2 Days in Hat Yai — Dim Sum, Fried Chicken, Kim Yong Market, the Cable-Car Buddha & a Songkhla Day Trip 2026

Why 2 days, 1 night

Hat Yai is an eat-and-shop city you can do in two days

The most-searched Hat Yai trip is the two-day, one-night one — and it suits the city, because the food and the shopping are packed into the centre and almost everything is within walking distance, so you can start eating and looking around the moment you arrive on the first morning. Hat Yai is not a beach town (the nearest beach is Samila in Songkhla, about 30 minutes away); it is a southern-Chinese-Thai food city famous for morning dim sum and Hat Yai fried chicken, and the number-one land gateway for Malaysian and Singaporean shoppers.

This plan is built for a first visit to Hat Yai. Day one stays in town (dim sum + Kim Yong Market + fried chicken + the cable-car Buddha + a night market), where most things are walkable. Day two heads out a little further for a day trip to the sea at Songkhla (Sino-Portuguese old town + Samila Beach + Khao Tang Kuan), then comes back for last-minute shopping and a final meal. The best part is that it works with or without a car — day one in town is on foot or a short songthaew or Grab hop, and day two is the cheap Hat Yai–Songkhla songthaew or a hired car or Grab.

Coming in the rainy months (about Oct–Dec), or not sure when to visit? Read the best time to visit Hat Yai first, because the southern monsoon and heavy rain matter for the outdoor parts of this plan, like the cable car and the Songkhla day trip.

Day One

City, food and views — dim sum, Kim Yong, fried chicken, the cable-car Buddha

Morning dim sum · walk Kim Yong Market and the downtown · Hat Yai fried chicken for lunch · afternoon cable car to the standing Buddha · evening at the Greenway night market.

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Day 1

Downtown Hat Yai · eat, shop & the cable-car Buddha

Phra Buddha Mongkol Maharaj — the giant golden standing Buddha on Khao Kho Hong at Hat Yai Municipal Park, flanked by red-roofed Thai pavilions against a green hillside

Morning · ~3 hours

Dim sum breakfast + Kim Yong Market and the downtown

Start the first day the Hat Yai way, with dim sum for breakfast — the city has a strong dim sum and old-style coffee-shop (kopi) culture. Order har gow, siu mai and steamed buns with a hot coffee for a cheap, filling start. The popular dim sum shops fill up early, so expect a short wait; pick a place and the dishes to try in our Hat Yai food guide.

Then walk it off at Kim Yong Market, the dried-goods, snacks and imported-goods market at the heart of Hat Yai shopping — sweets, nuts, dried foods, cosmetics and Malaysian imports. Carry on through the downtown around Lee Gardens Plaza, Central Festival and Santisuk Market, all close together. See what to buy where in our Hat Yai shopping guide.

Dim sum: the popular shops are busy from early — allow for a short wait · about ฿80–200 per person

Kim Yong Market: open morning to evening · free to browse, some bargaining · in the centre

Getting around: this area is almost all walkable · no car needed in the morning

Midday–afternoon · ~3.5 hours

Hat Yai fried chicken for lunch + the cable car to the standing Buddha

Lunch has to be Hat Yai fried chicken, the city's signature dish — crisp-skinned chicken under a topping of fried shallots, eaten with sticky rice and a dipping sauce. Several long-running shops have branches in town, and it is tasty and cheap (see the best in our Hat Yai food guide). If you don't want chicken, try southern kao yam (herb rice) or roti instead.

In the afternoon, go up to Hat Yai Municipal Park on Khao Kho Hong — the city's top sight. Take the cable car up to pay respects at Phra Buddha Mongkol Maharaj, the giant golden standing Buddha, and the Guanyin shrine, with a view over the whole city from the top. The park also has the indoor Magic Eye 3D museum if the sun is strong. Go in the late afternoon for nicer light and shorter queues. Full details on every spot are in our Hat Yai attractions guide.

Cable car & Buddha: Khao Kho Hong · ~15 min from the centre (Grab / songthaew) · park free, cable car has a fare

Cable-car hours: usually about 10:00–18:00 and often closed on some days · check the latest hours before you go

Dress: it's a sacred site — dress modestly · if you'd rather skip the queue, a road goes up to the Buddha too

Tip: the cable car's hours change and it sometimes closes for maintenance — always check before you go. It's busiest on weekends and holidays, so a late afternoon is easier and gives you a cooler view.

Evening · ~2–3 hours

Graze the Greenway night market (or Khlong Hae floating market if it's Fri–Sun)

Close the first day at the Greenway Night Market, a lively open-air street-food ground — grilled skewers, seafood, fried snacks, sweets and drinks, with outdoor seating and live music on some nights. Graze your way along; prices are friendly. Nearby in town you also have the ASEAN Night Bazaar and Kim Yong Market to wander on to. See which market runs on which night in our Hat Yai night markets guide.

If it's a Friday to Sunday, you can swap in the Khlong Hae floating market instead — a canal-side market where vendors sell southern-Thai food from their boats, open weekends only from afternoon to evening. It's about 10 km out of town, so you'd take a Grab or a chartered ride; on a weekday Khlong Hae is closed, so stick with Greenway in town.

Greenway: in town · opens early evening, from about 18:00 · walk / Grab / songthaew from the central hotels

Khlong Hae floating market: ~10 km out · Fri–Sun only, afternoon to evening · Grab or a chartered ride

Prices: free to walk, you pay only for food and shopping · ask the price per plate / per kilo for seafood before ordering

Day Two

A day trip to the sea — Songkhla old town + Samila Beach

A 30-minute ride to the Sino-Portuguese old town and street-art murals · Samila Beach and the Golden Mermaid · Khao Tang Kuan viewpoint · back to Hat Yai to shop and have a last meal (or swap in Ton Nga Chang waterfall).

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Day 2

Songkhla old town & Samila Beach · back to shop in Hat Yai

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Morning · ~3.5 hours

Ride to Songkhla → old town + Samila Beach + Khao Tang Kuan

On the second morning, head to Songkhla town, only about 30 km from Hat Yai and roughly a 30–40 minute drive — the most popular day trip from the city. Start in Songkhla old town along Nang Ngam, Nakhon Nok and Nakhon Nai roads, walking past the pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses, the street-art murals, the cafés in old buildings and the local food.

Then on to Samila Beach, a long sandy beach with the Golden Mermaid statue, Songkhla's emblem and a favourite photo stop, with a sea breeze and beachfront restaurants. If you have the energy, climb Khao Tang Kuan, the hill in the middle of town, to pay respects and look out over Songkhla and the lake. The full picture is in our Songkhla guide.

To Songkhla: ~30 km, ~30–40 min · cheap Hat Yai–Songkhla songthaew / Grab / a car hired for the day

Old town: free to walk · morning light is easiest · the sights are close together and walkable

Which transport: no car of your own → a hired car or Grab is easier, as Songkhla's sights are spread out

Afternoon · ~3 hours · the swap option

Swap in Ton Nga Chang waterfall, if you'd rather have nature than the sea

If you'd rather not go to Songkhla, or want nature instead, swap day two for Ton Nga Chang waterfall — a multi-tier waterfall in a wildlife sanctuary about 26 km west of Hat Yai (roughly 30–40 minutes). The lower tiers are an easy walk and have pools you can swim in on days when the water isn't strong; the upper tiers are a steeper, slippery forest climb, so wear shoes with good grip. There's no direct public transport, so take a Grab, a rental or a chartered ride, and there's a national-park entry fee. Both Songkhla and the waterfall are covered in our Hat Yai day trips guide.

Ton Nga Chang waterfall: ~26 km west, ~30–40 min · Grab / rental / chartered ride · national-park entry fee

How to choose: want the sea + an old town → Songkhla · want forest + a waterfall swim → Ton Nga Chang

Best time: morning is cool and pleasant · late rainy / early cool season has the best flow

Safety: in the rainy season the waterfall floods fast and the rocks are slippery — take care on the upper tiers, and don't swim when the water is strong or staff post a warning.

Evening · back to Hat Yai

Back to shop + a last southern-Thai or seafood dinner

In the evening, ride back into Hat Yai with time to pick up souvenirs at Kim Yong Market or the shops in town before you leave — Chinese pastries, nuts, dried foods, dried squid and imported goods. Finish with a final dinner: choose southern-Thai food (southern curries, kao yam, stir-fried sator beans), seafood, or go back for late-night dim sum or bak kut teh one more time. See all the best spots in our Hat Yai food guide. A short trip, but you've covered the food, the shopping, the city view and the sea.

Back from Songkhla: songthaew / Grab / chartered ride, ~30–40 min · allow time before the souvenir shops close

Onward from Hat Yai: flying from Hat Yai airport (HDY) is quickest · or the Southern Line train / a bus — see our getting to Hat Yai guide

Practical info

Where to stay · getting around · budget

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Which area to stay in

For a short trip, stay in central Hat Yai around Kim Yong Market, Lee Gardens and the Sanehanusorn–Niphat Uthit streets — walkable to the markets, the dim sum and fried-chicken shops and the night markets, which saves on transport and makes evenings easy. Hat Yai is a business city with plenty of rooms, so rates are often better value than in resort towns. See options in the full Hat Yai guide.

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Getting around

Hat Yai has no metro, BTS or MRT, but in town a lot is walkable — Kim Yong Market, Lee Gardens and the food streets. The main options are songthaews (several routes, running in town and to Khlong Hae / Songkhla, cheap), tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis (agree the fare first), and Grab, which is easy to get. Out-of-town sights need a Grab, a rental or a chartered ride. See our getting around Hat Yai guide.

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When to go

Hat Yai is best from November to February, when it's driest and you can do the markets, the cable car and outdoor sights in full. March to May is hot and humid. The genuinely wet stretch is the monsoon from October to December (peaking in November), and in bad years parts of town flood, so check the forecast and flood news before you come. See month-by-month in our best time to visit guide.

Budget

Rough cost for a 2-day, 1-night trip, per person (excluding travel to Hat Yai)

Item	Budget	Mid-range	Comfort
Accommodation (1 night)	฿400–800 (town guesthouse / hostel)	฿900–1,800 (3–4 star central hotel)	฿2,500–5,000+ (newer / upper-tier hotel)
4–5 meals	฿300–600 (dim sum, fried chicken, markets)	฿700–1,300 (markets + 1 seafood / southern meal)	฿1,400–2,800 (seafood + cafés + sit-down meals)
Songkhla day trip	฿80–200 (songthaew there and back)	฿400–900 (Grab return + food)	฿1,200–2,500 (car hired for the day)
Town transport + entry	฿100–300 (songthaew · cable car)	฿300–600 (Grab · cable car · Magic Eye)	฿600–1,200 (chartered ride · all entries)
2-day, 1-night total (approx.)	฿880–1,900	฿2,300–4,600	฿5,700–11,500+

Approximate, per person, excluding the flight / train / bus to Hat Yai · prices vary by season and over long weekends · rates rise in peak season (Nov–Feb) and over long holidays, so book ahead · ways and prices to reach the city are in our getting to Hat Yai guide.

Frequently asked

FAQ · 2-day Hat Yai plan

Is 2 days and 1 night enough for Hat Yai?

It is enough for a well-paced eat-and-shop trip. Day one gives you morning dim sum, Kim Yong Market and the downtown, Hat Yai fried chicken, the cable car up to the giant standing Buddha for the city view, and a night market to finish. Day two is a 30-minute ride to Songkhla for the old town and Samila Beach before you come back to shop and have a last meal. What you have to skip on two days is Ton Nga Chang waterfall and the Khlong Hae floating market, which sit outside town in a different direction. If you want the sea, the waterfall and the floating market all in, extend to three days for a much more relaxed trip — see the full Hat Yai guide.

Can I do Songkhla as a day trip from Hat Yai?

Very easily. Songkhla town is only about 30 km from Hat Yai, roughly a 30–40 minute drive, and it is the most popular day trip from the city. In the morning, walk Songkhla old town along Nang Ngam, Nakhon Nok and Nakhon Nai roads for the pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses and street-art murals, then head to Samila Beach for the Golden Mermaid statue, and climb Khao Tang Kuan for a view over the town and Songkhla Lake. Come back to Hat Yai in the evening. You can go by the cheap Hat Yai–Songkhla songthaew, by Grab, or by hiring a car for the day. With no car of your own, a hired car or Grab is easier, because Songkhla's sights are spread out — see our Hat Yai day trips guide.

Is Hat Yai walkable, or do I need a car?

Downtown Hat Yai is comfortably walkable — Kim Yong Market, Lee Gardens, Central, the dim sum shops, the fried-chicken spots and most hotels are all close together, so day one of this plan barely needs a vehicle. You do need transport for the municipal park and the cable-car Buddha, some of the night markets, and the day two trip to Songkhla. Hat Yai has no metro, BTS or MRT; around town you use songthaews (several routes, cheap), tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis (agree the fare first), and Grab, which is easy to get. Out-of-town sights like Ton Nga Chang waterfall and the Khlong Hae floating market have no direct public transport, so take a Grab, a rental or a chartered ride — see our getting around Hat Yai guide.

What is the best area to base yourself in Hat Yai for two days?

For a short trip, stay in the central area around Kim Yong Market, Lee Gardens and the Sanehanusorn–Niphat Uthit streets. From there you can walk to the markets, the dim sum and fried-chicken shops and the night markets, which saves on transport and makes evenings easy. There is everything from budget guesthouses and hostels to mid-range and newer hotels, and rates are often better value than in resort towns because Hat Yai is a business city with a lot of rooms. If you want it quieter you can move to the edge of town, but for a two-day trip the centre is the most convenient base. See options in the full Hat Yai guide.

What can I do in Hat Yai if it rains?

Hat Yai is mainly an indoor eat-and-shop city, so rain need not spoil it. Wander Kim Yong Market and malls like Lee Gardens and Central, linger over dim sum and old-style coffee, work through the cafés and restaurants, or visit the indoor Magic Eye 3D museum in the municipal park. Save the outdoor things — the cable-car Buddha, Ton Nga Chang waterfall and the Songkhla trip — for a clearer day. The genuinely wet season is the monsoon from about October to December (peaking in November), and in bad years parts of town flood, so if you come then, check the forecast and any flood news before travelling and keep a backup plan — see month-by-month in our best time to visit guide.

Hat Yai Travel Guide

Hotels, food, sights · all the transport basics

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Hat Yai Food Guide

Dim sum · Hat Yai fried chicken · kao yam · bak kut teh · must-eats

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Hat Yai Attractions

The cable-car Buddha · municipal park · Khlong Hae · the waterfall

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Hat Yai Day Trips

Songkhla & Samila Beach · Ton Nga Chang waterfall · Khlong Hae

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