Songkhla province is something of an anomaly, in that its about the only province where the largest city is not the provincial capital. Hat Yai, close to the southern-most point of the province, owes its size and importance to the railroad.
The province has a rather odd shape, since it encompasses the coastal side of the great inland seas stretching up to Nakorn Sri Thammarat province.
This rather sleepy little town sits on one side of the only opening to the inland sea from the ocean. While not as spectacular as those of the west coast, Songkhla town does have some nice beaches, which are complemented by a charming old town district.
The largest island in the Thale Sap has become something of a cultural playground popular with day trippers from Songkhla town and Hat Yai. The chief attraction is the huge Southern Folklore Museum.
Difficult to classify as a 'highlight' since Hat Yai is itself a rather ugly little town. Still, it attracts hoards of weekenders from Malaysia who come for cheap shopping and dining. Its also the south's main transportation hub, so you're likely to go through the city at least once if you're spending any time in the south.
With Hat Yai as the major transportation hub of the deep south, Songkhla province is extremely easy to get around. From Hat Yai, buses and vans fan out to all points, including neighboring provinces. The best place to get a ride to most points in the province is in front of the old Plaza Cinema on Petchkasem Road. From here, vans leave as soon as they're full to Songkhla town and Sadao on the Malaysian border.
Songkhla province, or more specifically Hat Yai, is probably the easiest place to get to in the deep south. No matter where your ultimate destination may be, if you're heading towards the deep south, your trip will probably involve a stop in Hat Yai.
Planes Hat Yai is home to an international airport with connections to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as well as Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand. There are around a dozen flights a day between Bangkok and Hat Yai.
Truth be told, Hat Yai may well be one of the least interesting cities in Thailand. It's a relatively modern invention resulting from the construction of the railway linking Thailand to Malaysia and Singapore in the nineteenth century. Hat Yai is where the two lines running up either coast of Malaysia meet to form the single line up to Bangkok. It remained not much more than a rail yard until the 1960s, when its proximity to the Malaysia border made it an important trading town.
Yo Island is a popular day trip from either Hat Yai or Songkhla. The island has become especially popular since a bridge linking the north and south sides of the lake was built in 1984. At 2.6 kilometers (1.5 miles) long, its Thailand's longest span.
The main sight on the island is the Southern Folklore Museum on the northern tip of the island. The museum's goal is to preserve the unique culture of the south.
The rather laid back town of Songkhla sits on a narrow peninsula separating the great inland sea of Thale Sap from the ocean. The current city sits on the south side of the opening between the Thale Sap and the sea. The area around the opening has been settled for more than two millennium. Sathing Phra, on the north side of the opening, was an important trading port during the Srivijaya Empire from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries.
The current conditoins in Hat Yai are shown in the box at right. Thais divide the year into three seasons: the cool season, hot season, and rainy season. For most westerners, this translates to "hot," "really hot," and "really hot and wet." Temperatures rarely drop below 25° C (70° F).
Historical Weather Patterns for Hat Yai Hat Yai has very constant temperatures with average highs and lows varying by less than five degrees over the course of the year.
