Bangkok to Hua Hin Road Trip: The Stops Worth Making Along the Way

Thailand is one of those countries we’ve always said we’ll go back to.

We spent a considerable amount of time travelling around it during our first big backpacking trip. From the absolute chaos of Bangkok to exploring Chiang Mai and slowing things right down beside the Mekong in Nong Khai and soaking up some island life on Koh Samui.

We ate a ridiculous amount of incredible food, met some brilliant people and more than a decade and a whole lot of travelling later, it’s still one of our favourite countries.

One of the things we particularly loved was having our own wheels and being able to get away from the obvious tourist spots. But there’s one journey we never got around to, and it’s been steadily making its way higher up our list: driving south from Bangkok to Hua Hin.

So while we haven’t personally driven every mile of this route, it’s one we’ve been researching and would love to do when we eventually make it back to Thailand.

Because while you can drive directly from Bangkok to Hua Hin in around three hours, we definitely wouldn’t. There’s far too much worth stopping for along the way.

Hua Hin itself is also one of Thailand’s best golfing destinations, which is a definite bonus for James who used to play regularly before we started travelling. SawadeeGolf is a useful resource and we’ve added a round to our ever growing Thailand wish list. But more on that later.

Bangkok to Hua Hin Road Trip

Hua Hin is actually only about 200 km south of Bangkok along the Gulf of Thailand. So if getting there as quickly as possible is the priority, it’s an easy enough journey to complete in a morning. But where’s the fun in that?

We’d give ourselves at least three days and stay overnight in a couple of spots along the route. Which I think would look something like this:

Bangkok → Mae Klong → Amphawa → Phetchaburi → Cha-am → Hua Hin

Then we’d spend a couple of days in Hua Hin itself before carrying on further south.

A couple of things we’d sort before setting off:

We use Holafly eSIMs when we travel, with unlimited data in Thailand plus 1GB of global backup data, so we’d have Google Maps and everything else we need on the road. Check the latest Thailand eSIM options here.

We’d also get Heymondo travel insurance sorted before the trip because, well, you never know! Check the latest cover and prices here and get 5% off.

For hiring a car for this kind of road trip, we recommend Discover Cars - they actually offer one way car rentals from Bangkok which is really handy so you can drop it off elsewhere.

Stop 1: Mae Klong Railway Market

Our first detour would be Mae Klong Railway Market in Samut Songkhram.

If you know anything about Thailand you’ll know how exhilarating its market scene is. But this one is extra exciting because it has an actual train running straight through the middle of it!

Yep, the market sits right alongside the railway tracks close to Mae Klong Station, with vendors selling fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and other produce right up against the line.

When a train signals its approach, umbrellas and canopies are whipped back and everything is moved out of the way within seconds like a well oiled machine. The train slowly squeezes through, then everything goes straight back into position and business carries on as normal.

The market is open daily from 6am until 6pm and trains pass through eight times each day so it should be easy enough to catch one and it’s also straightforward to reach by road.

This is exactly the kind of place we love exploring when we travel. Because, of course it’s become a tourist attraction in its own right, but underneath that it’s still a working local market rather than something created specifically for visitors.

And equally as importantly, there’s lots of yummy food too.

Stop 2: Slow Things Down in Amphawa

From Mae Klong, we’d then take a short drive to Amphawa.

One thing we learned from travelling around Thailand, was that some of our favourite places were the ones where there wasn’t necessarily a huge list of things we had to see.

Nong Khai was probably the best example of this. We originally went there because it was a convenient stop on our way into Laos and ended up absolutely loving the place. Wandering along the Mekong, eating at the markets and generally slowing down for a few days was exactly what we needed after some of Thailand’s busier destinations.

Amphawa looks like it could offer a little bit of that same energy.

The town is built around its canals and is best known for Amphawa Floating Market, which takes place from Friday to Sunday. Boats and canalside stalls sell everything from seafood and noodles to coffee and Thai sweets, so definitely somewhere we’d plan to arrive hungry.

Unlike some of Thailand’s floating markets that operate primarily in the morning, Amphawa comes alive later in the day and continues into the evening.

So we’d plan to spend the night here. That way we could take our time at the market, eat far too much, stay somewhere cute and set off to Phetchaburi the next morning.

Where To Stay In Amphawa

This place, Amphawa Nanon Hotel, looks gorgeous, has great reviews, free parking and is just 200m from the market. If you’re on a tighter budget, Baan Kitsada, also close by, looks fabulous too, has free parking and as a bonus they even have free bikes for you to use.

Stop 3: Explore Phetchaburi

Phetchaburi would be one of our biggest stops on the route and somewhere we’d allow at least a few hours for. The city has a long history, loads of temples and a traditional old town, but the main thing drawing us here would be Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park.

Also known as Khao Wang, the complex was built as a royal summer palace for King Rama IV in the 19th century and fascinatingly is situated across three hilltops overlooking Phetchaburi.

There’s loads of gorgeous buildings to explore, plus phenomenal views across the city and surrounding countryside. You can walk up or take the cable car if Thailand’s heat has already defeated you by that point.

Oh and there are also monkeys, lots of them! We had plenty of encounters with monkeys on our travels around Southeast Asia, and our advice is to keep a tight hold of your stuff and definitely don’t eat anything near them.

Speaking of food, Phetchaburi is also well known for its traditional Thai desserts. One of the most famous is khanom mor gaeng, a rich custard style dessert traditionally made with ingredients including coconut milk, eggs and palm sugar.

And whilst we don’t have massive sweet tooths, this is definitely on our list to try here.

Stop 4: Hit the Coast at Cha-am

After Phetchaburi, the road then finally reaches the coast at Cha-am.

You are only about 25 km north of Hua Hin here, so you could easily keep driving at this point. But we’d definitely be hitting the beach the first chance we got, especially looking at how beautiful Cha-am Beach is. It stretches for miles!

There’s plenty of lovely accommodation options so we’d definitely be looking to maximise our beach time and stay overnight here too.

Where To Stay in Cha-am

I think our top choice to stay in Cha-am would be the Banlansuan Resort. It’s modern, right by the beach, has top reviews and of course free parking which is very handy. Another option would be Irin Beach Cha-am which is a little more budget friendly but has equally great reviews and is also right on the beach with free parking.

In the morning we’d probably then make a stop at Mrigadayavan Palace between Cha-am and Hua Hin. It’s a seaside palace that was built from gorgeous golden teak during the reign of King Rama VI with beautiful gardens and just looks like somewhere we wouldn't be able to drive straight past.

Then it would be back in the car for the final stretch to Hua Hin.

Stop 5: Arriving in Hua Hin

Hua Hin is one of Thailand’s oldest beach resorts and combines long beaches and seafood restaurants with night markets, temples, golf courses and plenty of lovely places to stay.

Where To Stay In Hua Hin

I really like the look of this place, Anchan Hotel and Spa. It’s right in the centre of everything, close to the beach, has an outdoor pool and rooms with terraces. Then there’s also Hua Hin White Sand, which is also close to the beach and has a pool. Both have awesome reviews.

And considering how much there is to do in Hua Hin, I think we’d give ourselves a couple of days here rather than treating it as simply the finishing point of the drive.

And there’s one activity in particular that would definitely make our itinerary.

Play a Round of Golf in Hua Hin

Okay this one is mainly for James! But in all seriousness, before we started travelling full time, he used to play golf pretty regularly and only recently got rid of his set of beloved golf clubs that had just been gathering dust in a family member's attic.

Sadly it’s one of those hobbies that fell by the wayside once we packed everything up and left the UK. And like quite a few things we gave up when we chose this lifestyle, it’s something he still misses.

So with Hua Hin being one of Thailand’s best known golf destinations, we’d absolutely be making time for a round while we were there.

There are loads of great courses around Hua Hin. Black Mountain Golf Club is probably the best known, while Royal Hua Hin has the distinction of being Thailand’s first international standard golf course. But SawadeeGolf is great for comparing the different golf courses, checking conditions and working out which one he’d enjoy the most.

And I’m going to go ahead and presume there’ll be a Thai spa nearby so my kid and I can relax and enjoy some quality mother-daughter time with a massage and a mani-pedi. Everyone wins.

Explore Hua Hin Properly

Golf aside, there are plenty of other things we’d want to see while we are in Hua Hin.

Hua Hin Railway Station

We’d start with stopping by Hua Hin Railway Station, one of the city’s most historic and recognisable landmarks. And yes, this is the second train station on this itinerary despite us having very little interest in trains!

But its distinctive red and cream architecture and ornate royal waiting room mean it’s considered one of the most beautiful stations in the country, so we just couldn’t miss it.

Hua Hin Beach

Obviously we’re not going to be on the Gulf Coast of Thailand and not carving out as much beach time as possible. We did plenty of this last time we were in this part of the world, in Koh Samui - despite the island itself not quite living up to our expectations.

And Hua Hin Beach is an absolute must. It’s huge so there’s plenty of room to find a spot, swim, walk along the sand or just do absolutely nothing for a while.

If you do go for a walk, the southern end leads towards Khao Takiab, or Chopstick Mountain, where a temple overlooks the coast. There are more monkeys though so watch out!

Hua Hin Markets

We know from our previous time in Thailand that our best days have often been when there’s a night market involved.

Hua Hin Night Market runs through the centre of town and would definitely be on our list for dinner. From the research I’ve done I know we can expect seafood, grilled meats, noodles, desserts and all the usual market chaos that we loved so much when we travelled Thailand previously.

Cicada Market is another popular option, particularly if you’re in Hua Hin over a weekend, with food alongside art, crafts and live entertainment. We’d probably end up at both.

Got More Time? Keep Driving South

If we’d already hired a car, driven all the way down from Bangkok and had nowhere we desperately needed to be, I think we’d find it very difficult to turn around at Hua Hin.

Because not much further south is Pranburi and then somewhere else we’d love to explore - Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park.

The name translates as ‘the mountain of three hundred peaks’, which gives you a decent idea of what the landscape looks like and it is right up our street.

All along the coast, these huge limestone mountains rise dramatically from wetlands and there’s this cave called Phraya Nakhon, where a small royal pavilion sits beneath an opening in the roof of an enormous cave. It’s one of those things that in photos almost just looks unreal.

Getting there requires some effort because you need to take a boat followed by a steep hike to the cave. But that just makes us want to do it even more.

So yeah, if we had the time, we’d probably add another night around Sam Roi Yot Beach before eventually heading back towards Bangkok.

Where To Stay In Sam Roi Yot

Namaste Resort is the first place to stay that caught my eye. It just looks so welcoming and comfortable, which is exactly what the reviews back up. Then there’s the Beach Box at Pran, which I also love the look of because it’s just so unusual. Both are right by the beach too.

Practical Tips For Driving From Bangkok to Hua Hin

If we do eventually make this road trip happen, we’d 100% rent a car rather than a motorcycle.

We properly loved exploring Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia by scooter when we were backpacking. Having our own transport gave us so much more freedom.

But that was before we had a kid which, as well as additional safety considerations, has resulted in considerably more luggage. So a car would definitely win.

We’re currently using Discover Cars to find the best deals whenever we’re travelling. As already mentioned they also offer one way rentals which is either if you don't want to drive back or want to go elsewhere. Check out their rates for hiring a car in Bangkok here.

Thailand drives on the left, which makes things slightly more familiar if you’re visiting from the UK. However, we can say from first hand experience that driving conditions and road behaviour can still be very different from what you’re used to at home.

Thai government guidance states that non-ASEAN visitors also need to have an International Driving Permit alongside their home driving licence. You can read more here.

We’d also make sure our rental included appropriate insurance, photograph the car thoroughly when collecting it and download offline maps before leaving Bangkok.

And we’d avoid planning the itinerary too tightly so the drives are more relaxed - especially travelling as a young family!

Is a Bangkok to Hua Hin Road Trip Worth It?

For us, absolutely. You can get between Bangkok and Hua Hin directly by train or bus, and if you’re short on time there’s nothing wrong with simply getting there as efficiently as possible.

But that isn’t really the point of this trip. Because from the research we’ve done, what appeals to us is everything in between.

The markets of Samut Songkhram, an evening by the canals in Amphawa, temples and delicious dessert in Phetchaburi, reaching the beach at Cha-am and finally arriving in Hua Hin with a few stories from the journey rather than simply stepping off a bus.

Some of our favourite memories from our previous time in Thailand came from having the freedom to explore beyond the main tourist hotspots. We still talk about those trips now.

So when we finally make it back to Thailand, this is one journey that’s firmly on the wish list.