Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat travel guide
The south's holiest chedi, khanom la and the old city wall
Once the historic capital of southern Thailand, Nakhon Si Thammarat is home to the great chedi of Wat Phra Mahathat, a good national museum and khanom la, the lacy sweet the city is known for. Flights from Don Mueang make it easy to reach. Go February to April and allow one or two days. Costs are low, and many passports get 30 days visa-free.
Nakhon Si Thammarat lies on the Gulf of Thailand side of the southern peninsula, about 610 km south of Bangkok, and for most of its history it governed the south. It was once a port, until silt pushed the shore away. The city now runs as a long, thin strip along an old dune, with the modern centre around the railway station to the north and the old town to the south.
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan is the most revered temple in southern Thailand. A gold spire tops its 78 m white chedi. Inside is a tooth relic of the Buddha, while rows of smaller chedis ring the base. Twice a year, at Makha Bucha in February and again at Visakha Bucha, crowds carry a long cloth in procession to wrap the chedi in the Hae Pha Khuen That festival. Nearby on Ratchadamnoen Road, the National Museum covers four southern provinces.
Only the northern gate and a short stretch of the city wall survive, a remnant of ramparts once rebuilt with help from a French engineer under King Narai. The local snack is khanom la, lacy sheets of sweetened flour sold by the box. Inland to the west, Khao Luang National Park rises to the highest peak in the south, with Khiriwong village tucked under its slopes.
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The south's most important temple, a national museum, the old city gate and mountains inland.
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Best time to visit Nakhon Si Thammarat
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
February is the driest month at about 77 mm, highs sit around 32 to 34C, and Makha Bucha brings the Hae Pha Khuen That procession.
Highs of about 34C with moderate rain; the Tenth Lunar Month festival usually falls in September or October.
November averages over 600 mm and December over 500 mm, with flooding in some years.
At Makha Bucha in February, the cloth procession around the great chedi draws pilgrims from across the south; book rooms ahead.
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Getting there
Flights from both Bangkok airports, night trains and southern buses
Flying is the only quick way in from Bangkok. Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai AirAsia fly to Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport from Don Mueang, and Thai VietJet Air flies there from Suvarnabhumi. The airport lies north of the city; taxis and shared vans meet arrivals for the drive into town. Overland, the trip is a long one. Night trains leave Bangkok in the early evening and take 12 to 14 hours, arriving at the station in the modern centre, where hotels and cafes are within walking distance. Buses from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal take about 12 hours and pull into the provincial bus station just west of town. Within the south, vans and buses link the city with Krabi and Surat Thani, while morning trains continue south to Hat Yai.
- Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport (NST)
- Flights from Don Mueang, plus Thai VietJet Air from Suvarnabhumi; taxi or shared van into town
- Train
- Evening departures from Bangkok, 12 to 14 hours; the station is in the modern centre
- Bus
- About 12 hours from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal, VIP coaches overnight
- Regional vans
- Hourly from Krabi; Surat Thani is reached along the coast road, Highway 401
- Sleeper berths on the night train sell out around holidays, so book a few days ahead.
- Bus company offices on the streets near the railway station sell tickets for routes north and south, which saves a trip out to the bus station.
Where to stay
Station end, temple end or a Khiriwong homestay
Because the city stretches so far north to south, where you sleep decides how much time you spend in songthaews. Most travellers pick the station end for convenience, but anyone here mainly for the great chedi should look further south.
- Tha Wang, around the railway station
- Hotels, cafes, a hostel and the bus ticket offices; handy for night trains, but a ride from the temple
- Ratchadamnoen Road, old town
- Walk to Wat Phra Mahathat and the National Museum at opening time; fewer places to eat after dark
- Khiriwong village
- Homestays at the foot of Khao Luang for walkers and waterfall trips; you need your own transport back to the city
- Around Makha Bucha in February, rooms near the great chedi go first, so book the old-town end early.
Getting around
Blue songthaews, motorbike taxis and hired drivers
Getting around comes down to one long road. Ratchadamnoen Road runs north to south through the city, and blue songthaews work it between Wat Phra Mahathat and the municipal offices; wave one down, press the buzzer to stop and pay the driver in coins. Routes are not signposted, so say your destination before climbing in. Songthaews also gather on Khlong Tha Road opposite Phra Ngoen Garden, a good place to ask for other routes. Motorbike taxis fill the gaps for short trips. Walking the full length is not realistic: from the station area to the great temple takes around 45 minutes on foot, and longer in the midday heat. For Khao Luang National Park, Khiriwong village or the beaches north of town, hire a car with driver or rent a scooter.
- Blue songthaews
- Along Ratchadamnoen Road between the temple and the municipal offices
- Motorbike taxis
- Short hops between the station, markets and the old town
- Hired car or scooter
- For Khao Luang, Khiriwong and the coast
- Vans and buses
- From the provincial bus station west of town to nearby provinces
- Keep small notes and coins; songthaew drivers rarely have change for large bills.
Know before you go
What makes Nakhon Si Thammarat worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The great chedi of Wat Phra Mahathat, ringed by rows of smaller chedis.
- Khanom la, lacy sheets of sweet flour sold across the city.
- The Hae Pha Khuen That procession, when a long cloth is wrapped around the chedi.
Good to know
- The city is long and narrow, so ride between the station and the old town rather than walk.
- Late-year rains are heavy on this coast; avoid October to December.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Nakhon Si Thammarat, month by month
Sitting on the Gulf of Thailand coast, Nakhon Si Thammarat gets its heaviest rain late in the year. Choose a month for long-term averages of temperature and rainfall.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Nakhon Si Thammarat (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
Wat Phra Mahathat on day one, Khao Luang and Khiriwong on day two
Two days covers Nakhon Si Thammarat. Day one is in town: Wat Phra Mahathat when it opens at 8:30, the National Museum on Ratchadamnoen Road, the old northern gate and the Tharian night market. Day two goes west to Khiriwong village at the foot of Khao Luang, the highest mountain in southern Thailand.
Fly in the evening before on a flight from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport, north of town, and begin the first morning at Wat Phra Mahathat, which opens at 8:30, while the white chedi is still in soft light. Walk the covered gallery around its base, where rows of smaller chedis crowd in close, and leave time for the temple's small museum rooms. Dress for a working shrine: shoulders and knees covered.
The National Museum is a short ride along Ratchadamnoen Road. Its collection draws on four southern provinces, and it explains better than any guidebook how far this city's influence once reached. After lunch, ride north to the surviving gate and the stub of the old northern wall, the last piece of a fortification that once enclosed about a square kilometre. On a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, finish at the Tharian night market.
Give the second day to the hills. Khao Luang, the highest mountain in the south, rises west of the city, and Khiriwong village at its foot is the usual base for waterfalls and forest walks. A hired driver makes this an easy day out. Back in town, Thalad Park, about 2 km north of the centre, has the small City Museum by its entrance and is pleasant in the late afternoon.
Khanom jeen, kua kling and khanom la at the Tharian market
Nakhon Si Thammarat is a good place to learn southern Thai food, which is hotter than Bangkok cooking. Breakfast is khanom jeen with curry, curry shops serve kaeng tai pla and kua kling, and the city's own sweet is khanom la, sold soft or fried. The Tharian night market opens four nights a week.
Southern Thai cooking is hotter and more pungent than the food of Bangkok, and Nakhon is a good place to learn it. Breakfast is often khanom jeen, soft rice noodles ladled with curry and eaten with a tray of raw herbs and vegetables to pick from. At curry-and-rice shops, look for kaeng tai pla, a dark, fiery curry built on fermented fish innards, and kua kling, dry-fried minced meat with plenty of turmeric and chilli. Ask for less heat if you need to; the default is fierce.
The city's own sweet is khanom la. The soft version, la nim, comes as fine lacy sheets of sweetened flour and keeps for barely a week, so it is bought fresh. La tod is the crisp fried version, folded into small bites, and travels home better. Both are sold in shops along the main roads and are the standard gift to bring back from a visit.
In the evening, the Tharian night market near the bridge opens four nights a week from late afternoon until about 11pm, with grilled meats, curries and desserts. For something different, the city has a small craft beer scene, with a bar pouring Thai brews late into the evening.
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How we research our Nakhon Si Thammarat travel guide
Wat Phra Mahathat's opening hours and the Tharian night market days are checked against the official Nakhon Si Thammarat website. The Royal Thai Embassy visa-exemption notice and the Thailand Digital Arrival Card portal cover entry.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Nakhon Si ThammaratRoyal Thai Embassy noticeThailand Digital Arrival Card
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Getting there
Flying from Don Mueang is by far the quickest. The evening sleeper takes 12 to 14 hours but saves a night in a hotel, and VIP buses take about 12 hours from the Southern Bus Terminal.
Yes, both wait outside arrivals for the drive south into the city. Have your hotel name written in Thai to show the driver.
Flying is the only quick way in from Bangkok. Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai AirAsia fly to Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport from Don Mueang, and Thai VietJet Air flies there from Suvarnabhumi. The airport lies north of the city; taxis and shared vans meet arrivals for the drive into town.
General
Yes. Thai VietJet Air flies from Suvarnabhumi, while Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai AirAsia use Don Mueang.
February to April is the dry stretch, with February averaging under 80 mm of rain. November and December each bring well over 500 mm and some years flood.
The National Museum on Ratchadamnoen Road, with finds from four southern provinces, and the surviving northern gate with its short stretch of rampart.
One full day covers the temple, the museum and the old gate. Add a second for Khao Luang National Park and Khiriwong village.
It takes about 45 minutes along a hot main road, so most people ride the blue songthaews on Ratchadamnoen Road instead.
Khanom la is the city's lacy sweet made from fine sheets of sweetened flour. For savoury food, try khanom jeen with curry, kaeng tai pla and kua kling.
Timing & weather
It is held twice a year, at Makha Bucha in February and at Visakha Bucha, when a long cloth is carried in procession and wrapped around the great chedi.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from late afternoon until about 11pm, near the bridge on the Pho Sadet side.
The best time to visit Nakhon Si Thammarat is Feb to Apr. The driest months on the gulf coast, with the February chedi festival.
- Best overall: February - April (February is the driest month at about 77 mm, highs sit around 32 to 34C, and Makha Bucha brings the Hae Pha Khuen That procession)
- Hot, showery middle: May - September (Highs of about 34C with moderate rain; the Tenth Lunar Month festival usually falls in September or October)
- Monsoon: October - January (November averages over 600 mm and December over 500 mm, with flooding in some years)
Booking
Go February to April and allow one or two days.
Visa & documents
From 15 September 2026, Thailand replaced its 60-day visa exemption with a 30-day exemption for tourism, covering about 60 countries; a one-time extension of up to 30 days may be possible at an immigration office. Some nationalities can get a visa on arrival, and others need an e-Visa before travel. All foreign visitors must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before arrival.
Health & safety
Visitors to Thailand rarely run into serious trouble. Road accidents, especially on scooters, cause the most harm, followed by scams and strong sea currents in the monsoon. Ignore anyone who says the Grand Palace is closed, and swim only where no red flag flies.
