Hat Yai to Songkhla by Minivan

If you are in Hat Yai with time to spare and want to see something more leisurely than a (relatively) touristy border town, why not head over to Songkhla (สงขลา), the capital of Songkhla Province?

You may have searched the internet to find out how to make a day trip to Songkhla. And you may have found out that there are several ways to get there and back by public transport.

Well, let me tell you how you can get there from my own experience.

Going to Songkhla
It’s easy. Wait at the bend of Phet Kasem Road for a minivan (it’s usually white) heading northeast.

Where to wait in Hat Yai

Don’t worry if you can’t read Thai. If you see a minivan with lots of writing on it, it’s probably for public transportation. Just flag it down and ask the driver if it’s going to Songkhla. If it doesn’t, just keep hailing any minivan until you get the right one. I can’t remember exactly how much I paid for the 30km journey but it wasn’t expensive at all. It’s probably in the 35-40 baht (US$1.05 - $1.20) range. 

Now, the bad news. The minivan will probably not stop anywhere near the beach, if that’s where you’re heading. The one that I sat in didn’t. It ended its trip near Wat Saket and the Songkhla Town Hall along Platha Road (see the blue dot on Google Maps below). That’s almost a mile away from Samila Beach.

The blue dot is where the minivan I sat in ended its trip. This is also where you’ll be taking a minivan back to Hat Yai.

The good news is, the Thais are friendly and will try to help. You can offer the driver some money (perhaps 20 baht?) to bring you to the beach in the same minivan. Or in my case, thanks to an English-speaking local passenger who told the driver that I wanted to go to Samila beach, the driver obliged – for free!

Going back to Hat Yai

Again, this is not difficult. Go to the same Songkhla Town Hall location that I told you about and approach any of the minivans parked along Platha Road. You’ll be directed to the right vehicle and off you go. I was told that the last minivan departs from Songkhla at about 6pm, so time your arrival correctly.

The Lonely Planet book on Thailand has a map that shows the buses and minivans to Hat Yai are located on Ramvithi Road near the intersection to Platha Road. I don’t know if this is true but I personally boarded a minivan back to Hat Yai from near the Songkhla Town Hall.

What to do in Songkhla?

You can look up the Lonely Planet or Wikivoyage website for more information. I personally would’ve prefered to stay a night or two in Songkhla. But if you don’t have the time to do so, I suggest you stick to two attractions:

1.  Samila Beach

White sands and pine trees, you’ll also find three well-known sculptures: the Mermaid, the Cat and the Rat.

There are also several beachfront restaurants. Sujinda Seafood Restaurant seems to be rather popular but I have one advice if you’re eating there: don’t order the batter-fried squid (48 baht / US$1.45). The squid was coated with so much batter I felt slightly nauseous eating it.

Sujinda Seafood Restaurant

Batter-fried squid. Just look at the insane amount of batter.

2.  Tang Kuan Hill

About 500m from Sujinda Restaurant, Tang Kuan Hill is where you can get a beautiful panaromic view of Songkhla. Take a cable lift to the top for only, if I remember correctly, 30 baht (US$0.90). There’s a temple at the top of the hill, a lighthouse, and slightly downhill, a royal pavilion.

Panoramic view of Songkhla

Songkhla Lake

The entrance to the Tang Kuan Hill cable lift station is shown in the map below:

Songkhla’s Old Quarter

I only passed Songkhla’s old quarter while sitting in the minivan but it looked pretty interesting. I’d like to go and explore it one day. For more information on the old quarter, I came across this blog.

BOTTOM LINE – Songkhla is a worthwhile day trip from Hat Yai. Better still, spend a night or two to explore the town.