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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Pattani
ปัตตานี
Go for one night as a stop between Hat Yai and Narathiwat, not as a beach base: Pattani Bay beaches are not safe to swim, and the city is a working Malay-Muslim town, not a resort.
Pattani is the capital of Thailand's southernmost Malay-Muslim province, a city of about 44,000 on the Pattani River with a green 1960s central mosque, Chinese shrines, a night market and a food culture that blends Thai, Malay and Chinese. There is no beach holiday here and no tourist strip; you come for one night, the mosque, the market and the food, then move on. Security has improved since the worst years of the insurgency, but checkpoints and a military presence remain, and travel warnings still apply to the deep south.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- ปัตตานี
- Best months
- Dec–Mar (drier, less humid)
- Avoid
- Apr–May (hottest), Oct–Dec (northeast monsoon rain)
- Stay
- 1 night
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 ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,200 excl. bed · High ฿2,200+ 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 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 |
|---|---|
| Khao yum rice salad at a family restaurant | ฿40–80 |
| Roti canai with curry or condensed milk | ฿20–40 |
| Coffee or Malay-style pulled tea | ฿30–60 |
| Meal for one at My Cake (English menu) | About ฿100 |
| Motorcycle taxi ride in town | ฿10–40 |
| Bus Pattani → Yala / Narathiwat | ฿23 / ฿60 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ฿250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HDY · Hat Yai International
- No flights to Pattani; Hat Yai is the usual gateway, then bus, minibus or taxi about 1.5–2 h. Thai Airways has run a free Hat Yai–Pattani shuttle for its passengers with advance booking: check current status.
- NAW · Narathiwat
- Smaller airport served by AirAsia from Bangkok; then bus or taxi to Pattani, about 2 h.
Typical fares
- Motorcycle taxi in town
- ฿10–40 depending on distance
- Bus Pattani → Yala
- about ฿23, about 1 h
- Bus Pattani → Narathiwat
- about ฿60, about 2 h
Get around
The city is small: walking across town takes about 45 min, though pavements are used for stalls and parked motorbikes, so you will often walk on the road. Motorcycle taxis in green vests cost roughly ฿10–40 per ride; four-wheel tuk-tuks cost more but take luggage. No train station in the city: the 'Pattani' stop on timetables is at Khok Pho, 29 km away, and Yala station is 35 km away with red buses into Pattani.The city is small: walking across town takes about 45 min, though pavements are used for stalls and parked motorbikes, so you will often walk on the road. Motorcycle taxis in green vests cost roughly ฿10–40 per ride; four-wheel tuk-tuks cost more but take luggage. No train station in the city: the 'Pattani' stop on timetables is at Khok Pho, 18 mi away, and Yala station is 22 mi away with red buses into Pattani.
See and do
Known for
- Pattani Central Mosque (Matsayit Klang)
- Khao yum rice salad and roti canai
- Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao shrine and festival
- Pattani River fishing boats
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yala | Red bus from Ruedi Rd (Rte 42), about 1 h, roughly ฿23 | About 1 h |
| Narathiwat | Blue bus from Ruedi Rd (Rte 42), about 2 h, roughly ฿60 | About 2 h |
| Krue-Se Mosque | About 5 km outside the city; motorcycle taxi or tuk-tukAbout 3.1 mi outside the city; motorcycle taxi or tuk-tuk | About 30 min |
| Hat Yai | Bus or minibus from Pattani bus terminal | 1.5–2 h |
| Songkhla | Bus via the Songkhla–Chana–Thepha highway | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Clock tower roundabout area (Charoenpradit Rd)
- Central, walkable to the river and markets; My Gardens and several cafés are here.
- Nongjik Rd / Big C side (west)
- C.S. Pattani Hotel and its restaurants; 5 min and about ฿20 by motorcycle taxi to the centre.
- East bank, old commercial quarter
- Markets, Chinese shops and the mosque side of town; fewer hotels, more street life.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่thao rai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| I don't understand | ไม่เข้าใจmai khao jai |
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
- The deep south has a long-running insurgency; foreign governments still issue travel warnings. Check your own government's current advice before booking.
- Expect checkpoints between towns and around the city; carry your passport or ID at all times.
- Pattani Bay beaches are not considered safe to visit; do not plan a beach day here.
- Your Thai SIM may need re-activation in this province (passport form, about ฿50); foreign SIMs may not work.
- Many restaurants and cafés do not sell alcohol; Chinese-run places usually do, Malay-Muslim places do not.
Pattani is calmer than during the 2004–2015 violence, but it is still under emergency law and foreign governments keep travel warnings for the deep south. Check your own government's advice, carry ID, avoid late nights away from the centre, and treat checkpoints as routine.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pattani yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pattani Central Mosque (Matsayit Klang)
- Khao yum rice salad and roti canai
- Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao shrine and festival
- Pattani River fishing boats
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- State Railway of Thailand (southern line): www.railway.co.th/
- Wikivoyage: Pattani, revision 5263466 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5263466
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pattaniปัตตานี
ไปที่นี่ครับ/ค่ะ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Pattani; most countries keep embassies in Bangkok and some have consulates in Songkhla or Phuket. Check your own government's list.
Carry your passport: checkpoints between towns may ask for ID. Alcohol is limited in this Muslim-majority province.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pattani). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.