🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
To understand Nakhon deeper than a quick visit to the relic and back, you need to come down and walk the old town on Ratchadamnoen Road. This street has been the city's spine since the days of the Tambralinga kingdom, and the important sights line up along it so you can walk from one to the next almost the whole way. Start at Wat Phra Mahathat at the center, move on to the City Pillar Shrine, the old city walls and the north victory gate, the niello shops that have passed their craft down for generations, and finish with the walking markets and long-standing local eateries. We've broken it into zones so it's easy to follow on foot.
Walking the Ratchadamnoen old town the right way
Ratchadamnoen Road is the main artery through central Nakhon, and it gathers both the historic sights and the food on a single street. Old shophouses, gold shops, niello shops and traditional-sweet stalls line both sides, alternating with temples and historic monuments. Locals loosely call this the cultural street, because a few hundred metres of walking takes you past landmarks that tell the city's whole story. The easiest place to start is to park near Wat Phra Mahathat and walk north from there.
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan — the starting point
The bell-shaped, gold-tipped chedi is the anchor of the whole quarter. Starting your trip here makes the most sense — it's central and easy to park. Pay respects at the relic, walk through the Wihan Khian that holds old nielloware and antiques, then head out to the other stops along Ratchadamnoen Road.
Nakhon Si Thammarat City Pillar Shrine
A red shrine in Srivijaya-style architecture on the north side of Ratchadamnoen Road. Inside are five buildings, with the city pillar enshrined in the central one. People come to pray for work and good fortune, and it's tied to the city's Tao Jatukham Ramathep legend. Weekends get busy with spiritual visitors.
City walls — North Victory Gate (Pratu Chai Nuea)
A surviving stretch of the old northern city wall, along with the North Victory Gate — the only city gate still standing, with its arched brick structure. It's proof that Nakhon was once a walled, moated city in ancient times. It sits right on Ratchadamnoen Road, so you can stop for photos along the way.
Nakhon Si Thammarat National Museum
Home to Srivijaya-era and Nakhon-era artefacts — Buddha images, deity statues and old nielloware. Good for history lovers who want to grasp just how old this city is. It sits at the far end of the old quarter; you can keep walking or take a short ride from Wat Phra Mahathat.
When it's most comfortable to walk
This quarter is a downtown street and the sun is strong midday. Walking before 10am or in the late afternoon is far more comfortable — bring an umbrella and water. If you come on a Sunday evening, you'll catch the walking market at just the right time and get both sightseeing and eating in one go.
Want more out of Nakhon Si Thammarat? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Nakhon nielloware — fine craftsmanship still done by hand
One of Nakhon's most famous specialties is Nakhon nielloware, known locally as thom Nakhon. It's a craft where a black niello powder mixed with a metallic flux is filled into designs carved onto silver vessels or jewellery, then polished to a shine — black patterns set against gleaming silver. It's been made since the Ayutthaya period, and genuine pieces are entirely handmade, with intricate detail that takes a long time to complete. Roughly speaking, there's silver niello (silver ground with black patterns) and gold niello (gold gilding over the silver ground), which costs even more.
Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Arts and Crafts
A place to learn and carry on the city's niello craft, and somewhere you can visit if you want to see the roots of the work. At certain times there are exhibitions and live demonstrations of the hammering. Good for anyone who wants to understand how many stages a single piece passes through.
Niello shops in the Tha Wang–Ratchadamnoen area
This old commercial quarter has several niello and gold shops in a row, selling bangles, rings, boxes, amulet cases and niello spoons and forks — from small, affordable pieces to custom work. Ask which pieces are true hand-worked niello and which are press work; the prices differ a lot.
ThomNakhon
A Nakhon niello brand doing premium work — jewellery, gold-niello amulet cases and household items. If you want a finely crafted piece as a special gift or for your collection, drop by to see the work and ask about prices. They have a storefront and online channels.
Buying niello without getting it wrong
Genuine hand-worked niello is pricey because it uses real silver and skilled labour. Small pieces like a pendant or ring start in the high hundreds to low thousands of baht, while larger pieces or gold niello can run into the tens of thousands. If you find a suspiciously cheap price, ask whether it's real niello or plated work — genuine pieces have the weight of silver and crisp, sharp patterns. Keep the certificate or receipt if you're buying an expensive piece.
Walking markets in the old quarter
The charm of this quarter is its rotating walking markets on different days, where you get to wander and sample local food in an old-town setting. Most of the food is authentic southern fare and old-fashioned sweets that get harder to find every year. If you plan your day to line up with one, it's well worth it.
Lat Na Phra That (walking street in front of Wat Phra Mahathat)
A retro-feel walking street in front of Wat Phra Mahathat, open Saturday–Sunday evenings, with local food, old-fashioned sweets, handmade goods and folk performances. You can graze your way along the temple wall — it's the prettiest way to end a day in the quarter.
Lat Tha Mon
A walking street near the foot of Ramesuan Bridge stretching toward Wat Tha Pho, open only on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, roughly 3pm to 8pm. It brings together savoury and sweet food and handicrafts, with murals telling Nakhon's history to look at as you walk.
Lat Kamphaeng Mueang (City Wall Market)
A retro-feel walking market along the old city wall, with stalls of local food like khao yam, fresh coconut tea and traditional sweets. Good for a relaxed wander and photos with the city wall. Check the opening dates ahead, as it runs in periods.
Famous food in the old quarter
Nakhon is a genuine food town, and the standouts in the Ratchadamnoen area are fresh-made khanom jeen, bold southern curry rice, and old kopi shops where locals have their breakfast. We've picked places that are open and that Nakhon people actually go to.
Nakhon fresh khanom jeen
Khanom jeen is Nakhon's signature dish, and the famous shops here make the noodles fresh daily. It's served as a set where you pick your sauce — nam ya, nam ya pa, gaeng tai pla or nam phrik — eaten with a big pile of fresh vegetables on the side. The noodles are soft and fragrant, the flavour authentically southern and bold. It's a meal you can't skip in Nakhon.
Southern curry rice
Bold southern curries lined up along a long tray — gaeng lueang, gaeng tai pla, khua kling, stir-fried sator, turmeric fried chicken — ladled over hot rice for a punchy, satisfyingly spicy plate. It's a popular lunch for office workers in town, and many shops sit along Ratchadamnoen Road and its side sois.
KOPI 1942
A traditional kopi-style coffee shop that's a legend of Nakhon breakfasts. It serves old-style coffee, iced tea, dim sum, steamed buns, patongko, and savoury dishes like braised pork ribs. Locals and travellers pack it in the morning, and the old-shop atmosphere gives it that old-town feel.
Local sweets and khanom la
The old quarter has shops selling traditional sweets like khanom la, khanom phong, khanom khai pla and fresh khanom thian — sweets tied to Nakhon's Sat Duean Sip festival. Buy them as a snack or to take home as a gift; they're inexpensive.
Honest note on timing
The popular khanom jeen and curry-rice shops often sell out before afternoon, so if you want the full spread, go before noon. The kopi shops are morning places, and by late morning some items run out — go a bit early if you want everything. And keep in mind that Nakhon's late-year rainy season brings heavy rain, so an old-town walk can get interrupted.
Planning your old-town walk so it flows
Cultural street + breakfast
Nielloware + walking market
Beyond the old quarter
- Getting there — the old quarter is in the city centre and almost everything is walkable. Nakhon Si Thammarat has an airport with direct flights from Bangkok; around town there are songthaews and motorbike taxis, but to head outside the city, renting and driving yourself is easiest.
- Parking — park near Wat Phra Mahathat or along Ratchadamnoen Road and walk. Weekdays are easy for parking; weekends and Buddhist holy days get crowded, so allow extra time.
- Dress — dress modestly for the temple and the City Pillar Shrine — no spaghetti straps or shorts above the knee. Bring easy-to-remove shoes for the relic courtyard.
- Best days — come on Saturday–Sunday to catch Lat Na Phra That, while Lat Tha Mon opens only on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. Check the days before you plan.
Want a full-day Nakhon itinerary with hotels and food included?
See the Nakhon Si Thammarat travel guide →