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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Hat Yai
หาดใหญ่
Give Hat Yai one night if you are crossing to Malaysia or heading for Ko Lipe; two nights only if you want the food and markets properly.
Hat Yai is southern Thailand's biggest city and its rail, road and air junction, 60 km from the Malaysian border. It is a Thai-Chinese trading town with dim sum mornings, night markets and shopping malls, not a beach stop. Most travellers use it as one night between Malaysia and the Gulf coast or the islands.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- หาดใหญ่
- Best months
- Jan–Apr
- Avoid
- Oct–Dec (wettest; flooding possible in Nov–Dec)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿900–1,500 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,500–3,000 excl. bed · High ฿3,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist police (English) 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dim sum breakfast with tea | ฿100–200 |
| Noodle soup or rice dish at a market | ฿50–90 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a 7-Eleven | ฿120–180 / ฿35–60 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or tuk-tuk ride3.1 mi (5 km) taxi or tuk-tuk ride | ฿80–150 |
| Songthaew ride | ฿10–20 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
| Mall cinema ticket | ฿150–250 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HDY · Hat Yai International
- About 10 km (6.2 mi) from the centre; taxi about ฿250, airport limousine about ฿300, pink minibus about ฿50 (check) — it runs only until late afternoon/evening, not 24/7; songthaew ฿55 until 18:00.About 10 km (6.2 mi) from the centre; taxi about ฿250, airport limousine about ฿300, pink minibus about ฿50 (check) — it runs only until late afternoon/evening, not 24/7; songthaew ฿55 until 6:00 PM.About 6.2 mi (10 km) from the centre; taxi about ฿250, airport limousine about ฿300, pink minibus about ฿50 (check) — it runs only until late afternoon/evening, not 24/7; songthaew ฿55 until 18:00.About 6.2 mi (10 km) from the centre; taxi about ฿250, airport limousine about ฿300, pink minibus about ฿50 (check) — it runs only until late afternoon/evening, not 24/7; songthaew ฿55 until 6:00 PM.
Typical fares
- HDY airport → city centre, taxi
- about ฿250, 20–30 min
- HDY airport → city centre, pink minibus
- about ฿50, up to 1 h 15 min to the bus station; daytime and early evening only (check)
- Hat Yai → Padang Besar, shuttle train
- about ฿80, 1 h, twice daily
- Hat Yai → Bangkok, 2nd-class A/C sleeper
- about ฿825–1,105, roughly 16 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable, but the bus station and airport are not. Songthaews (shared pickups) run fixed routes for around ฿10–20 (check) and are the usual local way to move; tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis cost more and need a price agreed first. Ride-hailing apps such as Grab also operate in the city (check current coverage). There is no metro or city rail.
See and do
Known for
- Thai-Chinese food and dim sum
- Kim Yong and Greenway night markets
- Rail junction to Malaysia
- Shopping malls and border trade
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Songkhla | Bus from the clock tower on Phetkasem Rd, or minivan from Hat Yai Bus Station | About 1 h |
| Phatthalung | Train or minivan from the northern minivan terminal | 1–1.5 h |
| Padang Besar border | Shuttle train twice daily (about ฿80, 1 h) or minivan from the bus station (about ฿70) | 1–1.5 h |
| Betong | Minivan from Hat Yai Bus Station | 4–5 h |
| Pattani | Minivan from Hat Yai Bus Station | 2–2.5 h |
| Yala | Train (about 9 daily) or minivan | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Niphat Uthit 2 and 3 Road
- The tourist core: hotels, travel agents, dim sum shops and malls within walking distance. Best for a first night.
- Around the railway station
- Oldest quarter, Sino-Portuguese shophouses and Chinese shrines; convenient if you arrive or leave by train.
- Hat Yai Nai
- Local side of town near the northern minivan terminal; cheaper rooms, fewer English menus, 10–15 min by taxi from the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Can I pay by card? | จ่ายบัตรได้ไหมjai bat dai mai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Buy bus and minivan tickets at counters only; touts at the bus station add cost and delay.
- Minivans are quick but often overcrowded and uncomfortable; for long legs take a bus or train.
- Malaysian time is one hour ahead of Thai time — check which clock a connection uses.
- Heavy rain in Nov–Dec can flood roads and delay buses and trains.
- The far south has a travel advisory in force for some provinces; check your government's current advice before going beyond Songkhla.
Petty theft and overcharging are the everyday risks, not violence: agree tuk-tuk and motorbike-taxi prices first and buy tickets at counters. Check your government's travel advice for the deep-south provinces before going beyond Songkhla.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hat Yai yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Thai-Chinese food and dim sum
- Kim Yong and Greenway night markets
- Rail junction to Malaysia
- Shopping malls and border trade
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Hat Yai International Airport: hatyai.airportthai.co.th/
- KTMB (Malaysian Railways): www.ktmb.com.my/
- Wikivoyage: Hat Yai, revision 5326428 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326428
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hat Yaiหาดใหญ่
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hat Yai; most are in Bangkok. Some countries keep a consulate in Songkhla or Phuket — check before you need one.
Tourist police 1155 answers in English. Keep a photo of your passport and entry stamp.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hat-yai). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.