to stay from 3 accommodation styles, i.e. main wing, beach villa wing and luxurious Thai houses. Rooms here are spacious with Thai decorations and the best part is they come with a big balcony for you to enjoy the sea view. There is also a wide array of breakfast selections and if you are lucky, you can even dine with a sea view. Read more…

Address: 220 Ruamchitr Road, Phetchaburi 76120

Where To Go?

Cha-Am Beach

The town’s main draw is its long, scenic 5km beach. Perfect for relaxing, sunbathing, or finding shade under an umbrella. Beach chair rentals are available. For adventure, try jet skiing or banana boat rides. Alternatively, rent a bicycle to cruise along the shore, enjoying the sea breeze.

Camel Republic

Camel Republic is the latest theme park to open in Cha-Am. It is inspired by modern Moroccan architectural style and it is actually a mini zoo and amusement park. Over here, you can take photos with animals (camels, giraffes, goats, birds, etc). You can choose to hand-feed the animals but at an additional cost of (20฿ for food) for each of the animals. The amusement rides here are also more thrilling but again at an additional cost (from 120฿). Read more…

Address: 456 Moo 2, Khao Yai, Cha-Am, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Mon to Thu – 10am to 6pm; Fri to Sun & Public Holidays – 9:30am to 6pm

Swiss Sheep Farm

Swiss Sheep Farm, as the name suggests, means you can find sheep there and you can even feed them (at an additional cost). Apart from that, many locals like to come here to just take photos with the beautiful setup. You can find horses, windmill, Volkswagen cars and vans, English telephone box, etc. Swiss Sheep Farms is created in a European style. Many couples love to come here for wedding photos too. Read more…

Address: Khao Yai, Cha-Am, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Daily – 9am to 6pm

Cha-Am ATV Park

Want something more adventurous for your Cha-Am trip? Try ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) Riding, Paintball or even Archery. Of course the bigger your group, the more fun it would be. Read more…

Address: 760/7 Soi Borkam, Petkasem 212 Km. Rd., Cha-am, Phetchaburi 76120 GPS: 12.744895, 99.950148
Opening Hours: Daily – 9am to 5:30pm (Except Wednesday)

Mrigadayavan Palace

Mrigadayavan Palace is one of the oldest and most attractive royal palaces in Thailand. It is also known as “The Palace of Love and Hope”. Mrigadayavan Palace was built by His Majesty King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in 1923, as a place of relaxation for his summer getaway. Built completely using teak in a Thai-Victorian style, the walkways are all elevated, designed to catch the breeze from all directions. Despite its age, it’s still in tip-top condition.

Address: Cha-Am, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Friday to Sunday – 9am to 4pm

The Venezia Hua Hin

The Venezia is a themed shopping Village inspired by Venice. Similar to other man-made attractions, this place is popular for photo taking and can be romantic for couples too. Other activities include riding the iconic Venetian Gondolas, Horse Carriage, 3D Art Gallery, etc. Of course, all these will be at an additional cost and it is cheaper if you take the package at the entrance. There are also several established restaurants where you can dine too. Read more…

Address: 1899 Petchkasem Rd, Sai Tai, Cha Am, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri – 10am to 8pm (Close 9pm on Fri, Sat & Sun)

Where To Eat?

Platoo Seafood

Platoo Seafood is located just along the seaside and you can dine with the magnificent sea view and sea breeze for company. The food here is quite delicious but don’t expect extremely cheap prices as restaurants along the beach usually charge higher. Read more…

Address: 241/44 Ruamchit Road, Cha-am, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Daily – 10am to 9pm

Chom Talay Beach Restaurant

Chom Talay Beach Restaurant is a very well known restaurant and is situated along the seaside, you have both sheltered and non-sheltered dining (closer to sea). Food is delicious but prices are on the high side, mainly for the ambience. Read more…

Address: Soi Cha-am, North 10, Cha-am District, Phetchaburi 76120
Opening Hours: Daily – 11am to 10pm

Hua Hin

Just a 30-minute drive south of Cha-Am lies Hua Hin, Thailand’s first official beach resort. Unlike some Thai destinations catering primarily to international tourists, Hua Hin welcomes both Thais and foreigners.

Its history is tied to King Rama VII, who established his summer palace here in the 1920s, transforming it into an ideal getaway from Bangkok. The construction of the railway line made it accessible, and the historic Hua Hin Railway Station remains an iconic landmark.

Today, Hua Hin boasts sandy beaches, fantastic seafood restaurants, lively night markets, natural attractions like waterfalls, and numerous luxury resorts, making it a top weekend getaway from Bangkok. Check out in my opinion of Hua Hin’s best souvenir – Khomapastr Cotton!

Where To Stay?

Anantara Hua Hin

Many beachside resorts closed during Covid-19 including those I reviews before. On my latest trip, our base was the Anantara Hua Hin resort. Staying beachside allowed for very relaxing mornings – it was lovely to wake up and take an easy stroll along the beachfront, perhaps catching the sunrise, before enjoying a substantial breakfast spread. It definitely sets a relaxed tone for the day before heading out to explore the other attractions Hua Hin has to offer.

Where To Go?

Hua Hin Railway

Hua Hin Railway Station is one of the country’s most beautiful train stations marked by its meticulous details in architecture. Built during the reign of King Rama VI, the station features a Royal Waiting Room done in Thai architectural style, a room which was relocated from Sanam Chan Palace in Nakhon Pathom province during the reign of King Rama VI. Back in the 1920s, there was no road access to Hua Hin and was only accessible by boat. Hence, the birth of this train station allowed many to access this royal resort and today, you need to visit this historic railway station to complete your trip to Hua Hin. Read more…

Address: West end of Damnoern Kasem Road, Amphoe Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Opening Hours: Daily – 7am to 11pm
Admission: Free

Hua Hin & Palio Night Market

Don’t spend your night away without visiting Hua Hin Night Market. It is located in the midst of the town and leads up to the railway line. Over here, you can find many street food stalls and many seafood restaurants selling seafood at a cheap price. There are also many clothing and souvenirs for sale. While at Hua Hin Night Market, don’t miss out Palio Night Market which is just beside. Read more…

Address: 1 Soi Sa Song, Hua Hin 72 Rd., Hua Hin, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khirikhan 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 6pm to 12pm
Admission: Free

Cicada Market

If you are in Hua Hin over the weekend, you have 2 night markets to visit. This is the second one, Cicada Night Market. It is a trendy flea market selling a variety of art decorations, hand-made souvenirs, clothing, footwear, decorative items, etc. There is also an open-air food court and an amphitheatre style garden where there are performances together with music. This is the place for you to just chill out, relax and appreciate the art. Read more…

Address: Suan Sri, Khao Takiab (on Phetkasem Road)
Opening Hours: Friday to Sunday – 4pm to 11pm
Admission: Free

Vana Nava Water Jungle

There are several water theme parks in Cha-Am and Hua Hin and this is the latest and most well established one, I would say. Vana Nava opened in December 2014 and since it’s the first week of opening, it already attracted many locals to visit. The crowds are all gathered here! They have the largest slide in Thailand and the tallest man-made mountain with a waterfall in Asia. Everything here is very high-tech too using RFID, you can order photos and pay later without having to worry about cash, cameras or mobile phones. I’m impressed by this water jungle and the higher price as compared to other water themeparks, is worth it! Read more…

Address: 129/99 Soi Moo Baan Nong Kae, Nong Kae, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 11am to 5pm

Monsoon Valley Vineyard

Love drinking wine? Don’t miss out Monsoon Valley Vineyard. Over here, you should head over to The Sala (open-air pavilion) for wine tasting as well as some food if you are hungry. Remember to take more photos of the beautiful scenery here. Read more…

Address: 1 Moo 9, Baan Khork Chang Patana, Nong Plup, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 9am to 7pm
Admission: Free

Pala-U Waterfall

Pala-U Waterfall is located in Kaeng Krachan National Park, a 1000-year-old forest, 60km west of Hua Hin. It takes about 1 hour to drive here. This is one of the largest parks and is located right next to the Burmese (Myanmar) border. The waterfall has 16 steps, making it one of the highest in Thailand. However, most can only go up to 3 steps where there is a large pool. Many visitors will spend the time at the large pool enjoying the cool and refreshing water. Do note that the path is not exactly easy, it may require a bit of climbing but please beware of slippery stones. Read more…

Address: Kaeng Krachan National Park
Opening Hours: Daily – 8:30am to 4pm

Phraya Nakhon Cave

There is a Royal Pavilion inside Phraya Nakhon Cave and not many visitors come here because it’s challenging to walk in the cave unless you are quite fit. Phraya Nakhon Cave is located in the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, 45 minutes drive south of Hua Hin. The climb up the cave is rather steep but it provides magnificent views. In the middle of the cave, there is a Royal Pavilion built for a visit by King Rama V in 1896. Although there is a boat ride that cost 200 baht per person per trip, I would recommend you to climb up the cave to enjoy the view and take the boat when returning, as you would be too exhausted to do a return trip via foot. Please have proper footwear and bring lots of water if you are coming here.

Address: Phraya Nakhon Cave, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
Opening Hours: Best to visit before 11am
Admission: 200฿

Where To Eat?

Krua Kannikar

If you love chicken, you got to visit this restaurant! If you don’t eat chicken, don’t waste your time coming here because they sell nothing but only chicken. They started from very humble beginnings since 40 years ago where they sell Fried Chicken from a cart. They are now a restaurant. They are famous for the Koson Special Fried Chicken, Stuffed Chicken Wing and Rice Noodle with Chicken Curry. They are along the stretch near Hua Hin Railway in between Hua Hin Soi 84 and 86 and not 88 which some blog has said. Read more…

Address: 190/7, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 10am to 4:30pm (Closed on Wednesday)

Baan Khrai Wang

Baan Khrai Wang is a popular cafe in Hua Hin which many of my Thai friends asked me to visit. Now I know why it’s so popular. Right in front of the cafe is the sea with a tropical garden. Having a cup of coffee with some cakes and the sea view is just bliss! Their signature here is “Coconut Cake” and it’s soft and light and very appetizing. If you have time to just chill and relax, make this your cafe stop! Read more…

Address: 11 Soi 51 Naeb Kehardt Road, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 10am to 7pm

Living Room Bistro & Wine Bar

The Living Room is a cosy colonial bistro along the beach! There is a 50s style wooden beach house overlooking beach and majority of the bistro is alfresco seating, with formal tables and bean bags for you to choose. The menu is inclusive of Thai, International and Fusion dishes. What I like here is the beautiful setting against the sea. Nice place to chill over cocktails. Read more…

Address: 3 Damrongrat Road, Hua Hin Soi 51, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 7am to 10pm

Baan Dum Oceanfront Seafood

Looking for somewhere special? Baan Dum nails the romantic beachside dinner vibe. It’s right next to the beach, the lighting is dreamy, you can hear the waves… and the Thai food is beautifully done and delicious too. Perfect for watching the sunset over the water and just having a really memorable meal.

Address: 53 Hua Hin 5 Alley, Hua Hin, Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110, Thailand
Opening Hours: Daily – 12pm to 10:30pm

The locals told me that this place serves the best Thai Milk Tea (Cha Yen) and Rotee in Hua Hin. It’s basically Roti Prata but in many forms, majority is sweet but they also have savoury choices. The Milk Tea here hits the right spot and it’s not extremely sweet. Rotee is also very delicious and this is a good place for supper since they are closed at 12am. I brought my friends here and they were so taken by the food that they requested to come back on the next day.

Address: Naeb Kehardt Road, Hua Hin Soi 51, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 1pm to 11pm (Closed on Wednesday)

Jek Piek Coffee Shop

Jek Piek Coffee Shop is a good place for breakfast if you don’t have breakfast in your hotel. It is a coffee shop where many stalls are gathered and you can order dishes that you prefer to eat. Some of the more popular dishes here are Chicken Rice, Kway Teow Kua Gai and Porridge. Over here, don’t miss out the coffee which is the most popular item here. Over at this coffee shop, they have 3 shifts, Breakfast, Lunch (Seafood) and Dinner (Steamboat). Read more…

Address: 51/6, Dechanuchit Road, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
GPS: 12.571638, 99.957344
Opening Hours: Daily – 6:30am to 12:30pm; 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Wilaiwan Hua Hin

Wilaiwan Hua Hin is a good chilling place with its beautiful decor. If you are not into Thai traditional breakfast, this is another breakfast place for consideration. Else, do visit Wilawan for their variety of cakes. We especially love their signature Orange Chiffon Cake.

Address: 121/10 Soi Muban Nong Kae Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Opening Hours: Daily – 11am to 8pm (Close 9pm on Fri & Sat)

Eighteen Below Ice Cream

Eighteen Below Ice Cream is one of the popular places in Hua Hin for Ice Cream and they brand themselves as providing “Luxury Home Made Ice Cream”. They are located just opposite Baan Khrai Wang. You can choose to have brownies or waffles to go along with your choice of Ice Cream. The interior decoration is also simple yet interesting, a good place for taking photos although they don’t have any sea view. Prices are a little on the high side though.

Address: 2/57 Naeb Kehardt Road, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110
GPS: 12.582294, 99.955467
Opening Hours: Daily – 11am to 5pm (Closed on Tuesday)

Jitara Seafood

This is not an easy restaurant to locate and you need to have a car in order to come here. If you are only interested in the freshest catch and don’t mind the simple and traditional decor, we highly recommend you to come here just to try their steamed blue swimmer crabs. It’s so fresh and delicious and most importantly, the prices are reasonable.

Address: 111/1 Nong Kae,  Hua Hin 77110
Opening Hours: Daily – 10am to 9:30pm

How To Go?

Train

If you have too much time to spare, you can consider taking the train just for the experience. Otherwise, don't waste your time because the journey from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Hua Hin takes about 4 to 5 hours. Ticket price depends on the cabin class.

Price: From 50฿
Journey Time: 4 to 5 hours

Bus

There is a daily scheduled First Class Coach (24 seater) Service from Suvarnabhumi Airport To Hua Hin, located at Level 1, Gate 8. Departure timings from Suvarnabhumi: 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 12:00, 14:30, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:30.

Price: 325฿
Journey Time: 3 to 4 hours

Mini Bus (Van)

If you are in the city and have just a small bag, what most locals do to travel is to Hua Hin is to take the minibus at Ekkamai Bus Station. There are buses from 5am to 6pm at every 15 mins interval. It may be a little squeezy for some of you since the minibus seats.

Price: 180฿
Journey Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Car

Want the most convenience without having to worry about getting taxis in Hua Hin? If you are travelling in a group and if you have many places that you want to explore, this is the best choice. Driving to Hua Hin is easy since the signboards are clear. To navigate around, simply use Google Maps on your mobile device. There are many promotions by the various car rental companies, so do some research before confirming your booking. You might also want to check out our post on – Renting A Car In Bangkok – 10 Tips You Need To Know!

Price: From 600฿
Journey Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

More good deals?

Check out Klook for more good deals that you might love!

Klook.com

Cha-Am and Hua Hin offer much more to explore! This list will be updated with new discoveries. Have recommendations for great food spots or hotels we should check out? Let us know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading our Mega Cha-Am Hua Hin Guide. We hope it helps you plan an amazing beach getaway!