Hua Hin Beach

North to south along the beach

Fishing pier and Naresdamri Road

The north end, by the old town, with seafood restaurants by the pier, boulders in the shallows and some shade.

Hilton and Centara Grand

The main public entrance at the end of Damnoen Kasem Road. The horses wait here, and the Centara opened in 1923 as the Railway Hotel.

Market Village

Chairs, kite schools and the walkway from the Market Village mall, which is the easiest place to park.

Chiva-Som, Hyatt and Cicada

The quieter resort-and-condo stretch, with more room on the sand. Cicada Market is a short walk inland on weekend evenings.

Khao Takiab

The south end, wider and backed by fishing boats and seafood restaurants, below the hill with the temple, the standing Buddha and the monkeys. Keep bags closed around the macaques.

Hua Hin Beach is the town's own beach, about 7 km of pale sand running from the fishing pier south to the Khao Takiab headland, and it has been Bangkok's beach since the Railway Hotel, now the Centara Grand, opened on it in 1923. The water is very shallow and gentle, wadeable for something like 100 meters out, which makes it better for walking, paddling and standing in the sea than for serious swimming. Big rocks sit in the shallows at the north end, and people climb onto them to sunbathe.

Which stretch you use matters more than on most beaches. The north end by the pier and Naresdamri Road is the old-town end, with seafood restaurants and shade. The main entrance is at the end of Damnoen Kasem Road beside the Centara, where the horses wait. Around Market Village there are chairs and kite schools, past Chiva-Som and the Hyatt it turns into a quieter resort-and-condo stretch, and at Khao Takiab the beach widens below the hill with its temple, standing Buddha and monkeys.

Set your expectations properly, though. There's litter in places, the restaurants attached to the hotels along the front charge hotel prices, and from November to March high tide can cover most of the sand and reach the seawall. Walk five minutes inland and you'll find dozens of places to eat for less. After dark the beach goes quiet while the town doesn't.

For a proper swim, head south to Sai Noi, a small cove about 16 km from town with the clearest water nearby, or to the calm, pine-shaded sand at Suan Son. Both are on my list of the best beaches in Hua Hin.

There's no entrance fee. Horse rides run about ฿300–500 for half an hour, so agree the time and price before you get on, and chairs are about ฿50. Check tide times if you want a long walk, and after heavy rain watch for jellyfish; the town keeps vinegar at points along the beach for stings. Parking is easiest at Market Village, with a walkway to the sand.