Songkhla Old Town
A Half-Day Trip from Hat Yai

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

Songkhla Old Town sits in Songkhla city, along one side of Songkhla Lagoon and not far from the Gulf of Thailand on the other — which is why people call Songkhla the city of two seas. The heart of the district is three parallel streets: Nakhon Nok Road runs along the lagoon, Nakhon Nai Road sits in the middle, and Nang Ngam Road is the innermost. Together they stretch roughly 1–2 kilometres, an easy walk in half a day. The real charm isn't a big landmark — it's the atmosphere of old shophouses where people still actually live and run their businesses, a mix of Thai, Chinese and Muslim communities that have shared this place for over a hundred years.

Nakhon Nai Road — Sino-Portuguese shophouses and old homes

If you're short on time and mostly want the architecture, start on Nakhon Nai Road. This is the core of the old buildings. Both sides are lined with Sino-Portuguese shophouses — Chinese-frame buildings dressed in European detailing, with arched doorways, wooden louvred windows, and stucco moulding above the doors. Many have been repainted in soft pastels and photograph beautifully; many are still family homes and long-running shops. On this street you'll find Baan Nakhon Nai, a century-old Chinese-style house turned into a small museum where you can wander among the family's old belongings, photographs and furniture. It's the spot that brings old Songkhla life into clearer focus.

• What to see — arched doorways, wooden louvred windows, stucco moulding, and old shop signs from places that are still open
• Baan Nakhon Nai — a century-old Chinese-style house turned museum; walk through the owners' family belongings and old photographs
• Photo spot — stand in the middle of the road when traffic is light to catch the long row of pastel shophouses; it's the angle people shoot most

Nang Ngam Road — old-school food and street art

Nang Ngam Road is the innermost street, once called Kao Hong Road, and it's the one locals come to eat on. The old shops cluster together here — century-old coffee shops still brewing sock-filtered coffee the traditional way, the city's signature pork stew over rice, morning rice porridge and congee joints, plus local sweets and iced tea. As you walk you'll find street art tucked along the walls and old buildings — watercolour-style murals telling stories of Songkhla life in the past: fishermen, kids playing in the old quarter, and the friendship between the many communities who've lived together in this city.

• Old coffee shop — a century-old sock-coffee shop on Nang Ngam Road; sip a hot brew with kaya custard toast the old-fashioned way
• Songkhla khao stew — the city's signature dish, rice topped with pork or chicken stew in a mellow, spiced broth, found along this street
• Hunting street art — murals scattered across walls and old buildings; wander slowly and spot them — it's the most fun thing to do in the district

Nakhon Nok Road — the lagoon and the Red Rice Mill

Nakhon Nok Road is the outermost street, right along Songkhla Lagoon. It's more open and quieter than the other two. The landmark here is Hub Ho Hin, the Red Rice Mill — an old rice mill building painted red, built back in 1921, now converted into a learning and art exhibition space. The bright red facade against the sky is the most recognisable photo spot in the old town. Nearby there's an old pier with fishing boats moored along the lagoon. In the late afternoon the soft light by the water makes this the easiest time to stroll.

Cafes in old buildings

One thing that makes Songkhla Old Town more fun than just walking past buildings is the cafes set inside the old homes and shophouses. Many owners kept the original bones — patterned tile floors, wooden doors and old plaster walls — and added coffee and pastries, turning them into cool rest stops between walks. Even a big chain like Cafe Amazon has a branch inside a heritage house that once won an architectural conservation award. Sipping coffee in a hundred-year-old building gives you a feel an ordinary cafe just can't.

• Cafes in heritage homes — several spots in the district sit inside old buildings with original tile floors and wooden doors, good for a break mid-walk
• Cafe Amazon in the old house — a branch inside a conservation-award heritage home; same prices as any other branch but a very different atmosphere
• Old coffee on Nang Ngam Road — for the real, traditional thing, try the century-old sock-coffee shop where the elders still come to sit every morning

What to eat in Songkhla Old Town

The food is the reason Songkhla locals themselves still come to walk this district. Most are long-running shops with friendly prices, open from morning into the afternoon — some sell out before noon. Here are the dishes people talk about most and that are still open, picked so you can choose by meal and mood.

A half-day in Songkhla Old Town

Songkhla Old Town is easy to cover in half a day. If you leave Hat Yai in the morning you'll get the best of it — the sun isn't harsh yet, the old shops are all open, and you can walk and shoot photos without wearing yourself out. Here's a short plan that fits in food, photos and all three streets.

Getting there from Hat Yai and what to know

Songkhla Old Town is about 30 kilometres from Hat Yai and very easy to reach. Driving or taking a taxi takes roughly 30 minutes. The Hat Yai–Songkhla minivans that leave from downtown Hat Yai are convenient and cheap, though they take a bit longer and you'll need a short onward ride within Songkhla city.

• Driving / car rental — the most convenient, about 30 minutes from Hat Yai, with parking in the old town; you can add Samila Beach in the same day
• Hat Yai–Songkhla minivan — runs daily from downtown Hat Yai, cheap fare, then catch a songthaew or motorbike taxi into the old quarter
• Taxi / ride-hailing — fastest at around 30 minutes, good if you're a group splitting the fare
• Best time to go — morning to midday is the easiest for walking, with the old shops all open and the sun not yet harsh; afternoons get hot and some shops close