Songkhla · Thailand
Where to stay in Hat Yai
Hat Yai is a city in Songkhla, Thailand, home to about 159,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- HDY12 km · Hat Yai International Airport
- Currency
- THBbaht
- Time zone
- Asia/Bangkok
- Language
- Thai
About
About Hat Yai
Hat Yai used to be a small village known as Khok Sa-Met Choon. Its population has been growing since the railway station was built in 1924, which made it an important rail junction between southern Thailand and Malaysia. Today, Hat Yai is the biggest city in southern Thailand. The population is around 157,000 in the city in 2019, and over 400,000 in the whole Hat Yai District. Hat Yai is bigger than the provincial capital of Mueang Songkhla, which is unusual for a Thai province. This means that Hat Yai is often mistaken as the capital of Songkhla province.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Hat Yai
See
- Hat Yai Park
- Hat Yai Art and Culture Center
- Hat Yai Cable Car
- Hat Yai Lantern Festival
- Hat Yai Observatory
- Khlong Hae Floating Market
- Sino-Portuguese Townhouses
- Songkhla Central Mosque
- Stainless Steel Pagoda
- Wat Hat Yai Nai
- Khao Nam Khang National Park
- Khao Nam Khang Historic Tunnel
Do
- Cinema
- Thai Massage
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Hat Yai to stay in
Travel agents around town can nearly always give better rates for hotel rooms compared to dealing directly with the hotel. Hat Yai has an abundance of accommodation. Tourism in Hat Yai consists mainly of the weekend trade from Malaysia and Singapore. Accommodation can be found very easily mid-week but hotels in the centre of town tend to get booked up for the weekends and Malaysian and Singaporean public holidays. In the budget hotel you may well be asked if you want company. A shake of the head is all that is needed (up or down or from side-to-side is up to you). Don't be put off by the hotel because of it.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Hat Yai
7 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hatyai Merridian Hotel | 2.9 km | |
| Ps Sriphu Hotel | 4.4 km | |
| Red Planet Hat Yai | 1.7 km | |
| The Bedroom Hatyai | 1.3 km | |
| The Bless Residence | 2.1 km | |
| The Smart Hotel Hat Yai | 3.8 km | |
| The Star Villa Resort | 0.7 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Hat Yai
Hat Yai has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; November is the wettest, with about 399 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Hat Yai: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Hat Yai International Airport (HDY), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR, 92 km) and Trang Airport (TST, 109 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The city's "tourist center" is not far from the train station. It's quite compact and covers parts of the city's oldest roads: Nipat-u-thit (นิพัทธ์อุทิศ) 1, 2, and 3 Rd. Locals call these roads: Sai Nueng, Sai Song, Sai Saam (สายหนึ่ง, สายสอง, สายสาม; lit. Road One, Road Two, Road Three). It is practical to get around on foot, but getting to most attractions will require some kind of transportation. Fun fact: in 2025 Hat Yai surpassed Bangkok as Thailand's most congested city. According to the TomTom Traffic Index, a journey of 10 km will take an average of 24 minutes in the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
HDY · Hat Yai International Airport
AOR · Sultan Abdul Halim Airport
TST · Trang Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Hat Yai
Eat
Although not in the same league as Bangkok, there are a lot of different food options on offer in Hat Yai. Typical Thai street food is abundant. Big international chain restaurants have branches in town offering Japanese and Western food. Restaurant chains are located mostly in shopping malls. International restaurant chains such as KFC, McDonald's, Sizzler, Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts, Mister Donut, Swensen's, Dairy Queen, Starbucks. Local restaurant chains such as MK Restaurant (Thai-style sukiyaki), S&P, Chester's Grill, The Pizza Company, Fuji Restaurant, Shabushi, Oishi Ramen. Most shopping malls also have food courts.
Drink
Thamanoonvithee Road is the main nightlife district. Hat Yai has a sordid reputation for prostitution, mostly targeting visitors crossing the border from Malaysia, and most women in the bars around here are on the take. The industry keeps a pretty low profile and there are no Bangkok-style go go bars.
Stay safe
A series of bombings from 2006 to 2012 that specifically targeted restaurants and shopping centres popular with visitors (and locals) killed two tourists. Strict security measures (bag searches, metal detectors) are to be expected in most gathering places. As of October 2022 the town is no more dangerous than any other major city in Thailand. To check water level during monsoon season, visit Hatyai City Climate. For air quality, visit Air4Thai.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Hat Yai: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Hat Yai?
Hat Yai has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; November is the wettest, with about 399 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Hat Yai?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Hat Yai International Airport (HDY), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR, 92 km) and Trang Airport (TST, 109 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Hat Yai?
baht (THB).
Nearby
Destinations near Hat Yai
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.